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160 It’s Not a Glass Ceiling, It’s a Sticky Floor

tions company. There are many complex parts of this strategy to
understand, but that does not mean we need to confuse, worry, or
frustrate our employees. So I work really hard at simplifying my mes-
sage.” Gerri says, “My tip (to both men and women) is something
very simple: Always write down your thoughts before you speak.
Whether I have 20 minutes to connect with 20 or 20,000 people, I
write down my thoughts and then read them out loud to myself. Doing
this forces me to keep it simple.” Gerri’s technique helps her get
focused on communicating the message she wants to get across and
not get off track. On the other end, people remember things better if
the speaker’s points are packaged and organized in an easy and under-
standable way.

Here are some ideas for how to keep your communication simple

and to the point:

1. Understand your audience. Talk about what is relevant to them
and not just about what interests you. This will help you to
focus on the right things.
2. Balance detail with emphasis on key points. What do people
need and want to know to understand your message? How
much detail is enough? Make your statement, then ask others
if there is anything they want to know more about.
3. Stay on message. Make sure you open and close with your key
message and make it easy to follow from one point to the next.
4. Organize and crystallize your message. Instead of thinking in
terms of 50 or 500 words, think in terms of making three key
points.
5. Speak concisely. Don’t use five sentences when one will do.