I see where Raemon is going with this, and for a simplified model, where number of words is the only factor, this is at least plausible. Super-simplified models can be useful not only insofar as they make accurate predictions, but because they suggest what a slightly more complex model might look like.
In this case, what other factors play into the number of people you can coordinate with about X words?
Motivation (payment, commitment to a cause, social ties, status)
Repetition, word choice, presentation
Intelligence of the audience
Concreteness and familiarity of the message
Out of all the insights from the field of public communications, why is “you have about five words” the key insight for us to remember?
Maybe because it’s actionable and because our educational training asks us to write 10-page essays far more often than it asks us for five well-chosen words.
I see where Raemon is going with this, and for a simplified model, where number of words is the only factor, this is at least plausible. Super-simplified models can be useful not only insofar as they make accurate predictions, but because they suggest what a slightly more complex model might look like.
In this case, what other factors play into the number of people you can coordinate with about X words?
Motivation (payment, commitment to a cause, social ties, status) Repetition, word choice, presentation Intelligence of the audience Concreteness and familiarity of the message
Out of all the insights from the field of public communications, why is “you have about five words” the key insight for us to remember?
Maybe because it’s actionable and because our educational training asks us to write 10-page essays far more often than it asks us for five well-chosen words.