The Mark Twain rule to become exceptionally persuasive
Parent Post
There is a lot
There is a lot we can learn from these three related things — emotional intelligence, American author Mark Twain, and the art of getting to the point.
Sometimes smart people undermine their own goals and betray a lack of emotional intelligence when:
- They fail to articulate their exact objectives.
- They get too focused on what they want to say and neglect how their message will land on other people’s ears.
- They muddle directions and meander as they talk.
Emotionally intelligent people learn
Emotionally intelligent people learn to embrace a deceptively simple habit that helps them overcome all three pitfalls.
That habit is brevity.
It comes from one of Mark Twain’s famous quotes outside of his literature — specifically from a letter he supposedly wrote to a friend more than 150 years ago.
Twain famously said, “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.”
Silence speaks volumes. Taking time
Silence speaks volumes.
Taking time to weed out the many things you might want to say (because you’re thinking emotionally) to make the ones that you truly need to say more memorable makes the difference between confusion and clarity.
Coming up with a
Coming up with a good message takes time, but truly crafting it — editing it, to put it differently, and ensuring it’s efficiently tied to your ultimate desired outcomes — can take a heck of a lot more time.
It’s true for books and letters, and it’s true when it comes to strategically communicating in an emotionally intelligent manner.
So, follow the Mark
So, follow the Mark Twain rule to become exceptionally persuasive.
Chart the emotionally intelligent route, and take the time to write the shorter letter.
Don’t be surprised if you find the extra effort pays off, as you remove the impediment of misunderstanding from more of your most important conversations.
Suppose you’re considering an
Suppose you’re considering an opportunity for your business, but you also face challenges. An average leader might gather the team and explain why it’s such a great opportunity.
The emotionally intelligent leader frames everything from the point of view of his or her team:
- What does the opportunity mean for everyone together?
- What does it mean for individual contributors?
- What’s specifically needed from each person to reach the goal?
You have the challenge
You have the challenge of being brief.
When done right, you also get the benefit of being far more likely to achieve your ultimate goals.
This is part of what emotional intelligence is really all about: becoming aware of both your emotions and other people’s emotions and then leveraging them to make it more likely to achieve your ultimate goals.