Here's a new concept that I came up with.
Decide what you want to talk about.
Now, say out loud either to yourself or to someone that you trust exactly what you want to talk about. Once you have finished saying what you have to say, you will realize that it was pretty long and has a lot of details in it that probably aren’t that interesting or necessary for your audience to hear.
Now, re-say it in 60 words (the paragraph above is 58!).
It is brilliant.
As you wrestle to get the words down to a minimum of 60 you suddenly realize what is important and what is not. You automatically cut out everything that is fluff and cover the main points.
Once you have it figured out, you can deliver very powerful points in a meeting with an absolute restriction on how long you are going to be talking.
The outcomes are compelling:
You are concise
You are focused
You surprise everyone because you stop very quickly
They ask you more questions because you have left room for a certain
amount of ambiguity by not giving every minute detail
This technique is especially valuable for those who have a habit of dominating a meeting, being over talkative, overrun meeting limits, and those who have control issues.
It is a very cool form of letting go and causing others to have to seek out the answers. You will learn if people are interested in what you are saying and if your contribution is worthwhile.
If no one asks a question, and the work is still delivered on time and correctly, it means you are being supremely effective. If the work is not being delivered, then you have a starting point for coaching!
Let me know how it works for you!
by Mark Dickinson
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