The Eloquence Trap
Let’s talk about a dangerous skill: Eloquence.
Dangerous, you ask?
Yes, because it can seduce you into making three terrible mistakes.
We usually think of eloquence as a superpower, but in my experience, for many leaders, it is actually a liability.
I’d argue that most leaders don’t lack the ability to speak. They lack a point and their eloquence allows them to hide that fact. They can talk for five minutes without stumbling, and yet, say absolutely nothing.
This shows up in …
Mistake 1: They start writing before they know what they want to say.
Because they are articulate, they trust they can just start typing or start talking and the brilliance will appear. It usually doesn’t. They produce three pages of beautifully phrased confusion.
Nice to listen to, but impossible to act on. Their team is left to figure out the point for them. Which they probably won’t.
They’ll simply forget what you said.
Mistake 2: They try to cover too much.
In other words, they use eloquence to mask a lack of priority. I mean, a clumsy speaker would just sound overwhelmed. But a skilled speaker can explain why everything is a priority. They weave a complex tapestry of 15 different goals, making them all sound interconnected and vital.
It really does sound impressive. Strategic. But it’s actually a disaster.
They are basically describing chaos, but beautifully.
And mistake 3: They worry more about sounding smart than being understood.
They use big words. Polished metaphors. And eloquently sprinkle in some humor. And sure, the team says, that sounded smart. But then everyone walks away thinking, “I have no idea what the actual point was”. (btw, that’s true for many keynote speakers too). In other words, you’ve made a nice performance for them, but didn’t light the path.
What the best leaders say is often surprisingly unpolished. Sometimes even blunt. They sacrifice the applause for impact by saying what’s true in the most plain and simple words.
I’d say, don’t worry about saying things better unless you say better things.
Keep lighting the path,
Michael
PS: If you want to say better things, a Clarity Lab is the place where we work on that. I’ve just opened a few slots for January.