Less Is More. Don’t Be Ignored.
In today’s fast moving society, brevity has evolved from a luxury to a necessity.
In today’s fast moving society, brevity has evolved from a luxury to a necessity.
According to Joseph McCormack, author of BRIEF: Making a Bigger Impact by Saying Less
Nearly three quarters of professionals tune out of presentations within the first minute, stop reading an email after 30 seconds, and stop listening to colleagues after 15 seconds — all because they didn’t get to the point quickly.
However, from making pitches to investors to giving presentations, it is vital that the information not only gets through, but leaves a mark as well. Here are 4 ways to generate the most impact while keeping things concise.
Use Their Imagination
Ernest Hemingway once bet his friends that he could write a story with only six words. They laughed. Who could possibly write an entire story with fleshed out characters, drama, and wrap it all up in six words?
This was what he came up with.
For sale: baby shoes, never worn
Sometimes less is more.
Done right, brevity allows the reader to fill in the gaps with their own experiences and beliefs. In turn it becomes their story. They’ve invested. And their attention is yours to lose.
The key is to be specific in the right places to generate the most emotional impact. For example, the example above would be too vague if it were simply “For sale: shoes, never worn.”
Pause
Utilizing a lot of dramatic pauses, MLK was able to craft a speech so compelling, so though-provoking, it helped usher in an era of civil rights.
Each sentence sinks into you through osmosis, leaving you entranced and hinged on every word.
You can’t help but wonder “what’s he going to say next.”
This is because of two things:
The pause gives the reader time to reflect.
A pause uses their imagination. By giving them time to digest the information, the audience will be more invested into your presentation.
2. Pauses and slow speaking makes you look like a leader.
Leaders are not anxious or fidgety. Pauses indicate to the audience that you are comfortable and confident.
Pauses can be overdone and become redundant if not applied correctly. Use them to give your important points extra punch and to maximize the suspense when you know you have their attention.
Use Gestures and Non-Verbal Communication
By manipulating your nonverbal communication, you can help your audience retain 30% more information.
Dustin York, an assistant professor at Maryville University did an experiment regarding non-verbal communication with his students as subjects.
He had 4 groups of 80 students. Each group had a different guest speaker. Two who were given instructions to demonstrate poor nonverbal communication while the other two were told to do the opposite.
Everything else was equal. The presentation was the same word-for-word and they were given the same Powerpoint slides.
But the results couldn’t have been more different.
Following the presentation, each class was tested on the information presented. And the speakers who demonstrated poor nonverbal communication did 30% worse than the speakers who had effective nonverbal communication.
As humans, we’re predisposed to emotions and body language is the emotional language that anybody can understand.
Next time you’re giving a presentation, keep these points in mind to help your audience pay attention.
Make regular eye contact
Use hand gestures that show your palm
Fluctuate your vocal intonation
Throw Away Filler Phrases
Which one sounds more confident?
Well, I think the best course of action would be to do xyz. But that’s just my opinion.
vs.
The best course of action is xyz.
If you thought it was the second, you’re right.
The message is clear. Cutting out filler phrases makes you sound more confident and your message more clear.
Common ones include:
uh/um
just
I think/I believe/I feel
kind of
pretty much
you know
I guess
These phrases have their place in everyday conversations, but during a presentation where you need to sound absolutely confident?
Cut them out.
Slips happen and it can easy to fall back on these phrases to gather your thoughts.
Stop.
A slight pause never hurt anybody and it helps bolster your portrayal of a confident, charismatic individual.
Putting It Together
“Brevity is the soul of wit” — Shakespeare
Saying a lot with a little is certainly a talent, but keep in mind the four tips listed above and you’ll have a good base to start with.
It is always important to be specific when it counts, but try to have your audience do some legwork as well. They’ll be more invested in your presentation if they have to do some thinking. A great way to do this is to not over-explain.
Utilizing pauses also help your audience pay attention. The pause gives them time to reflect on the information and makes you look like a confident individual.
You can cut some words out of your presentation and help your audience retain more information by utilizing gestures and body language.
Like you would mow your lawn so it looks better, so can you prune your message such that it will be better received. Cut out the filler so people can see your message with better clarity.
‘Nuff said.