AEE 2410: How to Be Concise Part 1: Direct Your Message

Summary

All Ears English Podcast Episode 2410 Summary: "How to Be Concise Part 1: Direct Your Message"

In Episode 2410 of the All Ears English Podcast, hosts Lindsay McMahon and Aubrey Carter delve into the art of conciseness in English communication. This episode serves as the first installment of a three-part series aimed at helping intermediate to advanced English learners become more effective and engaging communicators by focusing on delivering clear and concise messages.

---

Introduction to Conciseness

Lindsay and Aubrey kick off the episode by emphasizing the importance of being concise in both personal and professional settings. They highlight how excessive details can dilute the core message and disengage listeners.

Notable Quote:

• Lindsay McMahon [03:03]: "It's not TMI in an embarrassing way. It's more TMI in I don't really care. You know, you're telling me too much."

---

Understanding TMI (Too Much Information)

The hosts explore the concept of TMI, distinguishing between sharing inappropriate content and providing unnecessary details that do not advance the conversation. They discuss personal anecdotes to illustrate how irrelevant information can hinder effective communication.

Notable Quote:

• Aubrey Carter [03:19]: "It's funny, you know, there's like two separate meanings really, for TMI... too many details that aren't helping to move the story forward."

---

The Three Strategies for Being Concise

Lindsay and Aubrey present three key strategies to enhance conciseness in communication:

1. Plan Ahead ([06:08])

   • Aubrey Carter [06:08]: "The first is to plan ahead. Especially when you are speaking in a second language, there is so much that you can do ahead of time."
   • Planning involves outlining the main points and deciding which details are essential, thereby avoiding spontaneous additions that may clutter the message.

2. Give Import to Your Message ([10:56])

   • Aubrey Carter [10:56]: "Our second tip is to give import to your message. You want to lead with a hook that tells the person... why they're going to want to hear it."
   • This strategy focuses on capturing the audience's attention from the outset by presenting the value or relevance of the message.

3. Provide Only the Most Important Details ([14:03])

   • Aubrey Carter [14:03]: "Give only the most important details or background information."
   • By filtering out non-essential information, speakers can maintain the listener's interest and ensure the message remains impactful.

---

Practical Application and Role-Playing

To illustrate these strategies, Lindsay and Aubrey engage in a role-play scenario where Lindsay pitches an idea concisely to Aubrey. This demonstration showcases how to implement planning, effective messaging, and detail selection to communicate efficiently.

Notable Quote:

• Lindsay McMahon [17:36]: "I have an idea that I think you're really going to want to hear."
• Aubrey Carter [17:42]: "Okay, you have my attention."

This exchange exemplifies how a well-crafted opening can immediately engage the listener, setting the stage for a clear and focused discussion.

---

Adapting to the Audience

The hosts discuss the significance of tailoring messages to different audiences. Understanding who you are speaking to ensures that the information shared is relevant and maintains the listener's interest.

Notable Quote:

• Lindsay McMahon [08:52]: "Most public speakers have a message. They have a core story and they share it over and over and over and they get better and better at sharing it."

---

Feedback and Iteration

Lindsay and Aubrey emphasize the importance of seeking feedback to refine one's ability to be concise. Recording oneself or practicing with trusted individuals can provide insights into how the message is received and identify areas for improvement.

Notable Quote:

• Aubrey Carter [09:17]: "It's better every time. Still honest. But we're thinking about all of these ways to be more concise and make it hit even better."

---

Conclusion and Teaser for Next Parts

Wrapping up the episode, the hosts reinforce that conciseness is a vital skill that enhances both personal interactions and professional communications. They tease the upcoming parts of the series, which will delve into vocabulary choices and grammatical structures that support concise messaging.

Notable Quote:

• Aubrey Carter [20:08]: "The details you leave out can save so much time and can really build connection with friends, family, co-workers, everyone you know."

---

Key Takeaways

• Preparation is Crucial: Planning your message in advance helps streamline communication and ensures that only relevant information is shared.

• Engage with a Hook: Starting with a compelling reason for the listener to pay attention can significantly enhance engagement.

• Selective Detailing: Focus on the most important aspects of your message, avoiding unnecessary details that do not contribute to the main point.

• Adapt to Your Audience: Tailoring your message based on who you're speaking to can make your communication more effective and relatable.

• Seek Feedback: Continuous improvement through feedback helps in honing the skill of being concise.

---

This episode of the All Ears English Podcast provides valuable insights and practical strategies for English learners aiming to enhance their communication skills by being more concise. By implementing the discussed techniques, listeners can expect to become more engaging and effective speakers in both personal and professional environments.

Transcript

[Aubrey Carter]

This is the Allers English podcast, episode 2410 how to be concise part one. Direct your message.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Welcome to the All Ears English Podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American host, Aubrey Carter, the IELTS whiz and Lindsey McMahon, the English adventurer, coming to you from Arizona and Colorado, usa. And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish.com forward/subscribe. Being consistent Concise is what moves you from a decent English speaker to a phenomenal communicator. Listen in today for part one of our three part series on how to be concise in English as we look to expand our team here at Allers English this summer. Hiring Speed Matters if you're in charge of hiring at your company, you know that you need to be able to find amazing candidates for fast. That's why we recommend Indeed. Stop struggling to get your job post seen on other job sites. Indeed Sponsor Jobs helps you stand out and hire fast. With Sponsor Jobs, your post jumps to the top of the page for your relevant candidates so you can reach the people you want faster. I'll tell you more about how well it works a little later in the episode. When you're expanding your team, you want to avoid overwhelm. Let indeed help you reduce that overwhelm and move faster. There's no need to wait any longer. Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed and listeners of this show will get a 75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at indeed.com a e e just go to indeed.com aee right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. I I n d e e.com a e Terms and conditions apply. Hiring Indeed is all you need. Hey Aubrey, how, how are you today?

[Aubrey Carter]

I'm great, Lindsay. How are you?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Good. But I have a great question today. Are you ready?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. Let's hear it.

[Lindsey McMahon]

All right. So Aubrey, do you know anyone in your life who is long winded?

[Aubrey Carter]

Ooh, yes I do. I know someone that and whenever she tells a story, she will give details about people that I don't know. She be like this is a person who lived here and their cat's name was. I don't know. It's just like the epitome of tmi. They're giving all these details and just making the story so long. Sharing things that don't add to the story that I don't care about. It's hard.

[Lindsey McMahon]

It's really hard. My mom would always do this, you know, she would just give a little bit too much information. It's not TMI in an embarrassing way. It's more TMI in I don't really care. You know, you're telling me too much. Right. And you haven't told me why I should care. Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

It's funny, you know, there's like two separate meanings really, for tmi. One is like, oh, this is almost kind of inappropriate and awkward. That's like, okay, tmi. And then there's other. It's just like too much information, like too many details that aren't helping to move the story forward. Yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

So, I mean, honestly, as we've seen many native speakers struggle with this. I feel like I sometimes struggle with this too. Right. And so this is a skill. If our listeners can master this, they'll be ahead of, you know, 75% of the native speaker population, Right?

[Aubrey Carter]

Absolutely. Yes. Being concise is so key for to determining who wants to listen to you, who wants to talk to you. It will make a huge difference. This is vital both in your everyday conversations and at work. It is really going to make a huge difference for your connection in English.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes. So we are introducing a three part series, Aubry, where we're going to show everyone, our listeners, how to be concise in English. Aubry, where is this three part series going to happen?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes, all three episodes will be right here on Allers English. The first is about being concise with your message. Why is that important and how can you do that? That? The second is about the vocabulary phrases that sometimes we need to shorten. We need to think about our vocabulary and how it should change to be more concise. And part three is about the grammar. Should we be using active or passive voice? What about our grammar could change to help us be more concise?

[Lindsey McMahon]

I love it. So, guys, go ahead and hit that follow button right here, right now to make sure you don't miss the next two parts of this series. This might be the single most important series of podcast episodes you listen to all year because this impacts our career success, our social circle, right?

[Aubrey Carter]

Absolutely. Yes. I can think of people that if they were more concise when I talk to them, I would be more proactive about trying to spend time with them. But like, sometimes I'll avoid the interactions because I know it's going to be painful with all the extra details. You don't want that to be you or excited for you to get all of these Skills and the language to be more concise.

[Lindsey McMahon]

And also you want people to wonder what you're gonna say next. It's like you want people, you want. There's an element of mystery that we need to. To invoke here. In being concise, it's super high level, but we can do this. When you are concise, you're a little mysterious, which people love mysterious people. Right?

[Aubrey Carter]

I love that. Yes. For sure. Right. You don't want to have all this extra time and space and things you're saying that gives them a chance to be bored or, or dreading what you're saying next. We want the opposite. We want that little bit of mystery building up int and being concise so that they're excited for what comes next.

[Lindsey McMahon]

That's so true, Aubrey. I love it. Well, I think our listeners are ready and fully prepared. So in this part one today, going into the message and we. It looks like we have three strategies. Let's get started with number one. Aubrey.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. So the first is to plan ahead. Especially when you are speaking in a second language, there is so much that you can do ahead of time. Right. It's always easier to be concise if you've thought about your message or your story ahead of time. Whether it's a presentation at work, you're running a meeting, or you're just telling someone a story, something interesting that happened to you. If you've thought about it ahead of time, which details you would share, what you would maybe exaggerate, you'll be able to be a lot more concise.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. And just to be totally clear, this is not the same thing as. As rehearsing. Right. I know a lot of our listeners want to become more spontaneous and not have to rehearse. This is not that. This is more like you're kind of outlining the broad strokes of what you want to cover what you want to say. Right, Aubrey?

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly right. Because the more spontaneous story comes up, for example, the more it might be difficult to know how I would start and what exactly I would share. So I'm not talking about scripting something out and memorizing it. Not at all. Thinking about if something interesting happens to you and you're thinking, I'm going to tell people this story. This is a great story. Absolutely. Plan ahead. How should I start it? What speech should I narrate? What exactly should I share? Which details should I leave out? You want to think about that in advance.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. What details would matter for the audience? And that is the first piece. Right. Knowing the audience who are we speaking to? Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly. You might tell this story to many different people. You might think about, how would I tell it to my mom versus a friend versus my boss. It will change depending on your audience.

[Lindsey McMahon]

It's so true. So some things we could do here, Aubry. Could we record ourselves speaking? Do you mean ahead of time to practice or after we've told the story or.

[Aubrey Carter]

I mean, you have options, right? But anytime you're thinking ahead of what you might say, you're not working from a script. Script. But why not practice telling a story in a fun way? Record yourself and then listen to it. Where could I be more concise? What details maybe, should I have left out? Should I have started it differently? Right. It wouldn't hurt to just think through. Like, this story could maybe hit differently. And we have this trial and error when we're telling a story or even at work, giving a presentation where the second time we're like, I could have done this so much better the second time or next time I tell it, it'll be better. Why not have that first time be alone by yourself, recording it? See what you would change?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes. I love the idea. It's okay to kind of come back to this, to similar themes and stories. Public speakers do this. Most public speakers have a message. They have a core story and they share it over and over and over and they get better and better and better at sharing it. It's not a brand new thing every time most of the time. And so it's okay to think that way. You're iterating on sharing your message. Okay.

[Aubrey Carter]

We recently shared some really fun stories here on the Allers English podcast when we were teaching about narrating speech. Those stories I have told many times. Yeah. One of the woman who had been in a car accident was all bloody in the fog on the mountain. I have refined that story. Like, which details do I leave out? It's better every time. Still honest. But we're thinking about all of these ways to be more concise and make it hit even better.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Interesting. I love it. So that's why the idea of getting feedback too is part of this planning ahead. Right. Asking a colleague, someone to listen to you. It's hard to give feedback to ourselves. Right. Because we don't know how our speech has land or what we've said. This is not just a speech. Right. This is just speaking how it's landed with other people.

[Aubrey Carter]

And it doesn't have to be formal. Right. If you tell a story to someone that you know well, a friend or your mom gauge their reaction. Were they interested? Did their eyes glaze over and they got a little boring at certain details. That is going to help, you know, what maybe should be left out. And then when you tell the story next time, you'll be able to adjust. So you're getting that feedback from social cues. But if it's someone you know you well, you could also say, you could also ask them. Right. Do you feel like there were details that I could leave out? Because I'm going to tell so and so this story later.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes, I love it. So the first tip, in terms of our first part of this series, the message is kind of acting like an artist. I don't know. Do artists, when they paint, do they sketch out first what they're going to create? I'm not sure.

[Aubrey Carter]

Usually, yes. I know my brother and my husband. My husband, my father are both oil painters and they do. They sketch out the general outline, whether that's trees or buildings. And often my dad does something really interesting where he'll. There's like a tiny hole in his paintings with a pin in and then it has a string and he like uses the string to draw lines so that the perspective is correct for like a city street. Okay, so a lot of that, yes. They're planning ahead, the subject and where generally things should be. Just like we should for our message.

[Lindsey McMahon]

That's the front. I love that first tip. And there is more we can do, though. That's not the only thing. Aubry, what else can we do to make sure the message is on point?

[Aubrey Carter]

Our second tip is to give import to your message. You want to lead with a hook that tells the person you're going to talk to how what you are going to say will benefit them or why they're going to want to hear it. We often do this, right. We'll start with something, whether it's just a fun story or a presentation, something at work where we're going to hook them and give them a reason to listen.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Oh, my gosh. This is incredibly powerful because it means you're paying attention to who's listening. And believe it or not, we. It doesn't happen as often as it should. Right, right. It's true.

[Aubrey Carter]

But when it does, it's. I notice it's powerful. My ears perk up. I'm like, okay, you have my attention.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. So what does this sound like, Aubry, in terms of phrases, what would we say?

[Aubrey Carter]

So, for example, you might say this is something you won't want to miss. And imagine how this could Be useful for if you're selling something or just if you're telling a fun story. Right. All of these phrases, depending on. You're going to tweak them, you're going to adjust them a little, depending on your message. But they're all pretty flexible here.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yep. I love it. And eventually this is going to become a habit and we're going to automatically think about the audience. Right. Here are some other things we might say. You're going to be excited to hear this, right?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. Or you're going to be interested in this. Or I think you're really going to want to hear this. And imagine how if someone says that you're. You're going to start listening more closely. You're going to be interested and you don't want a false promise. You're not going to say something like this and then say something very boring. That's not excited. Exciting for them. Right. It will be like something interesting that.

[Lindsey McMahon]

You follow you to make sure you're saying something interesting for them. I really like to say, I think you'll really resonate with this.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Let me tell you. And this came up in our Open Conversation Club. A really nice challenge for our students in Open Conversation Club is they have an opportunity to come back to the main room after breakout rooms and they can raise their hand and summarize what was said. But occasionally someone will summarize something outside of the core topics of the day. And what's needed there is to show us what this means to us. We need that context. And so what I recommend to students will see who's listening. Right. If you're going to share something from outside of the. All the questions everyone was discussing, tell us why it matters to us. I think everyone on this call will understand what I'm saying or they'll resonate with this. Or they'd like to hear this.

[Aubrey Carter]

Absolutely. If you use a phrase like that and tie it into what was being said, then not only is that a way to be concise, it's a way to make sure that we're all still interested. We're all still on the same page.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes. Or we can get creative here. I wonder if this has ever happened to you. Let me tell you what happened. Right. It's. There's endless possibilities, but so important to pull people in. They'll perk up their ears and you'll be more successful. Okay.

[Aubrey Carter]

Absolutely. And there are a lot that we use. If something is more like amazing or crazy, like you're never gonna believe what happened. Right. When we're telling a story, we might almost exaggerate a little bit to in, you know, to have more interest. So it really depends on the situation. But you want to say something that gets them excited for what you're about to say.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes. What else do we need to know today, Aubry, in terms of the message? Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

So this number three is what we were talking about at the top of the episode. AVO tmi. Right. Give only the most important details or background information. There will be a lot of things that you could say that you don't need to. They don't help the story. They might make your listener lose interest. So you just want to share what's most important and vital.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. Aubrey, do. I mean, this is so human. I was just moderating a panel on Wednesday about podcasting, and I was the moderator, but I was also sharing ideas and chiming in, and I noticed at one point it had gone too far. And I just kept going and going and going and I knew it was happening. It was like a train wreck happening. Luckily, I could. I could actually edit that out.

[Aubrey Carter]

Explaining, explaining.

[Lindsey McMahon]

And, you know, you can feel it when it's happening. So when you feel that, cut your losses and wrap it up, as we say. Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

And this, the next part about this that's so important is you want to be flexible. Whatever you're saying, whether it's a presentation or just a fun story to friends, you will adjust your message depending on reactions. You're looking for those social cues. Right. If people, you can see on their faces that they're getting bored, their eyes are glazing over, and you will cut your losses and move on or, you know, drop that part and get to something more exciting. You want to look for those cues.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. And we just have to kind of get started. We already have this baked into ourselves. As humans, we. We look for social cues naturally. But if we start to think about this in terms of speaking English, maybe we do this more in our native language, but we want our listeners to be doing this in English. Right?

[Aubrey Carter]

Absolutely. Good point. Yes.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I have learned after so many years as an entrepreneur that speed matters when it comes to hiring, but so does quality. You need the most qualified person on your team fast. Stop struggling to get your job post seen on other job sites. Indeed's Sponsor Jobs helps you stand out and hire fast. With sponsor jobs, your job posts job comes to the top of the page for your relevant candidates, so you can reach the people you want faster, and it makes a huge difference. According to Indeed data, sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed have 45% more applications than non sponsored jobs. Hiring for me in the past has felt overwhelming. Managing all of the incoming applications, making sure you write the job ad in a way that attracts. Attracts top talent. That's what I love about Indeed. It speeds up the process and makes it easier. There's no need to wait any longer. Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed and listeners of this show will get a 75 sponsored job credit. To get your jobs more visibility at indeed.com aee just go to indeed.com a e a e right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com a e-e that's I n d E-E-D.com AEE terms and conditions do apply. Hiring Indeed is all you need. Okay, Aubry, let's see what we can do for a role play here.

[Aubrey Carter]

All right. You run a boutique, a clothing boutique here, and you're sharing an idea with me, your business partner.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Nice. Here we go.

[Aubrey Carter]

All right.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I have an idea that I think you're really going to want to hear.

[Aubrey Carter]

Okay, you have my attention.

[Lindsey McMahon]

We're struggling to build our clientele, and we need to add at least a thousand customers this quarter. I think we could do that if we rebrand.

[Aubrey Carter]

Okay. Interesting.

[Lindsey McMahon]

With a catchy logo and a new name, we might attract a whole new customer base.

[Aubrey Carter]

Okay, I'm on board.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Oh, wow. I've got your ears, right?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

What did we do here? That was smart.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. So we're using our strategies here, right? You're starting with a hook. You're grabbing my attention. I have an idea that I think you're really going to want to hear. And I'm immediately like, okay, you have my attention.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. And I really like this as an opening. I like this even better than you'll never believe, because that feels more generic. Anyone? You could say that to anyone. But this one, I think you're going to want to hear it. Not that person or that person. You. Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

That's a good point. It's specific to me. Something about me and our business relationship makes this especially important for me to hear.

[Lindsey McMahon]

100% anything else that we did here.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. We're looking at, you know, what details you shared. Right. If you're wanting to share with me. Okay, we have a problem. Right. You're sharing this pain point. We're struggling to build our clientele. Naming the problem what we could. You know what the goal is? We need to add a thousand customers this quarter. And then sharing a solution. I think we could do that if we rebrand. Think about how much more detail you could have shared here that I either already know or doesn't need to be shared. You're being very concise and I think I immediately be like, okay, all right, I'm on board.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I love it. This and so much more powerful. And now maybe we can continue the rest of the conversation here or at another date we can set up a meeting and sit down and talk about it seriously, right?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes.

[Lindsey McMahon]

So good.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly. I love this. All of these tips for making your message more concise. We also want to share. We had a recent podcast episode, Lindsay interviewed Matt Abrahams. Three conversation mistakes and how to avoid them with Matt Abrams from episode 2395 that you don't want to miss. These were great tips on being concise in conversations to really build the connection.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Absolutely. Go check out that episode. Aubrey, where shall we leave our listeners today for this part one of the part three series?

[Aubrey Carter]

Of the three part series, Concise is an extremely important skill in both life and at work. We're all busy. The message you say, right, the details you leave out can save so much time and can really build connection with friends, family, co workers, everyone you know.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. This is what's going to take your English from, you know, you know, B2 to C1 into C2 into the highest levels of your career. And just keep in mind, we all do this. I just told a story about how I did this as a moderator of a panel because I was nervous. I don't moderate a lot of panels. Right. So this is a very human thing to do.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. We have all been there. There's a lot you can do in advance. And there's a lot about this that has to do with the vocabulary, the phrases you choose, the grammar you're using. So be sure to hit follow so you don't miss part two and part three so that you have all the skills and the language you need to be concise in English. Yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I am so excited to see if any of our students use these examples on open Conversation Club Aubry. Super excited. All right, Very good stuff. See you in the next next episode. Aubrey, take care.

[Aubrey Carter]

See you next time.

[Lindsey McMahon]

All right, bye. Thanks for listening. To all ears. English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz, go to allearsenglish.com forward/fluencyscore. And if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.

[C]

Trip Planner by Expedia. You were made to have strong opinions about sand. We were made to help you and your friends find a place on the beach with a pool and a marina and a waterfall and a soaking tub. Expedia made to travel.