BRIEF by Joseph McCormack is Released

In business, thereâ€s suffering when people arenâ€t succinct: conversations that donâ€t end; presentations that are pointless; meetings that run painfully long. Thereâ€s a general helplessness that brevity is beyond reach in an information-driven, attention economy. The impact is real and the cost of ineffectiveness is high.

Thatâ€s the point of Joseph McCormackâ€s new release Brief: Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less (Wiley; February 17, 2014). McCormack is founder of the Sheffield Company (http://www.sheffieldcompany.com), a boutique marketing agency that helps clients like Harley-Davidson, BMO Harris Bank, W.W. Grainger and U.S. Special Operations create a message that is clear and concise.

“Brevity belongs in business â€" it touches everyone, from the boardroom on down,â€' says McCormack. “The book challenges professionals to keep it tight and get it right the first time, or else theyâ€ll get left behind.â€'

BRIEF tackles the pressing challenges professionals face when they fail to get to the point quickly. Itâ€s harder than ever to hold peopleâ€s attention, especially given how they are constantly interrupted, inundated with information, and increasingly impatient. A recent survey showed that more than 43% of people abandon complicated or lengthy e-mails they receive in the first 30 seconds.

McCormack shares practical insights and real-world anecdotes that help the reader immediately embrace brevity as a professional advantage. In BRIEF, the reader will:

• Discover why brevity provides instant relief.
• Understand why professionals struggle to be succinct.
• Learn how to gain discipline to create a clear and concise message.
• Explore when and where to bring BRIEF skills to work.
• Commit to a practical action plan that others will notice.

In addition to the launch of BRIEF, McCormack introduced a new business unit called The BRIEF Lab to help teams of professionals gain mastery as lean communicators. The BRIEF Lab provides a comprehensive curriculum that consists of one- and two-day workshops to immerse participants in a series of challenging practical exercises on the BRIEF methodology. Currently, there are facilities in suburban Chicago and Southern Pines, NC.?

About the Author:
Joseph McCormack is on a mission to help organizations master the art of effective and efficient communication. An experienced marketing executive, successful entrepreneur and author, Joe is recognized for his work in narrative messaging and corporate storytelling.

A passionate leader, he founded The BRIEF Lab in 2013 after years dedicated to developing and delivering a unique curriculum on strategic narratives for U.S. Army Special Operations Command (Ft. Bragg, NC). He actively counsels military leaders and senior executives on key messaging and strategy initiatives. His clients include W.W. Grainger, Harley-Davidson, USG Corporation, BMO Harris Bank, SAP, MasterCard, Heinz, Hoffman-La Roche and Jones Lang LaSalle.

He founded and serves as managing director and president of The Sheffield Company, an award-winning boutique agency that specializes in narrative message development, short-form visual media and storytelling production. He speaks at diverse industry and client forums on the topics of brevity, messaging, storytelling, and leadership.

For more information, please visit http://www.thebrieflab.com/book/.