Part 2
How long is a good news quote?
Between four and fifteen seconds. Shakespeare knew that the number of syllables English speakers use in a single breath is about ten, leaving space for gaps between words. Hence the most common line (or metrical) length in our poetry, theatre and speech is pentameter (viz. five ‘feet’ of two syllables each). Armstrong’s lunar landing quote is a snug thirteen syllables long, with a chance to breathe after the first six.
Try squeezing a message into a ten syllable chunk. If this sounds hard, try shorter words. Some say this is ‘dumbing down’, but if it helps normal people understand a message, maybe it’s ‘smartening up’. The process helps reveal and cut unhelpful and duplicate content. String three or four pentameter lines together and you have a 10 to 15 second sound-bite.
In closing: be careful with superlatives (best, most, longest, first, etc.). If audiences suspect overstatement, they will put less trust in the spokesperson and his or her message.
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