Book SummarySimply Said, by Jay Sullivan

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Simply Said

In Simply Said, Jay Sullivan provides a blueprint for effective business communication to help you advance your professional life. He believes top-notch communication skills are essential to success in any field—you can only get clients, colleagues, and audiences to buy into your ideas if you’re able to communicate them clearly.

Sullivan’s premise is that great communication comes from understanding and connecting with other people instead of focusing on ourselves. He explains that we tend to communicate from our own perspective, without considering other people’s points of view. This then leads to miscommunication.

(Shortform note: People also may miscommunicate because they approach an issue from different levels. In Principles, Ray Dalio writes that every person has both a rational and an emotional level, and two people who are talking to each other may be unaware of which level is in control. This may lead to a breakdown in communication. For example, one person may operate on the rational level and give you corrective feedback to help you improve. But if you hear the feedback from an...

Simply Said Summary Part 1: How to Prepare a Clear and Engaging Message

Whether you’re talking one-on-one with a client or presenting to an audience of hundreds, your goal is to make it easy for the other party to understand your point. In this section, we’ll discuss Sullivan’s tips for delivering a strong, memorable message that won’t be open to misinterpretation.

Tip #1: Know What You Want to Say

Sullivan recommends that before you speak, you determine the one main idea that you want your audience to take away from your meeting or presentation. He writes that many speakers often don’t know what their main point is, which is problematic—if you’re confused about your main point, then the audience is likely to be confused too. So clarify your main point before you flesh out your presentation to ensure that your audience will receive the message you intend. For example, if you’re presenting sales data from two quarters, decide ahead of time what you want your team to take away—should they be celebrating an improvement, reflecting on poor performance, or brainstorming for the future?

(Shortform note: [To know if you’ve developed a clear core...

Simply Said Summary Part 2: How to Improve Your Oral Communication Skills

Now that you know how to prepare a clear and engaging message, it’s time to work on delivering that message with maximum effectiveness. Sullivan says that the main principle when it comes to oral communication is to use the same techniques whether you’re talking with one person or a roomful of people—maintain the same level of confidence, attention, and engagement. In this section, we’ll first discuss his general tips for improving oral communication, then we’ll go into his tips for applying these skills to specific business situations.

Tip #1: Mind Your Voice

Sullivan advises paying attention to the speed, volume, and tone of your voice:

Speed: You’ll more likely need to slow your pace rather than speed it up—most people talk fast out of nervousness. (Sullivan does add that talking fast on purpose can imply a sense of urgency.) Also incorporate pauses to give your audience time to process what you just said. (Shortform note: What’s so bad about talking fast? Not only does it make you appear less confident and unorganized, it also makes your audience work harder to understand you—which goes against Sullivan’s advice to focus on their needs. Work on your pace...

Simply Said Summary Part 3: How to Write Effective Documents and Emails

In addition to oral communication, written communication is also a necessary part of any professional field. In this section, we’ll cover how to write documents and emails that people will actually read. In keeping with his main theme of focusing on the other person, Sullivan advises writing with the reader in mind—consider why they’re reading your message and what you want them to do with it, and make it easy for them to understand what you’re saying. He has the following specific tips:

Tip #1: Keep It Short

Sullivan says people are more likely to read a short document than a long one. As a general rule, keep each sentence shorter than 17 words long, but vary your lengths to keep the rhythm interesting. (Shortform note: Other experts recommend an average of 25 words per sentence and add that if you can’t accurately capture your idea within 25 words, don’t be afraid of going longer—clarity is more important than length.)

Also keep paragraphs short—going beyond a quarter of a page for a paragraph can overwhelm your reader. Sullivan says you can trim the fat...

Shortform Exercise: Deliver an Effective Message

Sullivan says that in all forms of communication, your goal is for the other person to easily understand your message. Practice writing a persuasive, unambiguous message.

Think of an idea or project that you’d like to propose to management. Write your main message in one sentence using fewer than 10 words. (For example: “We need free, unlimited coffee in the break room.”)