Half-Life Your Message

Verbosity, prolixity, circumlocution … impressive words that are also the weaknesses of many a lawyer. In his March Illinois Bar Journal Feedback Loops column, “Half-Life Your Message,” Patrick Barry walks through an exercise developed by University of Michigan researchers designed to help you discover and prioritize the core message of whatever you are trying to communicate. “Most discover that they can express their main point in less time than they originally thought. Many also experience an ‘ah ha’ moment when they uncover an unexpected central message or discover that they need to start their argument from a different place,” say the researchers (quoted by Barry). Even better, artificial intelligence can help speed up the “half-life” process!

Read, "Half-Life Your Message," in the March Illinois Bar Journal.