How to Speak So Clearly People Assume You’re Brilliant

Every time you speak, people decide.

Lean in or check out. And the difference isn't IQ. It's how you articulate your

isn't IQ. It's how you articulate your thoughts. If you can't communicate

thoughts. If you can't communicate clearly, [music] people just won't trust you, even when you're right. So, here

are the five mistakes quietly destroying your clarity and what to do instead.

First mistake, spray and pray. Imagine

walking into an airport duty-free shop and there the sales guy comes up, smiles, grabs a bottle of perfume and first sprays it on your left arm. You're

like, "Nice, cool." But then he takes your right arm, sprays it on there as well. Then he sprays it on your neck, on

well. Then he sprays it on your neck, on your head. 10 seconds later, you have 10

your head. 10 seconds later, you have 10 perfume bottles all over it. You're

like, "Wo wo, this is way too much." And

you just run towards the exit. That is

how most people communicate. They spray

and pray. They throw out every idea, every fact, every detail and hope something sticks. It does feel thorough

something sticks. It does feel thorough to them, but to their listeners, it feels like chaos. They can't tell what's important. Overexlaining is

important. Overexlaining is underdeiding. Your job isn't to say

underdeiding. Your job isn't to say everything. It's to decide what matters

everything. It's to decide what matters the most. [music] Which brings me to the

the most. [music] Which brings me to the spotlight technique. Great speakers

spotlight technique. Great speakers focus their listeners attention. They

pick up a spotlight and they shine it on this one [music] thing. You'll hear them say things like, "If there's one thing I've learned, it's this." or the biggest

mistake leaders make is x y and z or the number one reason this failed is x y and z. [music] That kind of phrasing tells

z. [music] That kind of phrasing tells your audience listen here this part matters. So don't spray your message

matters. So don't spray your message everywhere. Pick one thing and shine the

everywhere. Pick one thing and shine the light there. Second mistake the brain

light there. Second mistake the brain dump. A few weeks ago I was coaching a

dump. A few weeks ago I was coaching a manager who wanted to sound more articulate. So I asked imagine your boss

articulate. So I asked imagine your boss asked you why sales are dropping. What

would you say on that? She went, "Well, there are a few things. The economy is unstable. Marketing hasn't adjusted yet.

unstable. Marketing hasn't adjusted yet.

And [music] the roll out didn't go well. And wait,

there's more thing." Right in that moment, I stopped her and I said, "Hold on. I feel like you just dumped a box of

on. I feel like you just dumped a box of IKEA parts on the table, but you forgot to show me the picture on the box." On

this, she laughed, but she got it. She

didn't sound unclear because she didn't know. She sounded unclear because

know. She sounded unclear because [music] she didn't show the structure.

So the fix is the structure first rule.

Before you explain anything, tell people how it fits together. Say upfront, there are two main reasons for this or [music] it comes to three simple steps or we are

seeing a short-term issue and a [music] long-term issue. That one line changes

long-term issue. That one line changes everything. It tells your listener, I

everything. It tells your listener, I can relax. I know where this is going.

can relax. I know where this is going.

Because once they know the [music] path, they can follow your thinking. And so to practice that, you can pick any random topic such as should humans live on Mars or should pineapple be on pizza and then

answer without preparation but using the structure first rule. Say yes, pineapple should be on pizza for three reasons.

Reason one, boom, you go into that. Now,

sure, at this point, you might have no idea what those three reasons are, but say it anyway because usually your brain will fill in the blanks. So, over time, you start [music] thinking in order and

not in chaos. Mistake number three, the talk. Average communicators speak

talk. Average communicators speak in ideas. Great communicators, they

in ideas. Great communicators, they speak in images. One of my workshops, a woman begin her presentation and she said something like, "Our new strategy focuses on improving crossf functional

collaboration and enhancing the operational efficiency." I stopped her.

operational efficiency." I stopped her.

Whoa, whoa, you sound smart, but I have no idea what you just said. So asked,

hey, if I were 10 years old, how would you explain that to me? [music] She

thought for a moment, then right now it's like we're running a busy restaurant, but where the chefs aren't talking. Marketing is already serving

talking. Marketing is already serving the dish. Engineering is still chopping

the dish. Engineering is still chopping the onions. We just need everyone

the onions. We just need everyone cooking the same recipe. Boom. Everyone

in the room just m it. Now [music] it made sense. So the fix is to show don't

made sense. So the fix is to show don't tell. Don't just tell people your idea.

tell. Don't just tell people your idea.

Show it. Bring it to life with a simple analogy. An analogy is where you compare

analogy. An analogy is where you compare the new thing to a familiar thing. So

take this sentence. We need to improve the customer experience. Well, that

sounds pretty vague right now. How can

you make it visual? [music] You could say something like, "It is like we've built this beautiful hotel, but in that hotel, the guests actually have to carry their own luggage up the stairs."

Suddenly, people see it, they remember it, and they feel [music] it. People

don't remember concepts, they remember pictures. Mistake number four, the

pictures. Mistake number four, the impress mode. In my early 20s, I showed

impress mode. In my early 20s, I showed up to every conversation with that wrong mindset. I'd walk into meetings

mindset. I'd walk into meetings thinking, "All right, this is my moment.

I need to sound smart." And did it help?

No, not at all. In fact, it did the opposite. The more I tried to impress,

opposite. The more I tried to impress, the more nervous I got, the faster I spoke, and the less sense I made. My

sentences got longer, I stumbled over all those words, and my message got lost at the end. That's what happens when you're stuck in impress mode. And when

your brain is busy managing your image, well, it can't think clearly. The fix is to switch to express mode. Great

communicators, they don't try to sound smart. They try to make you understand.

smart. They try to make you understand.

In express mode, your focus flips from you to them. You're not asking, "How do I sound?" You're asking, "How can I make

I sound?" You're asking, "How can I make this simple and helpful for them?" The

easiest way to switch to express mode is to set a positive intention before you speak. You can tell yourself, "This

speak. You can tell yourself, "This isn't about me. It's about helping them.

I don't have to get it right. I just

have to start the conversation. Or I'm

here to give. I'm here to have fun. I'm

here to give. I'm here to have fun. When

you set that intention, you stop performing and you start connecting.

Mistake number five, the fade out. This

is the most common mistake I see in communication. People make a great point

communication. People make a great point and then they ruin it in the last 5 seconds. They say something at the end

seconds. They say something at the end like, "So yeah, I guess that's it.

Thanks for listening." That's the fade out. People finish in a way that makes

out. People finish in a way that makes them sound so unsure. But that's a problem because that last sentence is what people remember. If you want to sound more articulate than 99% of people

finish strong. Great communicators.

finish strong. Great communicators.

[music] They don't just stop talking. They land

their message. And you can do that by summing up your [music] point in one clear line. You can use phrases like the

clear line. You can use phrases like the key takeaway is X, Y, and Z. Or if

there's one thing I want you to remember, it's X, Y, and Z. And after

that, you pause. Don't add like um hopefully that made sense or so. Yeah.

No, just stop. Let the silence do the work. Because that pause after a clear

work. Because that pause after a clear final line is often the most powerful [music] moment of all. So don't fade out. Finish strong. Articulating your

out. Finish strong. Articulating your

thoughts clearly isn't a talent. It's a

skill you can build. Pick any of the techniques that you learn today and try it out and [music] notice how it changes the way you communicate. Today we focus on clarity. But the best communicators,

on clarity. But the best communicators, they [music] don't just speak clearly, they also tell stories that stick. So if

you want to learn how to tell those [music] unforgettable stories, check out this next video where I share some of my favorite storytelling techniques. See

you there.