Bring the Listener With You


We’ve all had that moment. You think of a perfect argument in your head — crisp, logical, even elegant. Then you start talking, and it falls apart. The other person looks confused, maybe even unconvinced. The idea made sense to you, but somewhere between your mind and your words, it lost its shape. Communicating an idea is far harder than forming one.

For me, the real challenge is remembering that the listener starts from a different point than me. What is obvious to me may be new to them. I already took the journey of discovery; they’re just joining in. It’s my job to bring them along, step by step, not to drop them into your conclusion. Be it in a think big discussion or a feedback review or a coaching session. Good communication is not about showing how much I know — it’s about building a bridge between what they know and what I mean.

I’ve learned that clarity is hard. When I make assumptions visible, I save others time and confusion. I remove guesswork. Tenet #2 — Meet People One Step Away from What They Know — reminds me that communication isn’t transmission. It’s travel. The message only arrives when both people do.

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