Hi,
Thanks for joining me this week.
As a reminder:
I’ll send you a useful tip each week to help you improve your communication skills.
TIP OF THE WEEK
Most people think difficult conversations require complex solutions.
But from my experience, I've learned the opposite is true.
The hardest conversations often demand the clearest communication.
Yet we often hide behind complexity.
We sugar-coat. We hint. We dance around the issue, hoping the other person will somehow understand what we're not saying.
We do this because being clear feels risky.
When you're clear, there's nowhere to hide.
No ambiguity to blame if things go wrong.
No way to say "that's not what I meant" later.
Though, the very thing we're afraid will damage relationships - clarity - is actually what strengthens them.
When you're clear:
- You honour the other person's time
- You show trust in their ability to handle the truth
- You create space for real dialogue
- You reduce the chance of misunderstanding
- You build deeper trust
This doesn't mean being harsh or blunt.
Think of clarity as being kind enough to be clear.
For example:
Instead of: "We might need to think about possibly adjusting the timeline..." Try: "We won't meet the deadline. Here's why, and here's what we can do."
Instead of: "I'm not sure if now is the best time to discuss this..." Try: "I need 30 minutes to prepare so I can give this conversation my full attention."
The key is to:
- Say what needs to be said
- Say it respectfully
- Say it early
- Create space for response
People can handle the truth far better than they can handle feeling misled.
1 QUESTION FOR YOU
What conversation are you complicating because you're afraid to be clear?
2 QUOTES THAT STOOD OUT TO ME THIS WEEK
"Eloquence is the power to translate a truth into language perfectly intelligible to the person to whom you speak."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Language is courage: the ability to conceive a thought, to speak it, and by doing so to make it true."
- Salman Rushdie
Until next week,
Scott
Sunday Times bestselling author of ‘Order Out of Chaos’
US Edition 🇺🇸
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Let's Transform How you Handle Critical Conversations.
