That idea was from a concept I came across somewhere on the web; "No one wants to read your s--t" . I think it's something of a mantra in the advertising world.

It struck me at the time as I was working with a CEO who thought length == quality in communication, both writing and discussions. I think that he wrote things for his own gratification, it probably gave him a feeling of productivity. Sadly a lot of what he wrote wasn't read, or not a carefully as it should have been. It takes effort and generosity to write for the reader.

Yes. I'm amazed at how many people I deal with have little or no ability to consider they're audience's viewpoint. Everything from inside jokes in front of larger groups that have no clue what's funny to coworkers that walk up to me and rattle off an update on something they've been working on / thinking about all day when I have no idea what they're talking about. The ability to think outside of your own context is very helpful and a key "people" skill.