Speak clearly with ‘clean language’

Do you want to get your point across more effectively? Clean language techniques can help you do it.

Good intentions aren’t everything

Imagine you are trying to help someone with a problem. You are doing your best to listen, but the other person keeps saying ‘No, I don’t mean that. What I mean is…’ The conversation is going nowhere fast.

So what is going wrong here? You are genuinely trying to help, so why does the other person feel so frustrated and misunderstood?

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Getting a side-tracker back on track

Fed up with digressions, diversions and delays? These tactics will help you keep your conversations on-topic.

Have a clear purpose

Sometimes conversations get side-tracked because people don’t know why they’re talking in the first place. Prepare for the conversation beforehand. What must be covered? What outcomes do you want? Note down the crucial points. Tell the other person your purpose early on.

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Setting limits with over-talkers

Your time is precious. Here’s how to reclaim it from the timewasters.

Does someone you work with bore you to tears with twenty minute monologues? Frequently interrupt you by stopping by your desk for a quick chat that goes on forever? Being sociable at work is great. But if you resent your time being taken up by over-talkers, these tips might come in handy.

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