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Training
Smart Brevity® Fundamentals
Introduce your teams to Smart Brevity, its principles, and how to apply them
Learn the psychology of modern communication.
This course is designed for organizations looking to upskill in-house teams.
This one-hour training — for up to 100 people at your organization — offers an introduction to Smart Brevity, including its principles, purpose, practical application to help teams communicate what matters most in a clearer, more efficient way.
In this session:
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Axios HQ’s trainer will share the fundamentals of Smart Brevity, including the research behind our method.
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Using real examples, you will walk through the tested and proven techniques to arrange, format, and style an effective communication.
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Axios HQ editor will end the course with a live before-and-after Smart Brevity demonstration using a relevant piece of communication.
They walk away with:
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A shared foundation for clear communication.
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Tangible techniques teams can use immediately.
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A better understanding of best-in-class organizations apply it.
This session offers an introduction to Smart Brevity, and it is effective for any team at your organization that’s ready to level up its communication.
Meet your trainers:
A former Presidential Briefer, a New York Post writer, and our "Grammar Hammer"
Phil Dufresne
Smart Brevity Trainer
Phil Dufresne
Smart Brevity Trainer
Phil is an Editor and Trainer, teaching corporate leaders, communicators, and professionals at organizations of all sizes how to improve critical communications.
- He’s helped teams across industries, including major financial institutions like JPMorgan Chase and HSBC, reimagine how they inform stakeholders and engage staff.
- He has led engaging training for both new Smart Brevity adopters and those working to expand and operationalize it across their organization.
- His insightful sessions and real-time feedback help customers quickly understand the methodology so they can apply it, feel its benefits, and continue to improve their craft.
Prior to Axios HQ, he was a CIA analyst, writing and editing in a style not far from Smart Brevity. He also served as an editor for the President’s Daily Brief.
1 fun thing: Phil is an actor on the side. Most recently, he played Claudius in a production of Hamlet.
Reed Tucker
Smart Brevity Trainer
Reed Tucker
Smart Brevity Trainer
Reed is an Editor and Trainer at Axios HQ and has helped hundreds of customers — like Takeda and UPS — learn Smart Brevity through customized strategy and training sessions.
- He builds a deep understanding of customers’ communication goals, then works with them to advise on and develop programming that addresses it.
- He leads hands-on, tailored workshops that connect the dots between unique customer communications — like emails, articles and narrative pieces — and the principles of Smart Brevity to help folks pave a strategic path forward.
- His insightful sessions and real-time feedback help customers quickly understand and apply the methodology so they can start to feel its benefits.
Prior to Axios HQ, Reed was a Google content editor and a senior features writer at the New York Post.
1 fun thing: Reed is the author of Slugfest, a 2017 book about the rivalry between Marvel and DC Comics.
Kate Samano
Smart Brevity Training & Editing
Kate Samano
Smart Brevity Training & Editing
Kate is a Lead Editor at Axios HQ who is passionate about helping professionals at all levels understand how Smart Brevity and AI can make writing and editing easier.
- Kate delivers hands-on edits and Smart Brevity guidance to enhance customers’ content production and editorial processes.
- She helps them reduce their volume of communication while boosting open rates through routine consultation on critical, recurring staff and stakeholder outreach.
Prior to Axios HQ, Kate was the head of content for a financial start-up and a director of content marketing in the higher education space where she led a team of writers, editors, and strategists.
1 fun thing: Her former colleagues dubbed her the “Grammar Hammer,” and she has the insignia on a real hammer in her toolbox.
After the training
You’ll receive a batch of resources to help you stick with what you learned and apply it to your every day communications.
Presentation slides
Smart Brevity checklist
Smart Brevity books
Fundamentals FAQs
What is Smart Brevity?
Smart Brevity® is a communications methodology created in the Axios newsroom. The formula is based on years of research into brain science and data. It has played a pivotal role in the success of the Axios media organization.
Today, Smart Brevity is helping leaders and employees style and format their communications to be clearer and more effective.
- The Axios newsroom invented it.
- The world’s busiest readers embraced it.
- Then, Axios HQ productized it.
We are making the Smart Brevity framework available to professionals and organizations across the globe through highly customizable workshops and the Axios HQ software.
Organizations such as JP Morgan Chase, HSBC, bp, Calvin University, and Johnson & Johnson use Smart Brevity to maintain effective communications.
How long is the training?
You have two options:
- 60 minutes
- 90 minutes — includes an exercise
Is this a writing course?
Not exactly. While writing improves, Smart Brevity is primarily about thinking and structure — how messages are prioritized, organized, and delivered so they’re easier to understand and act on.
Do participants need prior experience with Smart Brevity?
No. This is an introductory course designed for teams who are new to Smart Brevity. No prior training or experience is required.
How do we book this training for our team?
Use the form on this page to request a session. Our team will follow up to confirm timing, format, and any customization needs.
More programs to explore
Smart Brevity and AI
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Smart Brevity Workshops
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Smart Brevity Certification
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