You and the people around you are being bombarded with information, constantly. Too often that's in the shape of long-winded emails, blog posts, and reports that say very little or assume that because digital space is (virtually) free and unlimited, so is your time.A recent study by Microsoft concluded that the human attention span has dropped to eight seconds – shrinking nearly 25% in just a few years. Tiktok took advantage of this and makes people do great content in 60 seconds. That is smart! Isn’t it?
The Art of Speaking Concisely
Now, why is our attention span dropping? Who is to blame?
Probably an overdose of information, multitasking and fast-paced environments.
I bet you will get distracted multiple times before you finish reading this article.
The shorter the attention span gets, the more important synthesis as a skill becomes. Especially in the job hunt. Recruiters and Hiring Managers are overwhelmed with the amount of information they receive through different channels and on different formats. Globalization and digitalization changed the recruitment game. Today, it’s “easier” for a recruiter or hiring manager to tap a large pool of talent. What got more complex is the filtering and navigation of the amount of data they are exposed to.
That’s why it is important to stand out in short.
Synthesizing means making a substancial yet succint overall point.
Brevity is the soul of wit - William Shakespeare
A recurrent situation
When I coach my clients, they tend to struggle finding a short and sweet answer to what’s been asked. Call it resistance, maybe, but not having the habit to synthesize can be a very valid hypothesis as well.
This situation gets very obvious when I career coach my clients on interview preparation, we most of the time focus on being synthetic and straightforward with their answers. The Elevator Pitch exercise it’s not easy for most people, as they need to concentrate on who they are in less than 1 minute.
And, concision is just about that - It is about making points effectively in fewer words. Structure and language are definitely key ingredients to help you develop this skill.
There are actually 5 Capital Sins that can explain what might be preventing you from being concise:
1- Confidence: “I know so much about the subject I could talk about it for days.” → Save us time and don’t.
2- Cowardice: “ I am so afraid, there’s so many perspectives out there. I don’t want to miss out!” → Take a stand and share it with us.
3- Comfort: “The sound of my voice is too beautiful I could hear it for hours.” → Have the discipline to press the stop button.
4- Confusion: “ Wait, wait, bear with me. I just have to think this for a while!” → If your mind is a mess, do you have to share it with us?
5 - Complication: “It’s a complex topic. I can’t describe it easily!” → It’s your job to make it simple for your audience.
Are you still reading attentively?
I have a question for you: in a world where rambling and getting distracted seems to be a norm, how can you make clear and concise points?
Some tips that you can use to boost your synthesis:
Practice answering directly to the question you’ve been asked. If it’s a “Yes” or “No” question, start with either Yes or No and then summarize the main argument for the chosen option in a headline.
Write your thoughts on paper, this exercise can help you organize ideas. Remember: a messy mind has messy conversations.
Don’t get lost in the details, try focusing on the big picture instead.
Think before you speak: What’s your message? What do you really want to say?
Challenge yourself when you talk, pick up your words consciously.
Make shorter sentences.
Foucs on your audience.
If you feel ready to explore further, I recommend that you dive into the following resources:
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