| 2s | You've heard people fill space, correct? A |
| 5s | couple of months ago, I was at a law firm. |
| 8s | You ever watched someone walk in the |
| 11s | room and they just have executive |
| 12s | presence? However I know we all define it |
| 14s | differently. This woman enters the room. |
| 16s | She walked in the room like she belonged |
| 19s | there. She had one of those handshakes |
| 20s | you'll never forget and she looked ya |
| 22s | dead in the eye, and we're talking about |
| 24s | brevity and trying to get to the point, |
| 26s | be clear, concise, and at some point |
| 28s | during that conversation she was pretty |
| 29s | quiet up to that day, a point of the day |
| 32s | and she raised her hand. She decides she |
| 33s | shares a story with us. She shares with |
| 35s | us how she lives in Dallas, she was in |
| 37s | New York, on the busy streets of New York |
| 38s | on the call if the client trying to flag |
| 40s | down a cab. The cab pulls, up she hops |
| 42s | in that cab and halfway to LaGuardia she's |
| 44s | on this call with the client. Prior to |
| 47s | reaching LaGuardia she concludes that |
| 48s | call. The cab driver peers in that |
| 53s | rearview mirror and he asked her, can I |
| 55s | |
| 57s | Can you imagine? You're sitting in the |
| 60s | backseat of a cab and someone asked you |
| 63s | for feedback. She thought - she was - before |
| 65s | I could even answer him, he goes on to |
| 67s | say to her, I figure I'll never see you |
| 68s | again. Can I give you feedback? She |
| 70s | figured, what does he have to tell me? He |
| 72s | goes on to say to her, when you first |
| 74s | come to my cab you look like you have an |
| 75s | important job, but now you know when the |
| 79s | word "but" is out of context, what happens |
| 81s | after the word "but"? It all goes downhill |
| 84s | from there if you're not careful with |
| 85s | how you're using it, yes, we're talking |
| 86s | about brevity. He goes on to say to her, when |
| 88s | you first got in my cab you look like |
| 89s | you have an important job, but when I |
| 90s | heard you on the phone, I started to |
| 92s | second guess what you do. You say "um" and "ah" |
| 94s | a lot. Takes you a long time to get to |
| 97s | the point. And it was difficult to follow |
| 100s | your conversation. You can't make this |
| 105s | |
| 106s | So she said, fortunate for him, they |
| 108s | reached LaGuardia she can't toss that |
| 110s | money over the cab seat fast enough. She |
| 112s | hops out the cab, slams the cab door, she |
| 114s | finds herself aggressively walking down |
| 115s | that airport terminal, when it hits her. |
| 117s | And she realized, wait a second, perhaps |
| 122s | my cab coach just told me what everyone |
| 126s | is saying behind my back. |
| 128s | A couple of months later, she drops me an |
| 131s | email and she says, you know, that |
| 132s | feedback has changed the way people |
| 135s | respond to me. One of the biggest |
| 138s | challenges that people have is getting |
| 140s | to the point. Can you relate? You're in a |
| 142s | conversation, and you're out in right |
| 143s | field, you're out in left field, and |
| 145s | you're wondering how in the world you got |
| 146s | there? Anyone? And our subconscious says, |
| 149s | keep talking. Torture them even more. And |
| 152s | eventually you will figure it out. One of |
| 155s | the best ways to jeopardize your |
| 157s | knowledge, one of the best ways to waste |
| 160s | time, are when we fell. Now "um" and "ah", I bet |
| 163s | if you make a commitment today, right now, |
| 165s | by next week Wednesday, just get rid of |
| 167s | them. You don't want it. Get rid of it. |
| 168s | Here's where people don't realize is we |
| 170s | say more than we need to say. If you |
| 173s | could really net through your |
| 174s | communication and eliminate the extra |
| 176s | words, what you leave behind will always |
| 179s | have more impact. Yep, this is easier said |
| 182s | than done. I want you to think of a |
| 184s | comedian. I always think of a comedian |
| 185s | when I talk about honor silence. Honor |
| 187s | that brevity by trusting your competence. |
| 189s | Every time you've seen a comedian in action |
| 192s | when they hit the punch line, what do |
| 193s | they do? Because that's the experience. |
| 197s | Can you imagine if they would never |
| 198s | pause to allow you to laugh? Why would |
| 201s | you go? There would be no purpose for you to be |
| 203s | |
| 203s | Communication is the same way. Put this |
| 206s | in your front pocket. Start thinking and |
| 209s | speaking in bullet point sentences. You |
| 214s | are better to say nothing at all than to |
| 216s | umm - you just gave it a way that you |
| 218s | don't know. Think we can be the smartest |
| 221s | individuals in our industry if it takes |
| 223s | us too long to get to the point, it |
| 225s | really does jeopardize our knowledge. |
