Communicate with precision. That’s what I’ve been told, and that’s what I’ve learnt.

According to Dictionary.com, to “hit the bullseye” means to be absolutely right. I love hitting the bullseye, and one of my greatest worries in communication is misinterpreting someone else’s true intention.

Precise and Concise

Precision means to be accurate without ambiguity, while concision means to eliminate unneccessary details. Something that I truly believe in, but not seen around much. Ideas are oftentimes conveyed with fluff or hidden beneath complex phrasing that is difficult to follow.

My mentor once shared a quote:

If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now. – Woodrow Wilson

It is easy to ramble. It is difficult to convey ideas succinctly. To be brief and succinct requires organization of the mind. For me, my rambling stems from mental clutter. Thoughts flow faster than the mind can structure them. That’s why I switched back to pen and paper, because typing on a digital journal app can be as fast as the stream of thoughts. Before writing, I’d map out in my mind a rough structure and the points that I want to talk about. I do think I live with a rich inner world, so writing them down is a great way to slow down. In a world drowning in constant stimulation, sometimes we just need to hit the brakes and take a breather. Pause, quiet the noise, and indulge the mind.

Personal Integrity

Your ability to communicate succinctly is also a testament to your core values, because it means aligning your words exactly with your intentions. Crudely speaking, it is to say what you really mean. It is a direct reflection of integrity and accountability.

On the flip side, I have seen people ramble as a defense mechanism, to deflect, or to avoid confronting their shortcomings. I must say, it happens to me sometimes due to anxiety. I’m working on it.

Precision with Empathy

Of course, human communication is not always about accuracy. Sometimes (or maybe oftentimes), we’d need to mask our words to protect someone’s feelings. True precision is not about being brutally blunt, but about understanding the weight of your words and choosing them thoughtfully.