I’ve heard several folks comment on Spider-Man 3 in recent days. Many of the reviews sound like the one from my good friend Josh Griffin out at Saddleback. Josh wrote:

"In short, I think they just tried to pack too much in one movie. Too
many plot points, too many villains … too much of, well, everything.
It was too long, and had more than enough story - yet in the end have
we really come any further than when we started the movie?"

Too much. Too many plot points. Too long. Too bad we make this same mistake with our stories and messages. We rarely leave our audience wanting more. It’s a reminder that…

A focused message makes for a better blog.
A focused message makes for a better website.
A focused message makes for a better service.
A focused message makes for a better advertisement.
A focused message makes for a better sermon.

The problem is, of course, that we get lazy. It’s easier to communicate if we’re not concerned about length. Focusing what we have to say is difficult. It takes more preparation. We have to go the extra step of honing our message. The great communicators, though, figure out how to share their message with as few words as possible.

When we focus our message, it’s more memorable. It can be repeated more easily. It grabs attention and keeps it. And, in the end, we have a better chance of moving people from point "A" to point "B."

Have
we really come any further than when we started the movie? Maybe we should be asking that question more often…