Shut Up and Listen!

All of us have met people who already know what we are going to say before we say it. May be I should start talking by saying "Shut up and listen!". These are people who try to complete your sentences or guess what you have in mind. Some of it is to show how fast they can understand your point some of it is just this fast moving impatient new world.

The truth of the matter is there are very few people who are real geniuses who get your point in round one. I call them geniuses because they can understand even a poorly articulated point. There in lies the crux of the matter. Most of us can't articulate our point well. This makes it worse when people try to project that they have understood a badly articulated point even before it is made.

Articulation of what you want to say has 4 parts - the context, the key point, the justification or explanation, and the delivery.

• The context: This is usually required when you are changing the conversation or starting a new one. It is important to set the context before you share your key insight.
• The key point: This is your punch line. In this fast moving impatient world it is best to get to your point as soon as possible.
• The justification or explanation: This is for those who don't get your point from the punch line or there are some key insights that led you to arrive at your conclusion.
• The delivery: This is the most important aspect. You have to think how you can make your point in the least possible time using the least possible words.

Next time you are with someone who won't listen or won't let you finish, just try to tune your style and see if it gets better.