How to cut the carbs (from your comms)

I read a phrase recently that I loved:

‘High-protein information.’

It’s Ros Atkins’ book,  The Art of Explanation.

Isn’t it a great metaphor for how we should (but often don’t) communicate?

Most workplace writing contains far too much filler: caveats, background and long winding please-god-when-will-this-end intros before we get to the actual point.

Meanwhile your reader is trying to reply in between meetings while inhaling a tuna baguette over their keyboard.

So when you’ve written something, ask yourself: Is this high-protein information?

Is it:

• lean

• satisfying

• useful

• necessary

Or…is it just carbs?

Now don’t get me wrong. I love mashed potato as much as the next person (with oodles of cream and enough butter to deep condition a Labrador).

A little warmth, personality or reassurance in communication matters. It makes writing human and creates unbreakable connections.

But too much, and you leave people feeling overstuffed and sluggish.

Good communication isn’t about starving people of detail.

It’s about feeding them the right things.

The stuff that helps them think, decide, act or reply faster.

So next time you write something, ask yourself:

What’s high-protein information here?

And what’s just extra calories?