Writing Less is Hard. ChatGPT Can Help—If You Know How to Use It.
“I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one.”
This quote, often attributed to Mark Twain, became a staple in the workshops of Bill Joos, the legendary Silicon Valley pitch coach. I first heard it from him during a training session at Blackbox. Bill, who passed away a few years ago, left a lasting impact on how I think about communication—especially concise communication.
He used to say: “Long is lazy. Short is hard.”
That line stayed with me. Over the years, I’ve seen how true it is—not just in pitching, but in writing, training, sales, and executive communication.
But here’s the shift: today, with generative AI, writing short is no longer as hard as it used to be. You just need to know how to guide the tool.
Using ChatGPT to Make Communication Clear and Concise
Many professionals still treat AI as a writing assistant. But when used well, it becomes something more powerful: a clarity engine.
Here’s a workflow I use regularly to turn messy, unstructured thinking into precise, sharp messaging—whether for a sales deck, client email, training content, or internal presentation.
Step 1: Start with the Raw Input
I don’t try to write neatly. I speak.
Using voice input, I dictate a rough version of my message into ChatGPT. It’s usually long, fragmented, repetitive—exactly how we all speak when we think out loud.
Step 2: Ask AI to Identify the Signal
Once the raw input is there, I move to the first refinement layer.
Useful prompts include:
What’s the key message here?
Can you summarize what I just said in a clearer way?
Please rewrite this to be more structured and focused.
The goal is not to make it short yet—but to move from noise to structure.
Step 3: Distill to the Core
Once the structure is there, I push for clarity and brevity.
This step depends on the context and audience, but common prompts include:
What’s the bottom line for [target audience]?
What’s the single most important point?
Can you turn this into a one-liner or strong opening sentence?
This is where the real value happens. You move from a decent message to a sharp one—something people can remember and act on.
Communication is a Skill. AI Makes It Trainable.
This workflow saves time, but more importantly, it trains better habits. It builds discipline around structure, clarity, and audience focus. And it removes the friction of editing drafts manually.
It doesn’t replace strategic thinking—but it amplifies it.
If your team creates content, presentations, training materials, or sales messaging—and you want them to communicate faster and more effectively with the help of AI—book an intro call to learn how I can help your company.
