Clarity Begins Before You Speak
Communication is one of the most talked-about skills at work and one of the least practiced.
Most people don’t struggle because they lack intelligence, experience, or good intentions. They struggle because they don’t prepare for communication, and under pressure, their unhealthy patterns take over.
Clarity isn’t automatic. It’s a skill.
Why clarity breaks down at work.
In theory, being clear sounds simple:
Say what you mean
Be concise
Speak with confidence
In practice, work conversations trigger very human reactions:
A desire to be liked or approved of
Pressure to sound smart or capable
Fear of being misunderstood, dismissed, or creating tension
Without preparation, your internal dialogue and pressures can hijack communication and have you defaulting to unhealthy patterns:
Talking too long or giving too much context
Being overly blunt or abrupt
Softening the message so much it loses impact
Hesitating, staying quiet, or circling the point
What looks like a clarity issue is often a preparation, self-awareness, and stress issue.
Here’s how clarity commonly breaks down by communication style.
Recognizing your patterns is the first step to communicating with more clarity and influence.
Expressive: You connect through stories, ideas and enthusiasm. This means you may add too much context or go off on tangents if you don’t pause to prepare.
Prep: Be concise. Lead with your conclusion. Limit yourself to one example. Pause.
Direct: You’re straight-forward, decisive, and action-oriented. This means you may be too blunt, move too fast, or come on too strong if you’re not intentional.
Prep: Choose your language. Slow your pace. Check your tone. Soften your delivery.
Reserved: You think carefully and weigh options before you speak. This means you may hesitate, wait too long, or miss your moment if you haven’t prepared what to say.
Prep: Prepare your first sentence in advance. Bring key points to land. Decide when you’ll speak, not just what you’ll say.
Harmonious: You value connection, agreement, and ease. This means you may dilute your message or avoid saying what you really mean unless clarity is intentional.
Prep: State your point early and clearly. Replace qualifiers with confident statements. Separate clarity from conflict. Practice saying it out loud.
Clear communication doesn’t happen in the moment. It happens before the moment.
The most effective communicators don’t rely on instinct or personality. They prepare.
They think about:
What actually matters in this conversation
How stress might affect their delivery
How their natural communication style could either support or sabotage clarity
That preparation keeps people open, engaged, and willing to listen.
A simple daily practice for communicating with clarity.
Step 1: Prepare your message (60 seconds)
Before a meeting, conversation, or feedback moment, ask:
What is the one point I need to communicate?
Not everything you know.
Not all the context.
Just the core message.
If you can’t state it in one or two sentences, clarity will be hard for others too.
Step 2: Anticipate your pattern
Ask yourself: What do I tend to do when I don’t prepare?
Over-explain
Get too blunt
Soften message too much
Go quiet or hesitate
Naming your tendency gives you choice.
Step 3: Adjust one thing
Choose one adjustment based on your tendency:
Over-explain → Shorten your opening
Too blunt → Slow your pace
Too hesitant → Prepare your first sentence in advance.
Too quiet → State your point earlier.
This is where self-awareness becomes skill.
Step 4: Check for understanding
After you speak, ask:
“What’s landing for you?”
“What questions do you have?”
Clarity is built through preparation, self-awareness, and intention.
5. Pause and Reflect
After the conversation, ask:
What changed when I prepared?
What do I want to practice next time?
This is how experience becomes skill.
Clarity is a practiced skill.
People who communicate with clarity, confidence, and influence don’t have a special gift. They prepare.
Give it a try today. Take a few minutes to prepare. Get clear about your message before you speak or start writing. And notice what changes.
Here’s to thoughtful preparation, clear messages, and conversations that build trust.
Happily,
Maryanne
