New book: Simplify: Do 50% More With 50% Less. Available September 15. Order your copy

Three levels

Smart Brevity Certification

Our coaches teach you a better standard for communication. Turn Smart Brevity from an individual skill into a shared standard your teams apply every day.

Looking for a single session instead: Keynote & On-Site

Level 1 · Communicator

A 6-week program to help your team execute Smart Brevity confidently and consistently in their most critical communications.

✓
Foundational training
Introduction to Smart Brevity and an initial editing exercise
✓
Coaching sprint
Weekly 1-hour sessions with an Axios HQ editor to workshop your team's communications
✓
Pre + post assessment
Evaluations of editing exercises at the start and finish of the program to show measurable progress
✓
Credly Communicator badge
for every participant
✓
Agentic tools
Extend the lessons to your AI tools with a custom AI agent that captures program outcomes and applies them to participants' work moving forward
Level 2 · Expert

Deeper practice across mediums and a playbook for how to implement Smart Brevity at your organization.

Core Sessions (90 min each)
  • →Smart Brevity in a Multi-Channel World
  • →Making Smart Brevity Stick
  • →Building Smart Brevity AI Skills
Electives
  • →Email
  • →Articles
  • →Executive Comms
  • →Presentations
  • →Storytelling
✓
Credly Expert badge and robust resources for every participant
Level 3 · Instructor

Get the skills to teach the method internally.

✓
Teach-the-method workshops
Our coaches teach your people how to run effective Smart Brevity sessions, from basic to advanced.
✓
Training license
Access to the latest training materials and session formats from our coaches.
✓
Credly Instructor badge
for every participant
Talk to us about certification →

Trusted by Fortune 500 organizations

bpJ&JYahooTakedaAmerican Airlines
6,000
bp employees trained across 37 countries
"By shorter communication, better communication, clearer communication, and getting to the point of what we want people to do, we're all saving each other time."
Mark Salt
Smart Brevity Program Lead, bp
Keynote & On-Site

Bring Smart Brevity to your next all-hands, retreat, or event.

Our coaches turn high-stakes company moments into a shared standard for clear, decisive communication. A Smart Brevity keynote is a high-impact entry point for organizations ready to move fast.

Half-day and full-day retreats
Conference breakouts and workshops
In person or virtual
Book a Keynote
The live experienceSmart Brevity in action
Jim VandeHei delivering a Smart Brevity keynote on stage
Common questions

What to know before you talk to us.

Who is this for?+
Organizations who want to simplify communications at the team and organizational level.
What's the difference between Communicator, Expert, and Instructor?+
Communicator: you are proficient at editing in Smart Brevity. Expert: you are a Smart Brevity expert at your organization who can implement it in practice. Instructor: you are certified to run trainings at your organization.
What happens after the cohort ends?+
Participants become officially certified with a shareable Credly badge and graduate ready to continue mastering the method in their own work.
Do we need to have read the book first?+
It helps, but it's not required. We assess where your team is and build from there. Many cohort participants read the book during the program.
6x
Organizations that invest in communications and training are 6x more likely to be high-performing than orgs that invest in neither
(2026 State of Workplace Communications, Axios HQ)
73% vs 41%
Leaders who say their comms land vs. employees who agree
(Gallagher, 2024)
40 pts
Gap in growth, retention, and reputation between orgs that invest in comms vs. those that don't
(2026 State of Workplace Communications, Axios HQ)

Real edits to client content that used AI heavily

Death of the em dash

Before

AI-native, authenticity-obsessed. They embrace AI that enhances; they punish AI that cuts corners on authenticity. AI slop isn't just a bad experience — it's a brand exit.

After

Authenticity is paramount. They like AI enhancements, but slop puts brands at risk.

“It's not x, it's y” structure

Before

The fix isn't better AI. It's better inputs.

After

The fix is better inputs.

Em dash and “it's not x, it's y” structure

Before

The next era of entertainment isn't just about better content. It's about content that adapts, responds, and anticipates.

After

The next era of entertainment is about content that adapts, responds, and anticipates.

Are you an individual looking to level up your professional communication skills or use a learning and development stipend? We offer individual certifications, too!

Explore here.