Five tips for de-cluttering your communication

By Greg Dardis / Guest Column

I received tremendous feedback on my last colĀ­umn about how to spring clean your office. Many Iowa professionals related and shared stoĀ­ries of tackling their own clutter.

Multiple friends whispered their appreciation for the tip about not letting their spouses see the give-away pile. Among couples, one is usually more sentimental than the other, and as profesĀ­sional organizer Marie Kondo notes in her bestĀ­selling book ā€œThe Life-Changing Magic of TidyĀ­ing Up,ā€ nostalgia is the enemy of order. (Donā€™t blame me; Iā€™m just the messenger.)

As promised, Iā€™m happy to present part two of my spring-cleaning series. This one comes diĀ­rectly from our wheelhouse at Dardis CommuĀ­nications, where we specialize in public speakĀ­ing: how to de-clutter your communication. There are so many ways to be sparser and, as a result, far more effective in how you communiĀ­cate. Here are five:

1. To begin, get rid of filler words and non-words. Fillers are the meaningless words and phrases we repeat out of habit such as ā€œandā€ or ā€œyou know.ā€ Non-words are sounds and stutters like ā€œum.ā€ We land on them again and again, like a bridge that holds us momentarily as we strive to select the next real words we will utter.

It takes training to remove filler words and non-words from your speech. At Dardis ComĀ­munications, we record clients and let them watch themselves back. Itā€™s an enlightening exerĀ­cise. Sometimes we become deaf to non-words, not realizing how often we use them ā€“ until we watch ourselves on video and listen specifically for them.

The heightened awareness that comes from this training goes a long way. With practice and better pacing, you can successfully eradicate all those ā€œums.ā€ Youā€™ll sound cleaner and more professional.

2. Organize your thoughts according to a roadmap. Start with a clear purpose ā€“ a vital step that is all too often overlooked. From there, build from a six-step process: an introduction, an opportunity you are addressing, a solution you are recommending, benefits, evidence and a close. Your speech will follow a natural arc that is easy to process and remember.

3. Spare us the bloody details. We do not need to ā€“ or want to ā€“ hear the blow-by-blow account. We want the headlines backed by intelĀ­ligent analysis and occasional anecdotes. There is no better way to show respect for your audiĀ­ence than by cutting the fat from a talk. A first draft often comes out twice as long as its final version. Consider this rule: 10 slides, 20 minĀ­utes, 30-point font.

Be disciplined about the details you share. If you feel yourself sliding into a back story, stop yourself and offer to go into more detail later. Thereā€™s nothing wrong with a smile and a lightĀ­hearted acknowledgement like, ā€œThereā€™s a longer story here Iā€™d love to share if I had the time.ā€ A good presentation is not the last time you will speak to that audience; itā€™s the first. It invites ongoing dialogue, sparking a new working relaĀ­tionship or renewing a pre-existing one. It imĀ­presses and intrigues.

4. Use visuals to your advantage. Effective imĀ­ages allow you to talk less while conveying more. Once youā€™ve completed the first draft of a speech, look it over for sections that could be replaced or shortened by a visual. Remember: 10-20-30!

5. Cut back on physical clutter. Swaying, restless hands and dancing feet can be wildly distracting. Gesture with purpose. Stand tall and move deliberately. Focus your eye contact. ConĀ­serve your energy ā€“ and, in the process, enable your audience to focus on your message.

Youā€™ll experience a big impact when you de-clutter your communication in these five ways: removing filler words, cutting needless details, orĀ­ganizing your thoughts, using visuals and elimiĀ­nating physical clutter. Happy spring cleaning!

Greg Dardis is the CEO of Dardis Communications, based in Coralville. For more information, visit www.dardiscommunications.com.