Chances are, you’ve been in a situation where you Rambled and missed an opportunity to connect with
someone or an audience you were speaking to by simply talking their ear off. Maybe you were ego
driven and loved the sound of your own voice. Maybe you were anxious or nervous when you had
to present or network in a room of strangers and your instinct when you heard silence was
to fill the space with meaningless rambling. Or maybe you were lonely. Let’s be honest the
pandemic has taken a toll on many of us and our social skills have atrophied to the point
verbal diarrhea comes out when we connect with someone after extended periods in isolation.
Comment below with the awkward moment you remember where you couldn’t stop rambling.
But what if you have a big moment in front of you. You’re delivering a high stakes presentation,
interviewing for a coveted job or looking to make a genuine connection with an influential leader.
How can we be more concise and stop rambling? In this video, we explore ways to sharpen your
message and get to the point faster. I’m Riaz, Welcome to the channel that
helps leaders, coaches and experts connect with confidence every time you speak. Subscribe to
get the latest videos and best tips that will elevate your influence and impact.
Having coached leaders and speakers over the years, I’ve observed that even when the ‘most
brilliant minds’ don’t have a clear and concise point, they overwhelm their audience with facts
and figures to convince them to think differently. With a few simple approaches we can fix this,
be more concise and help motivate our audiences to act.
For starters, before you speak, ask yourself - What is your point? What is the position you’re
taking that you propose, define, or will prove. When the purpose of your stance is clear, it lays
out a specific and meaningful impression. To help you articulate your point, If you are answering a
question or sharing your opinion and want to speak with more conviction, start with these
three words “I believe that….” and then complete the sentence. For example, “I believe that human
connection isn’t an option, it’s a necessity.” “I believe that we need to practice under pressure,
to conquer our speaking anxiety.” “I believe that virtual communication is here to stay.”
And if you want to be more impactful, avoid truisms. Something that is so obvious, it’s not
worth mentioning. It is what it is, money can’t buy happiness, everything happens for a reason.
You want to introduce something new, surprising or counterintuitive and challenge a common reality
to make your audience want to hear more. Once you’ve hooked them with your point,
answer “why?” you have this belief and then share the evidence to back it up.
This could be anecdotal evidence or you could use a surprising fact or figure. For example,
on the idea that human connection is a necessity, we could share some of the powerful research about
the rise of loneliness during the pandemic and how prolonged periods of loneliness
have proven to be the physical equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes day. Or another example,
if we’re talking about speaking anxiety, I could share case studies from clients that practiced
their craft and put themselves out there to speak and found how taking action alleviated anxiety.
Choose 1 or two good pieces of evidence to back up your point.
Finally, invite your listener to do something. If you want be concise and persuasive,
give them something to do because people will support what they create.
A simple demonstration of this is if we’re making the point of practicing under pressure to conquer
speaking anxiety, encourage them to ‘press the record button and broadcast live on one of their
social media platforms’. Immediately that person will think about what that
feels like, and more importantly how that action will get them to where they want to be.
A final thought on being more concise. This doesn’t just apply when you’re answering the
questions, it’s also something to consider when you’re asking them. If you are the interviewer,
do yourself a favour….Get to the point with one to two sentence questions. Sometimes we come in
with a pure intent to serve and instead overwhelm the person in front of us with complicated setups
consisting of multiple questions where they can’t even answer a single question. Remember the first
question you ask is always the appetizer for the main course that gets served with strong follow
up questions. Keep it simple with a ‘less is more’ approach and give them your full attention.
The greatest cause of rambling and lack of audience engagement comes
down to one thing - speaking without a point. Reflect on your thoughts,
clarify and communicate your point with conviction by taking a stance
with credible evidence and most importantly put the spotlight on your audience by giving them
something to do. Not only will you become more concise, you’ll leave your listener wanting more.
What helps you stop rambling and get to the point faster? Share your ideas in the comments below.
For more ideas on presenting and meaningful human connection, you can download the free guide - the
5 secrets to making every conversation count, that link is in the description.
If you are looking to level up your presenting skills and connect with confidence every time
you speak, apply for The Magnetic Presenter program that helps transform you and your
ideas into powerful presentations that elevate your impact and influence.
Thanks for watching this video - if you want to build trust faster or conquer your speaking
anxiety, check out these videos. If you found this content valuable, hit the like button,
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