Who HASN’T asked themselves this question at work?
We’ve all been there.
Whether we’re a native or non-native speaker of English, the ability to be concise (and clear) when it counts is one of the most essential skills in our communicational toolbox.
But there’s something you need to know about conciseness:
It doesn’t start with your words. Or your thinking. It starts with your awareness.
Awareness about symptoms and sources.
If you don’t start here, you’ll end up staying stuck because you’ll be trying to solve the wrong issue.
So the first question to ask yourself is this (adapt to fit you):
- WHAT is happening when I communicate in the weekly team meeting on Tuesday mornings?
- WHAT is happening when I provide inputs and updates at the monthly management meeting?
Be specific, make a list, for each of your professional scenarios.
Here are a few examples I’ve come across:
– My answers are too long – when I’m talking, I can sense that I’m losing my listener’s attention.
– I get lost in too many details and lose track of what I initially wanted to say.
– I tend to repeat myself a lot, either by saying the same thing several times or in different ways.
– I often start with the background first so that the person truly understands.
– …
These are all symptoms.
The great news is that when we solve their sources, symptoms tend to disappear.
So the next question to ask yourself is this: WHY do I think this is happening? What is the source?
For example, is it because (and often it’s a mix of several):
- you feel the need to give a perfect reply (and perfect for you means providing ALL the back-up and context)?
- you pressure yourself to convince or impress (you want to show that you’re on top of things so you try to share EVERYthing you know)?
- your point isn’t clear before speaking?
- you’re not providing information that is relevant (i.e. that matters) to your listener?
- you don’t have a clear structure to keep you on track?
- …
Let’s not forget something:
we’re always doing what feels logical to us, based on our thinking in the moment.
So your answers are where the real work lies.
Only from there can we build solid foundations of conciseness.
Because if you want to be more concise, you first need to understand what you are currently doing, feeling and thinking that is making you less concise than you could be.
And it’s easier to find the answers with someone you trust.
Someone who provides a safe space for you to open up and look clearly.
To gain the awareness and tools that will help you to shine.
A last word on conciseness: it’s often a mindset switch
What we need to remind our brain about being concise is that the workplace has different communication rules to our educational path. Before we were rewarded by teachers and mentors for showing the extent of our knowledge and our brain deeply integrated this so it’s a hard habit to break. But we need to. Because at work, executives and senior management simply want the bottom line (based on what is important to them).
In short, the answer to your question “how can I be more concise in English-speaking meetings?” is this:
Solve the sources of your symptoms.
I really can’t be more concise than that.