These Days The Truth Must Have a Catchy Headline
With the important bits in bold.
And the rest itemized:1. Make it simple.
2. Make it short.
3. Make it quotable.
4. Make it controversial.
5. Meet a need.
But what if, sometimes, what we really need is nuance? What if the truth requires exploration, deliberation, development? How much do we lose without the other hand and the second thought?
I like a good soundbite as much as the next girl.
But sometimes I want the whole meal.
- Carolyn Arends
www.carolynarends.com
3 comments:
Carolyn, there's enough in this soundbite to engage the mind and set the mental teeth grinding in a good chew. Your 5 points say a whole lot. And yet, as you suggest, exploration, deliberation and development are necessary for nuance.
Ah yes, nuance -- which melts away cold, stark information and introduces warmth and colour, and which conveys feeling and resonates with emotion -- can make truth live!
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Narrative is such an important part of conveying any truth because it engages the heart and the mind, the intellect and the emotions. You don't get that with bullet points and soundbites.
Thanks for weighing in, Peter and Lesley. Interesting that you both mentioned "engagement." Maybe that's the key? Both too many AND too few words can block engagement. Like Goldilocks, we need to try to find the amount that's "just right!"
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