Everything you say, and the way you say it, becomes evidence of your competence, or lack of it. - Deborah Tannen

It can be REALLY difficult to be concise.

Let me know if this resonates with you.

You are standing up in front of your peers and boss. You are a little intimidated by who you are talking to - after all, they're a big deal and you need to make a good impression. It’s your turn to talk and you begin.

You talk and talk. This is your chance to impress everyone, so you share everything you know about the topic. You have a lot to share too so you start talking faster.

Uh-oh.

You've kinda lost track of what your original point was. What was your last point? Might as well talk more. People won’t notice. If you keep talking, you’ll be sure you made your point.

And now you are lost.

It’s a common mistake that all presenters and speakers have had to overcome.

Learning to be succinct is necessary to becoming a clear communicator.

Here are some dependable ways you can become more succinct and clear in your communication, command attention, and purposefully communicate your thoughts.

1. Pause for 3 Seconds ⏱️

Before you speak, take a breath, count to three, and gather your thoughts.

Try it. The next time you talk to someone, see how it feels. It may feel awkward at first but the extra time will let you think, organize HOW you will speak and you'll find that the listener won't think it's abnormal, although you might at first.

2. Sloooooow Down Intentionally 🐢

Be intentionally slow with key words and phrases. People won't stop listening to you or think that you are too slow. In fact, they might stop talking or listen more intently if your words are insightful. This is because you are telling them, “Hey, pay attention to this next part. It is so important I am slowing down so you can listen carefully”.

A good exercise is to read a newspaper article aloud. Pick one or two words per sentence to say slowly. Make sure that the word you say slowly is not always at the end of the sentence or the beginning. Get comfortable slowing down in the beginning of the sentence, the middle fo the sentence, and also the end of the sentence because English speakers slowdown in all positions.

3. Structure Your Words 🏗️

Don’t start talking without a game plan or an idea of what you will say. Use a structure when speaking to be clear, concise, and organized. It will be easier for a listener to understand what you say, your thought process and prevent you from rambling. One option is the P-R-E-S (point, reason, example, summary) model.

Point - make your key point
Reason - explain the motivation behind your point
Example - give an example to expand on why your comment is important
Summary - reiterate your point

Example – “I prefer Option A. It is more cost-effective and we have a good relationship with the supplier. Remember last year when we had issues with the shipment and the supplier was able to quickly pivot to keep the shipments on time? So yeah, Option A is better than Option B in my opinion.”

4. Stop Over-Explaining 🛑

Word limits are important. If you can explain yourself in fewer words, do so.

You should apply this guiding principle when you speak professionally.

"If you walk away from this conversation with one thing, I want it to be _______."

You can apply this to your presentations too.

"If you walk away from this slide with one thing, I want it to be _______."

This prevents you from sharing unnecessary details or excessive amounts of information because you are intentional about WHY you share what you share.

Now Get Out There!

Try it out for yourself! Which of the 4 strategies do you think you’ll use most! Let me know which strategy works best for you in the comments below or if you have an even better strategy.

4 Actionable Strategies To Be A More Succinct Speaker