Most people dress up their ideas to make them sound more impressive. I prefer to strip them down until what’s left is undeniable.
Just like a diamond, a brilliant idea doesn’t need decoration.
It needs polish.
Strip away everything that doesn’t contribute meaning and then tell a true story about what’s left in the most plain and simple words you can find.
Keep lighting the path,
Michael
Most people overthink presentations.
They wrestle with every word, unsure which one will land best.
They polish every slide for hours, unsure which layout will wow the audience most.
They smooth out their body language, unsure which pose will signal authority strongest.
But none of that really matters if there’s no connection first.
The best presentations aren’t a show.
Not even a performance.
Actually, I’d say they feel like conversations.
Much like the one you’d have with your best friend at the bar.
A real one.
The kind where you talk like yourself.
Where you skip the clever lines and just say what you mean.
Where you connect with them, not just talk at them.
Mirror that and you’ll do fine on a stage.
Keep lighting the path,
Michael
PS: I spoke about this (and many other things) with Mike Carruthers on the Imperfect Creativespodcast. Here’s a little video snippet about this specific thought.
People often confuse clarity with polish.
I used to do that too.
Polish is about how something looks and sounds.
The elegant phrasing.
The smooth transitions.
The clever turn of words.
And it makes sense.
When something is polished, it shines.
Why wouldn’t you want that?
Well, maybe because the thing you polished wasn’t worth polishing in the first place.
And that’s what clarity is about.
It’s about whether the thing you’re about to polish is a diamond.
Something that’s so pure that when people get it they almost laugh at themselves for not seeing it earlier: “Of course that’s how it works.”
Once you have that clarity, polish can make people see it better and appreciate it more.
Now, here’s where it really gets interesting:
When clarity is strong, the message still stands even without the polish.
But the other way around? Nope.
All the polish in the world can’t save a message that never reaches that moment of of course.
So say things better, sure. But first of all, say better things.
Keep lighting the path!
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