Do You Get to Your Point Quickly?

True confession: there are some people I avoid because they talk on and on but seldom say anything of interest.

(I hope this doesn't sound harsh; I'm just trying to be honest.)

Listening to such folks is like taking a walking tour of all the paper clips in your office. The words just seem to go on and on...

“Now, this paper clip is slightly askew on one end, indicating that it might have been used recently, but it is hard to say that conclusively, because—once bent—paper clips retain their new shape for quite a long time, and we have no accurate way to date paper clips or their usage history, which is another interesting story...”

The sad part is that people who can’t get to the point quickly tend to be ineffective and highly frustrated.

Another true confession: I once worked with a woman who always had another question, and who took a stunningly long time to ask each one. After a few years of this, colleagues would literally put their heads in their hands when this person cleared her throat to start talking.

“One more thing...”

How do you know if you take too long to get to the point? Here are some early indicators:

• People get up and leave the room before you are done talking.

• Your boss—or a potential buyer—says “no” before you are done with your pitch.

• Colleagues ask you a question that you just answered, which suggests they were daydreaming about a walk on the beach while you were pontificating.

• The meeting leader calls security to physically remove you from the podium.

Basically, the more often you say, “One more thing,” the greater the odds that you failed to get to your point fast enough.

LinkedIn is a great place to observe the dos and don’ts of getting to the point quickly. My rule of thumb is that each article should have just ONE point…but when you browse through a random assortment of articles, you will find that many—perhaps most—people make countless points in the same article.

For example, an article on employee compensation will veer toward interviewing techniques, touch upon a recent vacation the author took in Sweden, and close with the suggestion that your computer may need to be rebooted more often.

The next time you walk into your boss’s office, meet with a prospective client, or interview for a job, try this:

1. Before you begin, set one objective for the meeting.

2. Decide in advance on a maximum of three points you wish to make.

3. Everything you say and do should focus on achieving your one objective—and getting across no more than three points.

4. Don’t forget to listen, because the other person may already agree with you. Only bad salespeople keep selling after the client says “yes.”

What do you think? Is this a significant problem in business?