Say Less. Mean More.

Jerry Seinfeld has talked about joke writing as an exercise in using the fewest possible words to get to the laugh. If a word doesn't help the joke, it probably doesn't belong there. If a sentence can be shorter, make it shorter. The goal isn't to show everyone how hard you worked on the joke. The goal is to get them to laugh.

I think the exact same thing applies to how we communicate at work, especially in meetings. Most people take too long to get to the point. They add context, explain the history, talk about who they met with, tell you what they considered, walk you through every possible option, and somewhere around minute four they finally tell you what they actually think.

The problem is nobody in the room is grading you on how many words you used. Your boss doesn't leave the meeting thinking, "Wow, that was an impressive eleven-minute answer." They want to know what happened, why it matters, and what you think we should do about it. The shortest route to that outcome is usually the best route.

Let's say someone asks you why sales are behind plan. You can spend five minutes explaining market conditions, lead volume, conversion rates, rep productivity, seasonality, and the fifteen conversations you've had with the team. Or you can say, "We're behind because we don't have enough pipeline. Conversion is holding. We need more opportunities at the top of the funnel." Now the room knows exactly where the problem is, and we can actually have a useful conversation.

This doesn't mean details don't matter. They absolutely do. You better know the details. You better have the numbers. You better be able to defend your recommendation if somebody pushes back. The difference is that you don't need to dump all of that shit onto the table before anyone asks for it. Give people the answer first, then let them decide how deep they want to go.

When we aren't completely sure of ourselves, we start building verbal armor around the point. We qualify everything. We say maybe, potentially, possibly, I think, it seems like, and one thing we could consider. We try to answer objections that nobody has raised yet because we're afraid someone might disagree with us.

Confident communication sounds different. "We're going to miss the quarter at this pace. Pipeline is the problem. I recommend we add two outbound reps." Three sentences. Now everyone knows what you believe, why you believe it, and what you want. If someone disagrees, great. Let's talk about it. That's what the meeting is for.

There is a skill in knowing the shortest route between what you're saying and the outcome you're trying to create. Sometimes the outcome is a decision. Sometimes it's approval. Sometimes it's making sure everyone understands a risk. Sometimes it's simply getting your boss to pay attention to something before it becomes a bigger problem. Whatever the goal is, work backward from that instead of starting with everything you know.

You don't become a better communicator by saying more. You become a better communicator by making it easier for people to understand you.

You don't become a better communicator by saying more. You become a better communicator by making it easier for people to understand you. Know your point. Say your point. Support it when necessary. Then shut the hell up and let the room respond. The best communicators aren't always the people who talk the most in meetings. They're often the people who figure out the shortest possible route to something that actually matters.