More than fun
Wow is fun.
Aha is fundamental.
Wouldn’t you agree that one of them is more fun than the other?
What do you think?
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Why I write daily
Any medium has their merits.
For example, conversations happen in the moment and you can instantly react to the situation. Or videos capture your whole expression, not just the words.
But if you care for precision, saying exactly what you mean, then the written word is hard to beat.
Finding precise words.
Getting the nuances right.
Giving them rhythm.
Writing lets me do that.
I’ll often start with something I’ve said.
In a conversation. On a podcast. Or even just in my mind.
These are all situations where I “simply said it” (like with this post which originated from my podcast conversation with Eric Dillman).
But later, when I write it down, I can refine it.
And craft it into exactly what I want it to be.
Something sharper, clearer, and (hopefully) better.
In that sense, writing – for me – is as much a thinking tool as it is a means for communication.
How about you?
Do you write regularly?
What purpose does it serve for you?
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A quick reminder
Saying it simply starts with simply saying it.
Once you’ve said it, you can always refine and make it simpler.
Does your message survive the handoff?
Like, when you’re not in the room, how do they speak about it?
That’s what so many leaders get wrong about communication.
It’s not clear when you say it.
It’s clear when they can repeat while you’re not in the room.
Whenever I ignored this, I set up my idea for failure.
Sure, I made it sharp, simple, and unmistakably clear.
But for myself.
Not for them.
And that’s where things went wrong.
Because when someone else had to explain it …
it wasn’t my message anymore.
They got the point slightly wrong.
The nuance was lost.
The energy faded.
By the time it reached the next person, it barely resembled what I had said.
That’s why, to me, clarity is more than logic.
It’s not about making people understand.
Or finding words that make sense
It’s about finding words they’re able to pass on:
- intact,
- unchanged,
- and still compelling.
Startups run into this all the time. The founder has the charisma. But if the team, the customers, or the investors can’t pass it on, the idea fades.
Obsess over the words your team can easily repeat.
Because if you don’t, others will.
And perhaps in ways you won’t like.
The idea morphs – and often fades.
Successful ideas travel.
They move through what I like to call the pass-along phrase.
A line so clear and crisp that people repeat it without thinking.
If your message isn’t designed to spread, it stops with you.
So, what’s the one phrase they’ll carry forward, exactly as you intended?
I’ve made a little cheat sheet to help you get clarity on your pass-along phrase. Download it for free on my resources page.
Keep lighting the path!
Give them some space
This is what instantly improves any message …
space.
Most people’s communication is missing space in ways they don’t even notice. For example:
1. Space to think
Instead of letting a point land, they rush to the next one. People need time to process an idea.
2. Space for the listener
They don’t create room for the other person to see themselves in the message. It’s simply a broadcast of their own views.
3. Space between ideas
They give a rapid fire info dump of details, making it hard to separate the important from the irrelevant. When everything’s important, nothing’s important.
4. Space for emotion
They focus on getting the facts right and give no space for emotions. Great messages make sense. But they also feel right.
5. Space for curiosity
They explain everything at once instead of leaving room for intrigue. A well-placed gap or an unfinished thought invites the audience to lean in and want more.
6. Space to breathe
They fear silence as awkward, perhaps out of nervousness, habit, or the uncomfort that comes from it. The irony is that breathing removes all of that, plus it gives the audiences space to breathe too.
7. Space in their writing
Their text is dense, without visual breathing room. No line breaks, no emphasis, no rhythm. The reader’s eye gets lost, and the message loses impact.
8. Space for the unsaid
Not everything needs to be spelled out. The best communication allows people to connect the dots and draw their own conclusions. That’s what makes your message their message.
How do you give your audience space to connect?
Keep lighting the path!
The moment is yours
I’ve always envied quick-witted people.
Here’s why today, I embrace the choice to not be one of them.
We’ve all been there.
Someone throws out a perfect comeback: sharp, effortless, and timed just right.
The room laughs.
The moment is theirs.
And you think: Why can’t I do that?
Well, you can.
There’s actually a pretty simple way: practice.
Quick-witted people aren’t born that way. They’re quick because they go for it.
A lot.
Without overthinking it.
They throw out lines all the time. The thing that’s easily overlooked is that most of their lines aren’t particularly great. Some of them are actually kind of lame (especially their first ever).
But they don’t care.
They simply go for it again.
And again.
And again.
And when a line does hit the mark, we remember the brilliance of that line and forget the many misses.
In other words, if you want to be more quick-witted, you can start today. There’s no secret sauce.
Let go of perfection, respond faster, see what happens, repeat.
But before you go all-in, ask yourself this:
Why do you want to be quicker?
Because when the laughs fade, what’s left?
Sure, the sharpest remark won the moment.
But the most thoughtful remark changed the conversation.
It comes with less glamour, but with a lot more impact.
So, maybe quick isn’t what you actually need. Maybe what you’re looking for is confidence. The ability to speak up without second-guessing. To express yourself without fear.
That doesn’t come from being faster. It comes from knowing that when you do speak, what you say will matter.
So instead of chasing speed, try this:
Listen better. Think deeper. And say the thing that moves the conversation forward.
I prefer to take my time.
How about you?
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What’s the point?
If someone asked your audience, “So, what was the point?” five minutes after you spoke, would they get it right?
Turns out, clarity isn’t what makes sense to you. It’s what sticks with them.
If they can’t repeat it, they didn’t get it.
If they can’t get it right, it wasn’t clear for them.
And that’s where most messages fall apart. Not because they weren’t well thought out. But because they weren’t pass-along clear.
It might even have made sense to the audience in the moment.
They did nod along.
They agreed.
But what matters is what they say when you’re not in the room anymore.
What do they pass along?
That’s your actual message.
And if it’s not what you intended, then all the effort that went into crafting your words was wasted.
You can have the sharpest message in the world, but if it doesn’t click in someone’s mind in a way that lets them pass it on, it’s just noise.
That’s why the best place to start isn’t with what sounds good to you but with what they will tell the next person.
Listen for the words they’d naturally say.
And find the pass along phrase they’d actually use.
(Hint: It’s always short.)
I put together a simple cheat sheet to help you find your pass along phrase. It’s free to download on my website. Hope you’ll find it useful.
Keep lighting the path!
Repeat it
Repetition gets a bad rap.
But last time I checked,
nobody got tired of hearing ‘I love you.’
Is there a message your audience would love to hear more often? Something they deeply resonate with?
Keep lighting the path!
If you’re resisting visibility, read this.
You don’t want to “market yourself.”
You don’t want to “play the game.”
You don’t want to be another voice chasing attention.
I get it.
Though, what if you’re not resisting visibility but the way most people do it?
You don’t want to be loud just because others are.
You don’t want to dumb things down.
You don’t want to oversell.
Brilliant. You shouldn’t.
And you don’t have to.
But you do need to speak up.
Because if people don’t hear your voice, they will hear someone else’s.
And what if that voice is less clear?
Less thoughtful?
Less useful?
What if the people who need your clarity
are only hearing the noise?
In a world that’s drowning in noise,
be the signal.
Maybe that kind of visibility works better for you:
Not noise, but signal.
Not persuasion, but resonance.
You don’t have to “market” yourself.
But you do have to let the right people find you.
And that starts with being visible.
By sending out your signal.
So: What’s stopping you from stepping forward?
How do you distinguish noise from signal when you listen to others?
Keep lighting the path!
How do you know your message resonated?
It’s easy to measure the wrong thing.
Many measure approval:
- enthusiastic applause in a presentation,
- likes on your post,
- or words like “makes sense” in a meeting.
Even though nothing changes afterwards.
And yeah, approval feels good, but it’s deceptive and misleading. It makes you feel validated, but your message might still be stuck.
Resonance is different. It’s often not as “loud” as approval and it takes a little practice to spot. Here are some signals to watch for:
Do they lean in or pull back?
Are people eager, curious, or energized when you finish speaking, or do they immediately drift away?
Do they repeat your words?
The clearest sign of resonance: your audience uses your language, not because you ask them to, but because it feels natural to them. They use it as if they’re their words (which, in a way, they are).
Does their behavior shift?
Resonance isn’t measured by applause (though it may be a byproduct); it’s measured by action. If they genuinely change how they approach decisions, challenges, or conversations, your words have resonated deeply.
Are they asking better questions?
If your message resonates, it stirs curiosity. People seek more clarity or want to explore further, not out of confusion, but because they’re intrigued.
You know it when you see it. But it’s easy to miss if you don’t care to look for it (or are distracted by measuring the wrong thing).
Are you seeing those signs in your conversations?
Keep lighting the path!
Spread the Word
