We all have this one particular colleague. The guy who walks in and starts rambling. Only a rude interruption or a fire alarm seems to be able to stop the sea of words. Is he effective? Not at all, as the time he needs to explain his point of view largely exceeds the average attention span of his audience.

But being brief is not that easy. In this episode of Clarity in Conversations, I speak with Joe McCormack. Joe is an author, successful entrepreneur, marketing executive and founder of The Brief Lab. The Brief Lab’s mission is to help organizations master concise communication to improve operational effectiveness. Joe graduated with honors from Loyola University of Chicago, and lives in suburban Chicago and Pinehurst, NC. Joe works with managers, executives but also Special Operations forces of the US Military, to ensure their communication is spot-on.

This interview largely covers the great insights I gained from Joe’s book “BRIEF. Make a bigger impact by saying less.” Not only do we talk about the need to be brief in corporate interactions, but also will we discover that there are very powerful and practical tips you can use to be brief. At the end of the interview, we speak about Joe’s new book “Noise. Living and leading when nobody can focus”.

You’ll get insights into practical techniques to ensure you are known as a ‘lean communicator’. For example, Joe shares his proven “Map it. Tell it. Talk it. Show it.”-approach, which is a powerful guide to distilling the key message that your audience will remember after speaking with you.

At the end of the episode, I speak with Els de Maeijer, researcher Communication and Innovation at Fontys University of Applied Science in The Netherlands, who reflects on the interview and puts the insights in context. The podcast ends with practical tips to enhance the clarity of your conversations, in the office and at home.

For more information about Joe McCormack, check his website.