Speaking Briefly and Clearly in Meetings

The reason opinions often trail off in meetings is that people start speaking before they have settled on their conclusion in their own mind. When you organize your thoughts while talking, your sentences get longer and longer, and listeners miss the point. People who speak briefly and clearly are not necessarily smarter; they are people who know how to use the three seconds before speaking.

Start with the conclusion: the one-sentence formula

Begin with the conclusion, as in, 'I support A. There are two reasons.' Give no more than two reasons. If there are three or more, listeners will already have forgotten the first one.

Build a 30-second speaking structure

Aim to finish each comment in 30 seconds, or roughly 100 characters in writing. If you have more to say, pause and hand it over by asking, 'I have one more thing to add. Would you like to hear it?' A short back-and-forth sounds much clearer than talking at length by yourself.

1. Before speaking, spend 3 seconds deciding silently: 'What is my conclusion in one word?'
2. State the conclusion first with, 'I think that...'
3. Add only two reasons with, 'First, ... Second, ...'
4. End clearly with, 'That is all' or 'How does that sound to you?'
5. After finishing, tolerate the silence and do not add extra explanation

A safety device for when you lose your way

When your thoughts are not organized, do not force yourself to speak. Buy a beat by saying, 'Let me organize my thoughts for a moment and come back to you.' When offering a differing opinion, start with, 'That is a good point, and if I may point out one thing...' This sounds both gentle and clear. This one line, which neither broadly agrees nor broadly argues, builds trust.