In the 50s, Rolls Royce claimed that their cars are super quiet.
But how quiet were they? Here’s how Rolls Royce explained it:
“At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.”
Can you explain to me your promises in plain English in a way that I can make sense of them from my everyday experience?
Clarity takes time. Time to think things through. Time to change perspectives. Time to ask for feedback.
Time that we often lack in our daily business.
Given all the other things that are on our table, clamoring for our attention, it often feels that we just don’t have time to refine our story or to look for simpler ways of explaining our product.
I don’t think that’s true. In fact, I feel that the opposite is true: Investing in simpler language is one of the best uses of our time while settling with hard to understand or plain confusing messages is about the worst use of anyone’s time.
When you aim to speak with clarity, then yes, it will consume some of your time. But on the other hand, it will spare your audience an enormous amount of time – time that they would otherwise need to spend in order to figure out what you mean.
Arguably that’s going to be worth way more than your time invest.
So you want to give a TED caliber presentation. Are you willing to put in the effort?
Here’s how TED Curator Chris Anderson describes what it takes to be prepared to go onto the TED stage:
We start helping speakers prepare their talks six months (or more) in advance so that they’ll have plenty of time to practice. We want people’s talks to be in final form at least a month before the event. The more practice they can do in the final weeks, the better off they’ll be. Ideally, they’ll practice the talk on their own and in front of an audience.
Let’s summarize that. TED speakers:
When do you begin to prepare? How often do you practice the talk in its final version?
Really, what looks effortless is often the result of an enormous effort.
One of the things that we lack as speakers on a large stage is the blank stare of our audience. Even more so when the large stage is virtual so that you’re looking into a camera.
The blank stare in a 1:1 conversation (or in a meeting) informs us about our blind spots. What are the things that are clear to us but make no sense for our audience?
You can’t reliably find that out alone. You need other people’s help. Alone, in your office, you lack these blank stares, the kind of stares that make you look for simpler ways of explaining your idea.
Practicing in front of a small live audience helps. As do private conversations. Use these as a testing environment for the clarity of your communication. Too many speakers avoid these situation because a blank stare embarasses them.
I think it’s the best thing that can happen to you. It allows you to fix your blind spots.
Look for and embrace the blank stares!
When you make someone an irresistible offer, it’s as if you’ve opened a door in their mind that is so tempting that they absolutely must go through it. It’s an unbearable thought for them to shut that door and not walk through.
Would you like to have such a door?
Here are three useful questions to ask:
Film director extraordinaire Werner Herzog famously said: “I felt it would be better to make a film than go to film school.”
Herzog knows that the best learning is by doing the work. Because it’s all theory and “could” and “would” until you actually do the work.
I feel like today is a great day to stop overthinking and start learning – by simply doing the work.
“Daddy, look how beautiful the moon is today.” My daughter expected me to chime in with her cheering.
Only that I couldn’t … because from where I was standing, I couldn’t even see the moon. It was obscured by a building. Luckily, I took a couple of steps to the side. It really was an astonishing view of the moon, an object that we see so often, yet not quite the way my daughter and I saw it on that evening.
Sometimes, to appreciate the beauty of something we need to look from the right perspective. We need to move to a different place.
If you’re wondering why your audience isn’t chiming in with your cheering, could it be that they just can’t see it when looking from their perspective? If so, then no amount of cheering from your side will make them see it. It’s obscured.
You need to show them a way to get to your place.
Today’s as good as any other day to start becoming a better speaker. Here’s one step towards that:
Fire up YouTube and search for “great speech”. Choose one. It doesn’t matter which one. Any will do.
Note everything that you like about the speech. Describe why you think it works. Give the concept a name. And then think about how you could apply the same technique.
Also, note everything that you don’t like about the speech. Describe why you think it doesn’t work. Give the observation a name. And then think about what you would do differently.
Actually, that’s a method you can use every single day. When you look at or listen to a piece of communication, then occasionally look more closely than you normally do, observe what you notice, and learn from it.
Clarity makes complex things feel simple.
That’s not the same as removing things to make them simpler. Clarity is about making them more accessible.
Often, it actually means adding things …
… to your story, using examples, metaphors or anecdotes that translate a concept into our audience’s domain so that it’s easier for our audience to get what we mean.
… to your slide deck, bringing it from 1 difficult to decipher slide to 20 easy to understand slides.
… to your process, visualizing what each step is for.
… to your experience, amassing years of working with something.
… and many more.
Clarity feels minimal but it’s often quite the opposite.
This is the blueprint of most presentations, reports, pitches, websites, you name it.
Everything’s important. And therefore, nothing is important.
The thing is this: If you don’t pick what’s important you’re asking your audience to do it for you.
You might not be too happy with their choice.
Better to find the courage to do it yourself.
