We’ve all been guilty of it, right? Word soup. Verbal diarrhea. Our mouth faucets running wild.

For anyone building a brand, growing their audience, writing a book or a blog or ANYTHING, you know that one of the most important goals is getting someone to understand what you’re saying. And for many…we need them to take ACTION and sign on for our services, buy our books and programs, join our communities. The way we talk to people matters.

Plain and simple.

Yet clear and concise messaging is often overlooked and replaced with verbose and sometimes unnecessary wordiness (If you’re a client of mine, you’ve heard me say “circle the drain”)

So what does it mean to be effective with our writing and communication?

According to this week’s Bound + Determined guest, Ben Guttmann, it’s actually kind to be simple, and his new book Simply Put: Why Clear Messages Win—and How to Design Them tells us exactly how to do it.

In this eye-opening interview, we chat:

• What authors can do to help their messaging stand out in a crowded market
• The mistakes he sees people make in their communication
• How to get your messaging to serve a need
• Tools for writers to keep their messaging on track

And so much more!

Ben Guttmann is a marketing and communications expert and author of Simply Put. He’s an experienced marketing executive and educator on a mission to get leaders to more effectively connect by simplifying their message. Ben is former co-founder and managing partner at Digital Natives Group, an award-winning agency that worked with the NFL, I Love NY, Comcast NBCUniversal, Hachette Book Group, The Nature Conservancy, and other major clients. Currently, Ben teaches digital marketing at Baruch College in New York City and consults with a range of thought leaders, venture-backed startups, and other brands.

I hope you’ll check out this episode!