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I was reflecting on Thanksgiving last year during my daily walk. We had rented a house in Vegas with some good family friends. There were nine of us in the house for a week. The house we rented was well-stocked for fun, including a pool, pool table, and a lot of games to play.
One of the games was a “life-size” version of Jenga.
Have you ever played Jenga? Jenga is a block-stacking game. You start by stacking the blocks in an alternating order, then you strategically remove them and place them on the top of the stack, hopefully, in a manner that keeps the overall structure intact. As you remove a block, you add it to the top of the structure.
As I thought about the game, I realized that Jenga is like distilling messaging: you cut out unnecessary words (remove blocks) and rearrange other words without losing meaning or impact. Every word in your messaging is a block in your tower.
Some words hold everything up. Others? Just filler.
The trick is knowing what to remove so the whole thing stays strong and improves. Like a great drink or game of Jenga, great messaging is about balance. You want to keep what matters and strip out the excess.
So today, we’ll walk through a game I’ll call Messaging Jenga, where you carefully remove words from your messaging without toppling your core message. The goal isn’t to keep every piece; it’s to strengthen your core message structure by removing what’s unnecessary.
Let’s play.
Why More Words Weaken Your Message
You’ve heard me say it before, but many brands try to say too much. They believe that more words make them sound more authoritative or convincing, so they cram their websites, posts, and pitches with extra words, thinking it makes them sound more intelligent or compelling. But in reality, too many words do the opposite and lead to bloated messaging, which:
Hides the good stuff – The most essential points get lost.
Dilutes clarity – Your core message gets buried under the fluff.
Overwhelms your audience – People don’t have time to dig for meaning.
When your message is clear, people get it instantly; no effort required.
Strong messaging isn’t about saying more; it’s about saying the right things in the simplest way possible.
The Jenga Approach to Messaging
Now, let’s get to the Jenga Messaging Game. When writing website copy or distilling messaging for my 1:1 clients, I treat every word like a Jenga block. As I review the words, I always ask myself before removing anything:
- Does this word hold weight? - If I take it out, does the whole thing topple?
- Is this phrase doing the heavy lifting? - Or is it unnecessary?
- Am I making things more complicated than they need to be?
I’ll remove words and often entire phrases to see if the messaging becomes clearer or if it falls over and doesn’t make sense. Here’s a typical example I run into frequently.
❌ “I help solopreneurs and small businesses determine which words to communicate how they stand out so they can be seen as an expert in their industry.”
OR using Jenga:
✅ “I help you communicate your brilliance.”
How to Play Messaging Jenga
Step 1: Start with the Full Structure
Like Jenga, you start with all of your blocks. Write everything down. Collect all of your messaging ingredients. Let the words flow like the taps on St. Patty’s day. What you end up with is your unedited Jenga tower.
Step 2: Remove the Weak Blocks
Now, go back and start stripping away excess words or phrases. Look for:
- Fluff – Unnecessary adjectives and filler words.
- Repetition – Saying the same thing twice in different ways.
- Jargon – If your audience has to Google a word, you’ve lost them.
Simplified example:
❌ “We are excited to announce that our company will now offer new and innovative solutions designed to revolutionize the industry.”
✅ “We’re launching a new AI chatbot to transform how you work.”
Here are some of the “usual suspects” that also need to go.
- “That” – Often unnecessary. “I believe that clarity matters” → “I believe clarity matters.”
- “Really” – If it’s strong, just say “strong.”
- “In order to” – Just say “to.”
Step 3: Test for Stability
Now, this part is key - whatever is left, read it out loud. Our brains process writing vs. hearing differently, so it’s important to say it out loud.
- Does it still make sense?
- Does it sound natural?
- Does it feel stodgy?
Do you need to take a breath when you say a phrase out loud? If so, you're getting wordy. When phrases feel wordy, cut again. Steven King once said, “To Write is Human; to Edit is Divine.”
In his book, On Writing, he advocates the “10%” rule: cut 10% of the words from anything you edit. I do the same until the messaging feels too stripped down, and then I only add back what’s necessary.
The Power of Strategic Subtraction
Great messaging is about precision. The fewer unnecessary words you have, the stronger your impact. I have a saying at The Distilled Brand®:
Subtraction is greater than Addition.
That’s because the best messaging never comes from what you add; it comes from what you remove. When you cut the fluff, your message becomes:
✅ More memorable – Simplicity sticks.
✅ More powerful – Every word earns its place.
✅ Easier to understand – People get it instantly.
So, think of Jenga next time you’re writing, working on your website, a LinkedIn post, or a sales email.
What can you remove without losing meaning?
Because in messaging, like in Jenga, the strongest structures aren’t built by adding more—they’re built by removing what’s unnecessary.
Last Call - Jenga that Sh*t
✔ Audit your messaging – Find and remove the fluff.
✔ Read it out loud – If it doesn’t flow smoothly, cut more.
✔ Aim for clarity, not cleverness – Simple wins. Always.
✔ Test shorter versions – Challenge yourself to say the same thing in fewer words.
Want to make your messaging razor-sharp? Start playing Jenga with your words today, and if you can’t decide which words to remove, don’t worry; I got you. Schedule a call, and let’s play Messaging Jenga.