President Woodrow Wilson introduced the concept of short speeches.
William “Bud” Hart, of Haverhill, shares “Success Principles”—ideas for living a greater, better and more accomplished life, and building habits that stick. He also coaches clients to incorporate strategies for boosting their mental and physical performance during everyday living.
When my wife reads one of my articles, or listens to me passionately elaborate on a subject in our conversations I often hear, “How long did it take you to write it?” “It’s a bit long; can’t your article be shorter.” “Can you talk less and get to your point?” I’ve heard these critiques so many times that I now count words with every article and in conversations consciously work on making my point early on, with as few words as possible. (I may be the only one that believes I’m making progress here).
But when I think about it I often have to agree with my wife. I, myself, am one to lose interest quickly while reading and listening to boring, unimaginative, detail-driven writings and discourses from people that go on and on and don’t communicate effectively or even entertain (my family will attest to this). In my mind whether we are connecting with others in writing or by speaking, using words diligently to convey a compelling and worthwhile message should be everyone’s goal. And preparation is the key to doing this well.
When I finished my last article Eddie the Eagle (384words), I started thinking about a statement President Woodrow Wilson made about preparation. He was congratulated by a member of his cabinet on introducing the vogue of short speeches and asked about the time it took him to prepare his speeches. Wilson responded, “It depends. If I am to speak 10 minutes, I need a week for preparation; if 15 minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now.”
Woodrow Wilson was right. Being more exacting and concise with written and spoken words requires considerable thought and preparation. And the more reflection and groundwork we dedicate to communicate our thrust effectively the more time and effort it takes. Making writing and public speaking seem easy is ultimately about professionalism, commitment and mastery of skills. Oh and there is one other clue to having a piece of writing or a talk engage people and keep their interest, that’s the length. As my wife likes to point out, there’s a lot to be said for brevity.
How much time would you guess it took me to prepare this 382 word piece about preparation?
William “Bud” Hart is a certified “Mindset” Coach, Accountability Partner and Business Consultant. Visit Hart Group, www.hartgroupma.com for more on coaching opportunities.