Jerry Seinfeld's Editing Tip Will Make Your Presentations Shorter and More Concise

Great artists put a lot of effort into their work. There is no exception to this.

The show's producers give fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Jerry Seinfeld's creative process in the coffee table book that accompanies the show. They praise Seinfeld for his comedy genius, but also focus on anunderappreciated part of his talent.

"People agree that he is a great comedy writer, but I think he is a great editor," says Peter Holmes, an award winning film editor.

He will shave it down until he finds the best material. He can be brutal about throwing things away, but I can't argue with the result.

Writers and speakers can learn a lot from each other. They use a red pen to eliminate anything that doesn't advance the message. The result is a longer presentation.

There are three ways to change your thoughts.

On the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Seinfeld was a guest. The ease of comedians hides years of hard work. He said that art is the disguising of art.

Don't think you'll be an expert overnight. Public speaking and writing improve over time. It's easier to edit your own work when you're practicing.

Anything that doesn't advance the purpose of the presentation should be eliminated. "Brevity comes from selection and not compression," says Roy Peter Clark in his book.

You're an engineer who knows everything about the product when I'm looking for a new computer or phone. I don't need to know everything you do because you might be an expert on the hundreds of steps needed to make the chips inside the device. If the data supports the claim that it's the fastest chip ever made, that's all I need to know.

Tell the audience what you know. Tell them what's going on.

You're too close to the subject and it's difficult to do editing on your own. Get help from people who don't care about the content.

There are software tools that identify extraneous words. A red line is put through the words when the tool finds unneeded words. The software's suggestions make your message stronger if you accept the changes.

I used the previous paragraph to see what would happen. I was told to tighten the second sentence because the tool would put a red line through unneeded words.

"We need an edit," says the comedian. Next time you write an email, make an elevator pitch, or build a powerpoint presentation, think about what Jerry said. Start cutting so that everything can be edited.