What You DON’T Say is Just as Important as What You DO Say

Good morning friends!

A very quick post today.

We talk a LOT here at The Latimer Group about message development. It is central to almost everything we teach and coach.

And one element of message development that is often overlooked, or at a minimum underestimated, is the process of figuring out what NOT say in your upcoming meeting or presentation. Sure, message development is first and foremost about deciding what you will say. That is priority #1. But priority #1A is the opposite side of that same coin… deciding what to leave out or avoid.

The decision on what not to say may be driven by many factors: time, sensitivity, politics, detail-driven “rabbit holes,” among many others. But those decisions on what to leave out are often, in my experience, just as important as the decisions on what to include.

So, when you put together your next message, ask yourself lots of questions about what should be included. AND don’t forget to also ask yourself lots of questions about the minefields that should be avoided.

Good luck, and have a great day.

Does your team:
– Overwhelm the audience with too much detail?
– Make things too complicated?
– Fail to ask for what they want or need?

Does your organization:
– Waste time because of poor internal communication?
– Take too long to make decisions?
– Struggle to clarify and frame discussions?

Do your leaders:
– Exhibit poor executive presence?
– Lean on incomplete communication skills?
– Fail to align the organization?

We transform teams and individuals with repeatable toolsets for persuasive communication. Explore training, coaching, and consulting services from The Latimer Group.

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Brett Slater

A book about change

The Latimer Group’s CEO Dean Brenner is a noted keynote speaker and author on the subject of persuasive communication. He has written three books, including Persuaded, in which he details how communication can transform organizations into highly effective, creative, transparent environments that succeed at every level.