Leadership Clarity

I should trademark “Babbling Brooke”? because I routinely say too much about too many topics.?

A key attribute of effective leadership is communication clarity. Howard Hendricks would tell his seminary students “A mist in the pulpit creates a fog in the pew.”

One of my mentors recommended condensing my verbosity to 3 statements I could fit on a 3×5 notecard.?Why? Few people can remember more than 3 key ideas from a presentation.?He said something like “If you want to impress them with your intelligence, talk and talk and talk.?If you want to move them to act differently, say no more than 3 things, explained well, and leave them wanting more.” He cited the example of the orator Edward Everett speaking for 2 hours before Abraham Lincoln delivered his 272-word speech at Gettysburg.

Don’t be fooled by apparent simplicity: Achieving clarity is hard work that requires the best of you. Marcus Tullius Cicero once wrote “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.”?Mark Twain wrote “If you want me to give you a two-hour presentation, I am ready today.?If you want only a five-minute speech, it will take me two weeks to prepare.”

Worth it. I like the phrase, “Everyone communicates, few connect.”

Shallow connection comes from the safe and common “blah blah blah” and buzzspeak of organizations today.

Deeper connection comes from sharing the truth without shading, respecting the intelligence and experience of people with skin in the game.

A mistake I see leaders in challenging times make is to favor what people want to hear over what they need to hear.?Warm fuzzies in difficult situations dissipate quickly in the chill of reality.?The formula needs to be “Facts of our situation / Here’s the plan of action / This is our confidence.”?Don’t sugarcoat difficulties as if that makes them better. It’s helpful to reframe challenges into opportunities, but don’t diminish the challenge or speak as if it’s not real. People won’t always like what they need to hear. In the long run they’ll respect you more.

(Note: This was originally published at encouragingpress.com by the author.)