Too Much Talk, Fat Briefing Docs Sink Ships

Spending time to write up a two or ten-page briefing document is a waste!  Talking then encapsulating topics into talking points is enough!  Then connect the dots when talking, rather than writing huge briefing documents that never get fully read unless they land in the wrong hands.  In this case, confidential documents landed in the email box of a reporter.

Maybe this is a mistake that could encourage others to appreciate the art of not talking or writing down too much, especially when it’s related to competition or fear.

I first heard about this today in San Francisco over lunch.  Here’s another story of PR mistakes and MSFT’s heavy handed/overbearing approach.

http://blog.wired.com/business/2007/03/enough_about_me.html

Maybe these thoughtless mistakes would be fewer if we were more thoughtful about how we communicate.  “Anything you say” or do or write can be used against you so it helps being mindful from the get go — before saying too much, before writing down too much.  Maybe this blog post will come back to bite me:).