The Impact Equation

The Impact Equation Most people want to make a difference in this worldâ€"to have an impact. But what does it mean to have an impact on something or someone? How does one go about making an impact? Why is it so important? On the occasion of their new book,  The Impact Equation, we sat down with New York Timesâ€"bestselling authors Chris Brogan and Julien Smith to talk with them about making a lasting impact. Given the venue, Brogan thought itd be  apropos  to give minimalist answers; thus we relegated our questions and answers to four words or fewer. Interview: Chris Brogan and Julien Smith Joshua Fields Millburn: So, a new book? Chris Brogan: Yes, brand new. Ryan Nicodemus: The Impact Equation. Julien Smith: Yep. RN: Whats the book about? CB: Its aboutâ€" JS: Making a lasting impact. JFM: Expand on that. JS: Everyone has ideas, right? CB: Great ideas, but theyâ€" JS: They cant communicate them. CB: Not well, anyway. RN: They cant communicate ideas? CB: People are often misunderstood. JS: Right. Concepts are complex. CB: And hard to distill. JFM: You want people to? JS: Be able to filter. CB: Extract the relevant infoâ€" JS: And communicate it effectively. RN: How? CB: By knowing their audience. JS: And their own message. CB: By knowing whats important. JS: And whats not important. JFM: Sounds difficult. CB: It can be, butâ€" JS: Doesnt have to be. CB: Not if you knowâ€" JS: What to look for. CB: Thats whyâ€" JS: Why we wrote it. CB: Would you stop interruptingâ€" JS: But we have only four words. CB: That was more thanâ€" JS: I know. But you know me; sometimes I break the rules. CB: You did it again! JFM: Whos this book for? CB: Anyone interested in communication. JS: Effective communication. CB: Exactly. Moving great ideas. JS: Reaching people with ideas. RN: OK, so what works? JS: Extreme clarity. Emotional connection. CB: High contrast. JS: Building a great platform. JFM: And reaching people is? CB: Harder than ever, right. JS: We made mistakes CB: So you neednt to. JS: Pretty much. RN: OK. Any last words? CB: Were proud of this. JS: Yup. CB: We hopeâ€" JS: You pick it up. Chris Brogan and Julien Smith are the authors of The Impact Equation. They are consultants and speakers who have worked with Fortune 500 companies, including General Motors, American Express, and Microsoft. Their first book, Trust Agents, was a New York Times bestseller.