A Simple Way To Turn A Long Message Into One With Impact.

Mark Twain once joked,

"I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead." 

It takes effort to be concise, but the payoff is huge.

This is something I’ve put into practice for years and I’ll show you how to trim the fat from your communication.

Discover how to skip the fluff, get straight to the point, and leave a lasting impression.

Everybody appreciates a concise message. 

Don’t you? Whether it's a presentation, a meeting, a talking turn in a conversation...

People want you to finish on time. 

How often have you been in a meeting or presentation where the speaker rambles on, losing your interest with every unnecessary detail?

Or on the receiving end of a lengthy 5-paragraph email that could have been just a few sentences? 

Or MAYBE, a conversation you had with a friend where you asked a “yes” or “no” question and they talked about the backstory of their recent holiday for 10 minutes before answering you?

It’s not a pleasing situation to be in. In fact, it's rather annoying.

So, let’s look at some practical tips you can apply immediately to not be “that guy”.

“Need to know” vs “Nice to know” 

Skip to the heart of the message. Instead of circling around the main point, get straight to it.

Let’s do a quick exercise. 

What’s the heart of this message? (it’s a long one so bear with me)

“So I was driving around the other day doing, you know, errands and whatnot. I saw a car go by it looked just like yours, at least it looked like your car to me. Do you drive a Toyota? Anyway, I saw this car and it made me think of you. You know what? It may have been a Honda, not a Toyota. Their SUVs look so similar. Long story short, it made me think of you and that's why I called. It's been too long. We'd love to get together. We were wondering if you'd like to bring your family over next weekend. It might've been a Subaru."

If you had to dumb this down to the very core part that you want the other person to hear, what would it be? 

“It's been too long, we'd love to get together, we were wondering if you'd like to bring your family over next weekend.”

Easy right?

This is a prime example of “need to know” vs “nice to know” thinking. What do they absolutely need to know? And what's just nice to know? 

Little details that you could leave out and still communicate your message effectively.

Make your point and ZIP it!

After you’ve stated the core of your message, end your talking turn by literally…

And I mean literally closing your mouth and give the other person a chance to talk.

Sounds simple enough, yet people have a hard time doing it. 

This is where being aware of social cues comes into play. (we'll talk about social cues on another day)

Look for those head nods and other nonverbal cues that show that the person is reading you.

STOP talking after just a few sentences. 

Let's say you're having a Q&A and they ask, “Have you contacted the meeting planner yet?”

I’m sure you know somebody that would say…

"No, not yet. I still have to figure out what we need from her. I've got a call scheduled with the children's ministry leader, but I have to see if that call is actually going to happen. I am also waiting to hear back from the musicians. If our first choice for music is available, then it'll shape the rest of the program. I just didn't anticipate so many loose strings, you know, that would still be loose at this point."

…

…..

I would cut almost all of this to make sure I express my main point and then zip it.

“No, not yet, I still have to figure out what we need from her.”

Done. Simple. Sweet, short, and to the point.

Finish under time

In situations like a meeting, you'll be given a certain amount of time and you want to wrap it up under the time limit. 

If you have an hour, shoot for 55 minutes, nobody's gonna complain. 

If you have a 30 minute presentation, be done in 28 minutes.

If you ask somebody for five minutes of their time, only use four. 

You need to develop a habit of getting under time, instead of going over time. And a lot of people go over time, especially in meetings, presentations, and conversations. 

In fact, you might take an amazing speaker, and they’re just crushing it.

You look at your watch and think “It’s almost 12.30 pm. Just 5 minutes left and then I’m off to lunch…”

10 minutes go by…

It’s 12.40 pm, 12.55 pm, 1.10 pm…

“Wasn’t this supposed to be a 30 minute talk?”

A speaker that was amazing a few minutes ago is now over their time limit and they're boring everybody to death!

Don’t be “that guy”.

Finish just under time and respect people's time.  

So keep your overall messages tight.

Most conversational messages can be delivered in about two or three sentences only. 

Make your point, zip it, and let the other person a chance to talk; that'll naturally develop into a conversation. 

And when you have some kind of time limit, finish just under time. 

Your task is to apply these practical tips in conversations, stories, and any kinds of meetings that you have coming up in the near future.