Marcus Tullius Cicero once said that brevity is a great charm of eloquence.
Nowadays, it’s common to confuse brevity with shallowness: The multitude of TikTok videos which explain an easy path to become rich is a testament to this.
How can you be brief, while at the same avoid being shallow? This is especially relevant in moments which are not scripted, such as answering questions
A powerful system which I use to handle questions is SEER: Statement, Explanation, Example, Re-statement.
For example:
Statement: “If you want to improve your own leadership, the most important thing is to unlearn behaviors which mask your strengths.”
Explanation: “Unlearning unhelpful behaviors is usually much easier and has much more impact than trying to learn new behaviors.”
Example. “When was the last time you tried to have a conversation with someone who interrupted you consistently? The best way to improve for such an individual is to simply stop this annoying behavior.”
Re-statement: “An effective leader is therefore focused on avoiding behaviors which typically drain energy from others.”
Consistent application of SEER is a quick way for anyone to avoid rambling and become more eloquent in both speaking and in writing.