The Power of Design
When you have something important to say, write before you talk.
Writing allows you better to design data, arguments, thoughts, and insights. When you see your ideas as a tangible logical flow, you can refine them and make them more precise and effective. Sometimes, you will gain new insights while you design your argument.
When you write, even for yourself, before you talk, you can be calmer and more confident, if only because you know how your idea unfolds. You can explore its logic as others will and embed potential replies to counter-arguments within it.
The Power of Phrasing
When you have something important to say, write before you talk.
Writing enables you to find the accurate phrasing for any bit of information and insight you wish to bring to the table. The design is the skeleton of your idea — its logical flow. But it cannot replace coherent, engaging, and clear phrasing.
When you see what you are about to say written in front of you, its phrasing becomes vivid and tangible. When you read it aloud, it has an even greater impact, and you can hear nuances that are practically invisible when you just think of the text or read it silently.
The Power of Editing
When you have something important to say, write before you talk.
The most important aspect of writing as a preparation for any discussion is that you can read the entire text and treat it as the whole idea you will communicate. No matter how well you wrote it, chances are that after you read it, you will find ways to improve it. That’s why articles and books go through an editing process.
Revising the text until you feel it satisfies your needs will make the communication more effective. It is a slower process, and it requires more of your energy and attention. But any effective communication does. To communicate effectively, you need to slow down and invest in what you wish to say and how to say it.
Then, you must slow down even more and invest in listening…
