--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What would a successful outcome look…" description: "\"“What would a successful outcome look like? If you only had a limited amount of time or a single sentence to tell your audience what they need to know,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic-20054_communication_what-would-a-successful-outcome-look-lik_1536465.jpg" --- # What would a successful outcome look like? If you only had… ![“What would a successful outcome look like? If you only had a limited amount of time or a single sentence to tell your audience what they need to know, what would you say? In particular, I find that these last two questions can lead to insightful conversation.” quote by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic-20054_communication_what-would-a-successful-outcome-look-lik_1536465.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic-20054_communication_what-would-a-successful-outcome-look-lik_1536465.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic-20054_communication_what-would-a-successful-outcome-look-lik_1536465.jpg) > ““What would a successful outcome look like? If you only had a limited amount of time or a single sentence to tell your audience what they need to know, what would you say? In particular, I find that these last two questions can lead to insightful conversation.”” [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Clarify the core message and desired outcome to focus communication and drive insight. **In simple terms:** Define success and concise messaging. Key Takeaway Ask what the key takeaway should be. Themes communication clarity insight leadership Mood thoughtful analytical Type instructional strategic When to use this quote - team meetings - presentations - workshops - coaching sessions Key Concepts message design audience analysis strategic questioning Questions to Reflect On - What is the essential insight you want your audience to remember? - How can you convey it in one sentence? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex topics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“3-minute story The 3-minute story is exactly that: if you had only three minutes to tell your audience what they need to know, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/3-minute-story-the-3-minute-story-is-exactly-that-if-you-had-only/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [The variety of opinions leads to questions. Questions lead to truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-variety-of-opinions-leads-to-questions-questions-lead-to-truth/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [In the old economy, it was all about having the answers. But in today’s dynamic, lean economy, it’s more about asking the right questions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/in-the-old-economy-it-was-all-about-having-the-answers-but-in-today-s/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [I'm always asking questions - not to find 'answers,' but to see where the questions lead. Dead ends sometimes? That's fine. New directions? Interesting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-hazleton/i-m-always-asking-questions-not-to-find-answers-but-to-see-where-the/) [Lesley Hazleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-hazleton/) > [If you want to be creative, go where your questions lead you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/if-you-want-to-be-creative-go-where-your-questions-lead-you/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [“But then, of course, there are always unanswered questions. 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Just being near him made things clearer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-d-sarge/he-had-a-talent-for-asking-exactly-the-right-questions-to-lead-me-to/) [k.d. sarge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-d-sarge/) > [But then science is nothing but a series of questions that lead to more questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-then-science-is-nothing-but-a-series-of-questions-that-lead-to/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I have no doubt, if people are really seeking the big questions, it will lead them to the Lord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/i-have-no-doubt-if-people-are-really-seeking-the-big-questions-it/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [If I tell the audience what they should think, then I am robbing them of their own imagination and their own capacity of deciding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/if-i-tell-the-audience-what-they-should-think-then-i-am-robbing-them/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [We constantly run lines together before every show too, and then there's a long, traditionally long, story to tell the audience every show. Today,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-irwin/we-constantly-run-lines-together-before-every-show-too-and-then-there/) [Bill Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-irwin/) > [You can't really tell what the audience wants but you can tell what will keep everybodies attention in the same place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/you-can-t-really-tell-what-the-audience-wants-but-you-can-tell-what/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [And I tell my audience, you know, give the real stars a round of applause. Because without them I'm nobody. So I learned so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-milton/and-i-tell-my-audience-you-know-give-the-real-stars-a-round-of/) [Little Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-milton/) > [There's nothing you can't tell to an audience, because they're all people who've had lives. The only thing they don't want to watch is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-pascoe/there-s-nothing-you-can-t-tell-to-an-audience-because-they-re-all/) [Sara Pascoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-pascoe/) ## More by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic > [“My base color is grey, not black, to allow for greater contrast since color stands out more against grey than black. For my attention-grabbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/my-base-color-is-grey-not-black-to-allow-for-greater-contrast-since/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“What do you need your audience to know or do? This is the point where you think through how to make what you communicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/what-do-you-need-your-audience-to-know-or-do-this-is-the-point-where/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“The biggest shift was from a bar graph to a line graph. As we’ve discussed, line graphs typically make it easier to see trends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/the-biggest-shift-was-from-a-bar-graph-to-a-line-graph-as-we-ve/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“When you have just a number or two that you want to communicate: use the numbers directly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/when-you-have-just-a-number-or-two-that-you-want-to-communicate-use/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“Concentrate on the pearls, the information your audience needs to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/concentrate-on-the-pearls-the-information-your-audience-needs-to-know/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“Will you be encountering each other for the first time through this communication, or do you have an established relationship? Do they already trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/will-you-be-encountering-each-other-for-the-first-time-through-this/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“Never again will you simply show data. Rather, you will create visualizations that are thoughtfully designed to impart information and incite action.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/never-again-will-you-simply-show-data-rather-you-will-create/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“Don’t show the second y-axis. Instead, label the data points that belong on this axis directly. 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In the original…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/alignment-the-single-change-having-the-biggest-impact-in-the/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“Highlighting one aspect can make other things harder to see One word of warning in using preattentive attributes: when you highlight one point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/highlighting-one-aspect-can-make-other-things-harder-to-see-one-word/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“We’ll discuss six principles here: proximity, similarity, enclosure, closure, continuity, and connection.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/we-ll-discuss-six-principles-here-proximity-similarity-enclosure/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“Exploratory analysis is what you do to understand the data and figure out what might be noteworthy or interesting to highlight to others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/exploratory-analysis-is-what-you-do-to-understand-the-data-and-figure/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) [Explore all 31 Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) ## More Communication quotes > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. 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