Do you have the ability to think clearly and concisely? A question that sounds straightforward, yet is it? Your mind can only focus on one thing at a time. If we’re worrying about something, our thinking clouds with anxiety. If we’re distracted by our phone buzzing in the other room, we won’t be able to think as well as if we’d put it on silent. That’s what makes clear thinking so tricky. So many things are going on inside your head competing for attention!
Clarity is of the utmost importance.
We have established clarity’s importance. Let’s dive into why it’s so important to test for clarity.
There are generally two types of messages you’re trying to convey:
- The meaning behind a text or speech
- The style and tone used in the message (and what this says about you)
Clarity helps both of these things. Clarity is like the oxygen mask on an aeroplane. If someone can’t breathe because they didn’t put the mask on first, then no one else will be able to breathe either!
When we talk about testing for clarity, we mean making sure of two things. First, each sentence has only one idea. Second, every idea has enough information so people can understand it. Besides being concise, sentences should also be unambiguous.
Get your idea ready
It would be best if you had an idea of what you would say before you say it. What does success look like? What call to action does your audience need to take away?
Otherwise, frustration or glazed eyes from your audience abound. Your audience may feel that they are wasting their time and may even tune out before you finish speaking. You also risk losing credibility. If your audience thinks that you can’t even articulate your point in the first place, how can they trust your conclusions?
It’s better to have a rough idea of what you want to say before saying it.
When it’s time for your talk or presentation, there won’t be any awkward pauses in which people have no clue where things are going next. So make sure that you practice out loud!
State the principle of your idea in a headline…or tweet
Carving out the unessential takes discipline. Consider the effort going into a captivating headline, tweet or haiku.
· The headline is a summary sentence of the whole idea.
· It should state the single most crucial point of your idea to be easy to read and understand.
· It should be short, so you don’t have to read it more than once if you want to understand what it says.
Put important information first.
It’s essential to put the most critical information first.
- Start with the big picture, not minor details. Begin with the message you want to convey, and then provide supporting details as needed.
- Put what readers will find most interesting first.
To decide what parts are more relevant than others requires some thought beforehand.
Use simple language and short sentences.
When you want to be clear and concise, use simple language. Write as you speak. Write like you are talking to an eight-year-old. By using simple language, your reader can more easily digest what you are saying and make sense of it for themselves.
Use short sentences that don’t have too many clauses (no more than three). If a sentence has many clauses, then it’s harder for the reader to figure out precisely what each one means as they go through the sentence.
Avoid jargon (terminology used by specific groups within an industry or profession). Use jargon if you have a table defining important terms and acronyms.
The power of quizzing people on what you tell them
Quizzing your audience on what you’ve told them is a great way to test for clarity. This helps you make sure that they understand the point of your presentation or speech. Gentle, respectful questions serve as a feedback loop. I find it helps them identify areas where they need more information. You can ask questions like:
“Can anyone reflect on the major points of the last few minutes?” or “What was my main point?”
When asking these questions, be sure not to focus on factual knowledge. You’re looking for your audience to recall concepts rather than specific details.
Test for clarity every time you communicate
- Ask someone to repeat what you told them. Ask them to explain it in their own words and tell you how they would explain it to someone else.
- Ask them to write it down in their own words.
- For fun, try something novel — have your audience draw a picture representing what you told them. Can your audience draw something useful with minimal effort?
The most important thing to do when communicating is to test for clarity.
The most important thing to do when communicating is to test for clarity.
- Test with people you trust and know the context in which you are working.
- Test with people who are not in your bubble, or at least not in it all the time (they may be able to see things from a more objective perspective).
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you want to be a good communicator, it’s vital to make an effort to think clearly. Don’t rush into writing your thoughts down as soon as they come into your mind; instead, try to reflect on them for a short time. This can be done by saying them out loud or simply by taking notes in your head. This reflection helps you find patterns linking and summaries synthesising concepts. You should also remember that conciseness is not just about brevity. Clear thinking arrives via careful consideration and reflection. Investing in brevity and clarity as a series of skills is worth your time and effort.