Sunday, January 04, 2009

Let me make things clear

When you deliver a message, you need to make it as clear as possible. It's impossible to over-simplify it. There's an old set of rules about how to make your communications as clear as possible -

1. Emphasise what is important
2. De-emphasise what is not important
3. Remove what is irrelevant

Easier said than done, perhaps. But it's a good discipline to review your speeches in the light of those rules. You may get a shock the first time you do it. And if you think "everything is important", you'll never get a message across.

Don't forget that the clearest messages are also concise. In other words, as long as necessary, but as short as possible. I hope that's clear.

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