Found myself with a dying cell phone battery, a lost mobile charger, and three phone calls to make the other day. Began each conversation with something along the lines of “I’ve got thirty seconds of battery left, tell me ____“. In another conversation, I was tied to a land line (and the caller knew it), and the conversation went on. And on. And on. My attempts to get off the line (this was, after all, a friend) were largely unsuccessful, and the person who had walked into my office watched the eyes roll and laughed at loud at my attempts to extricate myself from the conversation.I don’t know that I should have been, but I was amazed that the three 30-second conversations were conducted without fluff, accomplished the result required, and I moved on (with one bar to spare — and mysteriously, 20 minutes later I got all four battery bars.) In fact, it was so successful, I may start all my phone conversations that way from now on 🙂 Most conversations that run on add virtually nothing in their excess.There’s a point here, somewhere (isn’t there always). Virtually every point can (should?) be able to be delivered in 30 seconds or less. It’s especially true if you’re trying to sell something or get a larger audience with someone. Other than being paid to fill a time to speak, I can’t imagine that anyone would be upset with a 30-second talk that gave them everything they needed to know versus the 30-minute meeting agenda kind. I’m not discounting the place or need for small talk and developing relationships, but when it comes to transfer of information, shorter is almost always better.How much of your week was spent talking on the phone or reading emails that could/should have been summed up succinctly?
It’s a rare day when shorter (and yet complete) communication is not better.
