The Internet has changed our reading habits.
If you're like most people, you don't read online as much as you scan. And in all fairness, with so much information available to you, who can blame you?! Reading a website word-for-word makes about as much sense as admiring a field flower-by-flower or a grove tree-by-tree.
As communicators, we recognize these behaviors and preferences and leverage them for better results.
I've been talking about 'at a glance' communication for the last two years, by which I mean information that communicates the message with one look. Headings, subheadings, short bulleted lists, diagrams, images and captions all help to achieve this outcome.
Paragraphs of full prose kill this effect.
With attention in short supply, smart communicators are turning to visuals to engage their audiences. Economy of words and efficiency are essential to getting your point across.
However, there is a time and a place to use a lot of information: when you are trying to show 'at a glance' that you're the experts or the best source for something. In that case, employ the opposite tact and overload your communications with links, words, inserts, papers, slides -- no one may read any of them but, 'at a glance,' they'll get the message that you've got a lot to say or show, which must mean you've got a lot to offer.
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