Selection, not compression

When I was working as an investigative reporter, I was lucky enough to attend an investigative reporting seminar at the Poynter Institute.  We were there to sharpen our reporting skills and evaluate the ethical choices we make as journalists.

What stays with me, more than a dozen years later, is a concept taught at that seminar:  selection, not compression.  "Don't pack your investigative story full of all of the small details you turned up in your investigation," the instructor told us.  "Pick the best, most dramatic information and build your story around that."

Pick the best, leave the rest.

The concept certainly helped my reporting.  It still applies when I sit down to write videos or training materials.

What if we were able to apply that concept to our daily lives?  How difficult would it be to choose only the work, volunteer causes, clients and friendships that really fulfilled us?

It's a lot easier to say than to do.  Especially since I have the tendency to pack 10 pounds of stuff into a five pound sack.  (Hello, PTA volunteering...)

Whether we're speaking to a group, writing an email or leading our lives, it's good to remember to select the bits that matter and leave the rest on the cutting room floor.