Richard Wilson: write the sentence someone else can repeat

Richard's email recording treats a concise company description as something that has to travel. The reader may later discuss the opportunity with a spouse or analyst while the sender is absent.

The second conversation

Richard described a person reading a message and later having to explain it to someone else. If the original explanation is hard to summarize, the difficulty continues into that second conversation.

Clarity before more detail

His point was to make the basic activity understandable in one sentence. Supporting material can then answer further questions. The sentence has a practical job: let another person accurately describe what the company does and why the conversation is relevant.

In Richard's words

"if you can't summarize what you do in a single sentence that's super crystal clear and compelling" (Richard C. Wilson, recorded library commentary)

How to use this

Ask someone outside the company to repeat your description after reading it once.
Compare their version with what you intended to communicate.

Questions and answers

Why did Richard mention a spouse or investment partner?

The first recipient may need to explain the opportunity to someone else.

Does one sentence replace all supporting material?

The lesson concerns making the basic explanation understandable before adding detail.