The Corporate Storyteller

"Say it quickly and get off the page (or stage)" is becoming the key to successful communication. As technology speeds up the pace of life, people's attention spans continue to shrink markedly.

TED requires speakers to deliver thought-provoking ideas in no more than 20 minutes, twitter.com is training us to say what we have to say in 140 characters or less, and e-readers are increasing demand for simpler, shorter books. Now TED may be setting a new standard for publishers by creating books between 10,000 and 20,000 words, which is roughly 40-80 pages of a trade paperback. The point is to enable readers to easily finish a book in just one sitting.

Would you rather slow down and take the time to dive into a book over a week or two or more--or demand shorter books so you can get the gist of the idea and move on to the next? Tell us which you prefer. We'd like to know!