4 Keys to Clarity in Communications~John J Arent

Do you ramble?

Have you ever gotten feedback from an interview where people thought you were just rambling or not being specific about various questions? I have and my original thought was “No Way”.  I have been to countless public speaking seminars and consider myself an expert in communications.  How could they think that I “ramble”?

I decided to revisit my communication modules and see if I fit the “rambling mode”.  In some ways, I was quite terse and to the point but in other situations, I did “ramble”.  Why did this happen…and what do I need to do to fix it?

I strongly believe that the “why” can be answered by one’s experiences.  As you become skilled in a number of areas, you have a tendency to want to share those exposures with your colleagues.  The problem is that one example is not enough and the person begins to share multiple examples from his many experiences.  As this comes out in the communication process, the answer that could have been 10 words becomes 1,000 words…your listener has stopped listening!

In written communications, most business executives are concise and to the point.  Writers generally like to "paint the picture" a bit more and begin to insert extras along the way.  My written communications have always been above average to the point of exemplary.  Recently the more articles that I have written, the more wordy that i have become.  I need to be watchful of this and keep my comments succinct!

Here’s are some of the things that I’m working on and some things that you should watch out for, as well:

Fillers - um… uh…er… you know…  Many of us have a tendency to fill in voids where a pause should be with “non words”.  This can be annoying to your listener and cause you to disengage with your colleague.

Avoid Cliches – The actual definition of a cliché is “useless or meaningless” Stop using them!

Here are some things to keep in mind: The keys to clarity

Here are four tips for communicating clearly and concisely with your colleagues and clients:

• Think about questions that you most likely will be asked. Before you speak or write, "Wordsmith" what you want to communicate. Try writing out your response for a few trials and massage them until you are concise and to the point.
• Do you know what makes your audience tick? . What will they understand? What is their background?  What is their expertise?
• Always be truthful.
• Be concise!  Be succinct! Use as few words as possible to get your meaning across.

That last one sounds crazy. Most people love to express their ideas in as many ways as they can.  Without a doubt,  if you keep finding new ways to express an idea, something will stick, right? Wrong. The more noise you make, the less of it penetrates.