Brevity.

Post date: 2019-03-21 05:04:22

I am a concise writer, but a rambling talker. I have some meetings coming up where I'd particularly like to be concise in my speech. If you were a rambler, how did you tame your tongue?

I'm happy to blather anywhere, but at work I am a subject matter expert in a key (but complex) area and am particularly apt to ramble on conference calls. It's not that I would monopolize a call per se; rather, it's that I'd never say "Have you considered XYZ?"--it would end up "Have you considered XYZ? We had an XYZ issue on a prior project and it was problematic. Not fatal, of course, but it required additional planning and ongoing support that..."

If I affirmatively concentrate when talking, I can get the results I want, but it is almost a physical struggle. It's like I'm trying to keep my story straight in a police interrogation.

What helps you stop your rambling? Coming to peace with the intervening silences? Jotting down speaking points in advance for the whole call/presentation (or jotting down notes as you wait to speak next)?

FWIW, I'm generally an introvert, but have no particular anxiety over speaking, in large or small groups.

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