“Summarize your summary” was a piece of advice I gave someone recently. And like most advice I give, I reflect on it and usually realize I need to take it myself.
I’ve had a few recent speaking engagements at the University of Michigan, Central Michigan and Calvin University. As I’ve prepped for those presentations, I’ve really tried to whittle them down. One common mistake people make, myself included, is packing in too much information. We worry we won’t have enough, so we overcompensate. But usually, we end up with more than we need, and then we rush at the end to get through it all.
So here’s what I’ve learned: you have to get comfortable condensing things. Trust that you have enough and that less is often more. This applies to leadership communication, too. Whether it’s an email, a presentation or a team conversation, try cutting everything in half.
The advice I gave was to work on a summary, and then summarize that summary. That next level of editing forces you to focus on what really matters. What are the key points you want people to remember?
And here’s another tip: stick to three points or less. More than that, and it gets hard to follow. There’s a natural rhythm to three, as John U. Bacon taught us in the speaking class he led at Service Express.
So, summarize your summary. Keep it clear. Keep it focused.
