Communicating isn’t mainly about words. It’s mainly about ideas.
This is probably the most important thing about being an effective communicator: don’t get hung up on the words.
Or put another way, if you don’t have clear ideas, don’t count on the words to help you.
How often have you read a handsome paragraph full of big impressive words, gotten to the end, maybe read it through a second time, then thought, “ok, I have absolutely no idea what that meant”?
Too often, probably.
And this is a problem for anyone relying on the power of words but without actually having a good idea of what they want to say. Because readers have a limited amount of patience in trying to decipher what they’re reading. If it’s not clear, they’ll only put in so much effort before they lose interest. And in future, they’ll be less likely to have much respect for that writer’s content.
So the absolute first and last rule in effective communications? Know what you want to say.
Unfortunately, when we don’t really know what we want to say, there’s a natural tendency to think if we can only find better words, our point will become clear. We’ll try different words. More words. Bigger words. Re-organized words. Longer combinations and strings of words put together. Business jargon or expressions or platitudes. Words get flung like spaghetti at a wall, trying to see what will stick, with the hope that the point might start to take shape on its own.
The problem is, words can only get you so far on their own; they’re really just the vessel that carries your idea. If your ideas aren’t clear, words won’t hide that. And your readers will know it.
So what do you do when you’re stuck with a sentence or paragraph that’s turned into a meaningless word salad? Here are the steps we use with our clients to help them clarify their ideas and improve their communications.
Abandon the messy word salad you’re struggling with. This is way harder than it sounds; everyone is tempted to fall in love with their own words and becomes very protective of them, once they’ve invested the effort to write them in the first place. But you need to be ruthless here. If you don’t, they’ll continue to be a distraction.
Stop trying for words, step back and try to focus on the point you think you want to make. Start with the context. What is the larger point you’re discussing? Is there a thought or concept missing? A hole in your argument? A connecting thought? Or maybe the current content is fine on its own and doesn’t actually need that extra sentence or paragraph - or those extra words.
Without trying for words, focus on the point you think is needed, in the plainest, simplest language you can think of. Don’t even try to compose an actual sentence, just jot down the idea in a bullet point or a couple of words. It’s remarkable how often this simplified wording will sum up what you really want to say.
If needed, edit your simplified idea to match the tone of the broader piece, and move on.
If you really can’t articulate your point but you know something is still missing, leave a placeholder saying “content needed”. Move on to another section, then come back later. Sometimes, partially-formed ideas can be elusive, and take time to come into focus. But keep trying. Usually, fresh eyes make all the difference.
The bottom line: effective communications is all about ideas. Writing a lot of words for the sake of words will muddle your message, annoy and confuse your readers, and undermine your credibility. Whereas if you focus on clarifying and expressing your ideas, the words tend to take care of themselves.