Step 1: How to Concisely Convey Anything – Lists

22 Jan

  • Pretty much everything belongs in lists
    • See the bullet after roman numeral IX

    See the bullet after roman numeral IX that is nested in Step 6.

  • Lists make any piece of information more digestible, readable, and hip
  • There are many types of lists, here is a list of types of lists:
    1. How To’s (like this one)
    2. How Not-To’s (not like this one)
    3. Laundry Lists
    4. A list of things that you need at the store that sells food and stuff (this needs a better name)
    5. Other
  • Sometimes it’s good to define the steps in your list, especially when it’s a how-to
  • Step 1 – see previous bullet
  • Step 2 – nesting lists is good
  • Step 3 – having a single item in a nested list is bad
    1. See step 2
    2. See Step 3
  • I. Many people think Romans are most famous for inventing the arch, but in actuallity their greatest contribution is the Roman Numeral
  • II. Roman numerals are easy – just remember it goes: one, eleven, one hundred eleven, etc. etc.
  • Step 6 – Making references to previous items in your list is helpful to people that are confused easily.
    • Assume that everyone is confused easily (see step 6)
    • IX.That is why you are making them a list (see all other steps, including this one)
  • Cut up your lists every once in a while with images – most people will only look at the pictures anyways
  • In Conclusion, lists are great because you don’t have to write closing paragraphs that summarize what you just said. If you feel you must bring closure to your list, you can always make a short conclusion list that summarized the other bullets in your main list. This is a controversial technique. Alternatively, the last item in your list can be simply “The End” – a technique borrowed from the film industry.
  • The End
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