Getting from here to there

A simple truth: If you care for what you do, there’s always going to be more interesting things to say than you’ve got time to say them.

That’s why it’s a bad idea to start your preparation by collecting all the info. It will almost inevitably be too much info.

A better way is to start with the gap between where your audience is coming from and where you want to lead them and then to bridge that gap step by step:

What’s the first step they need to take in order to get from here to there? (Not the the first dozen or even the first five steps but THE first step.)

And then what’s the second?

And then the third?

And sooner than you think you’ll have led them there. More importantly, I bet you’ll discover that you didn’t even need all the info from the beginning of this post to lead them there. A couple of key steps were sufficient to take them there. It’s basically a shift from what I want them to know towards what they need to know.

The beauty of it is this: Some of your audience will have enjoyed that journey so much that they’ll ask you to take them on an extended tour that explores the side roads and branches, too. When they ask “tell me more”, you’re in a much better position to give them the rest of your info.

Check out my new book
The PATH to Strategic Impact

Get The Art of Communicating in your inbox.
Change minds, drive action, and turn confusion into clarity.

    I value your privacy. No spam. Just “Great stuff, brilliantly articulated” (to use the words of longtime reader David).

    Read More

    Confused Corp

    Recently, at Confused Corp, the world market leaders for unclear instructions and perplexed employees. Leader: “I don’t want us running around in circles anymore. Clear

    Read »

    Why you struggle to focus

    Almost everyone misses the point of this quote.And it’s why you struggle with focus in practice even though you know everything about it in theory.

    Read »