Welcome back to “Irresistible Communication”. Two minutes, twice a week. No nonsense advice on leadership communication. Imagine a painter working on a portrait. He's unhappy with the way the eyes look. So he adds more colors, trying to capture the right shade. Still unsatisfied, he then paints additional lines and shadows, hoping to give them depth. But the more he adds the further the eyes drift from his vision. Frustrated, he keeps piling on strokes, shades and highlights, but with each one of those making the eyes busier and less lifelike. A fellow artist, seeing his struggle, takes another canvas and paints the same eyes with just a few confident well-placed strokes. The result: a clear vivid and lifelike pair of eyes. The original painter's instinct was to add, thinking more detailed would solve the problem. In reality though, the simplicity and clarity of fewer well-placed strokes made the difference. It's a cliché, but it's true.: Less is often more. In our rush to communicate, we pile on words and ideas, thinking it's better, but it's often not. One strong argument that sticks easily beats 10 weak arguments that our audience forgets. Strip it down and keep it simple! Subtract the nonessential and amplify the essential. Your message will be so much clearer. Keep lighting the path and share it with a friend!