Communication Skills Tip: Less is more

I was waiting for the automatic soap dispenser in the Philadelphia train station restroom the other day when the woman next to me commented how inefficient technologies like these can be. "Now we have to wait 10 minutes for our hands to dry under these hand-drying machines. What happened to good ol' paper towels?!" she laughed. Putting aside the green initiative, her comment struck a chord with me and it made me think of the efficiency of words. In Lanartco's tip of the week, May 20, 2009, I suggested that less is more and communicating well does not mean communicating more. In fact, you should be able to take a 30-minute message and pare it down to a three-minute overview and cut that down to a 30- second pitch. (We are always selling ides whether for business or otherwise.) Of course, we need to know our audience and the time allotted for our business communication, but always keep in mind the more focused your message, the more room you leave for dialogue. The more dialogue you establish, the more you know your listeners concerns and interests. Then, less will be more. To be added to Lanartco's Communication Performance Tip of the Week, please connect to this link or send your email address to info@lanartco.com.