Smart Brevity
Episodes about this book
4 episodesSimplicity: Confront, Delete, Amplify — Getting 50% More Done with 50% Less with Roy Schwartz
Roy Schwartz explains that Smart Brevity originated as a writing format launched with Axios around 2016, after data showed readers stopped engaging after 250 words. Corporate demand for the format led him and his co-founders to write the Smart Brevity book and launch Axios HQ. He describes it as a playbook and formula for simplifying communications inside large organizations, noting it is now used by about 1,000 companies.
Axios Co-founder Roy Schwartz: why average is worthless now
Roy Schwartz, a co-author and the episode guest, discusses Smart Brevity's central argument: that length is wrongly equated with depth, a habit ingrained since school. He contends that true brevity means being as short as needed to convey the information, not merely truncating. He describes applying the method to oil-rig safety documents and explains that concise writing actually requires more effort because the writer does the thinking for the audience.
Episode 243: AI Is Making You Busier, Not Better—Here’s the Fix with Roy Schwartz
Roy Schwartz, co-author, discusses Smart Brevity as background to how Axios HQ developed. He explains it arose from observing that only 20% of readers finish articles, and that writing the book gave companies a common language for clearer communication. He notes people often buy it for verbose colleagues or teams with inefficient writing habits.
Getting to Yes, And… | Roy Schwartz – ‘Simplify’
Roy Schwartz, a co-author and guest, describes Smart Brevity as his team's first book, establishing the Axios philosophy of efficient communication. He says it teaches readers to do the work for the reader by constructing content that is concise, audience-aware, and purposeful. He directly encourages listeners to read it and says it is available on Amazon. The transcript also transcribes the title as "Smart Gravity" in two later passages, but the same book is clearly meant.
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All summaries are AI generated based on the original transcript.