The two most important parts of any communication — While Daring Greatly

Know why you are communicating

The most important part of any communication is the why. Why does this communication exist? Why are you sending that email? Why are you posting that on social? Why are you saying that, videoing that, playing that, or reading that?

When communication gets long, it’s usually because the communicator doesn’t have a clear idea of why they are communicating. It’s like Michael Scott from The Office said, “Sometimes I’ll start a sentence, and I don’t even know where it’s going, I just hope I find it along the way, like an improv conversation.”

There is value in thinking through things out loud and talking through your thoughts, but like in the clip above, doing that while talking to someone else, especially your boss, may not be the best idea. Instead, in every communication, it’s critical to take a moment and think about why you are communicating. That why becomes your anchor, giving the communication value and stability.

Know when to stop

The worst thing a salesperson can do is to keep selling after the person is sold. We’ve all been in this situation. You are at the store; you know what you want. The salesperson has what you want, but they are still talking when…