Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy

Signal. Substance. Static. Spin.

I love a good spy story or mystery, even better if it’s British. Those folks really know how to build a compelling whodunit. Throw in some un-Hollywood-looking actors with accents that instantly add intrigue to every character – I’m all in.

In Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Gary Oldman (maybe the best actor ever) plays George Smiley, an intelligence officer brought out of retirement to uncover a Soviet mole inside British Intelligence. Code names: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier and Spy.

Grab the popcorn and sign me up for 2 hours of channeling Sherlock Holmes from my couch. The more I feel like I have no idea what’s going on, the more satisfying it is when the pieces finally snap into place.

It’s the best when that’s what you’ve signed up for.

It’s the worst in almost every other case.

I watched a televised debate recently – country, party, particulars aren't the point. What was? The messaging. The delivery. The amount of talking. How little was actually said. And strangely, the amount of violent agreement between the participants. Mind boggling.

Some people yell at the screen during sports. Not this communicator. I reserve that for VERY bad talking points.

No one wants to work that hard to understand what you actually mean. (None of you are Gary Oldman. There is no espionage on this stage.)

Debate, meeting, presentation, conversation with your teenager. Doesn’t matter. Same rules apply.

What NOT to do…

1. The meaningless preamble – You don’t need to tell me you’re taking this opportunity to talk to me. I’m already listening. Wasted words and I’m already distracted thinking about my grocery list.
2. The endless repeat – If it’s been said once, it doesn’t need a sequel. Chances are we understood the first time you said it. Or even better when your opponent, colleague, friend said it first.
3. Going on and on and on with nothing new to add. It’s like a lullaby, rocking us to sleep.
4. The “I don’t have anything to add, so I’ll just vaguely disagree” move – We see you. It’s not working.
5. The empty platitudes – Saying “we should all work together” with no follow-up is just verbal confetti.

What to do…

1. Be crystal clear about your goal and your message.
2. Make every word matter.
3. Say ONLY the things you want people to remember. Everything else dilutes your impact.
4. Be specific. Generalities, by definition, make you blend in with everyone else.
5. Leave the mysteries to the professionals.

Your mission: Say less. Mean more.

This message will self-destruct in 3…2…1…

Mary

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