How can you be concise and clear in your message delivery?

You need to think about the mission and as part of that the following - how you want people to perceive you - changes in how you want people to think, feel and act

Knowing your purpose is also connected to knowing who you are. I say this because your personality and character will be on display whilst you try to connect to an audience who may not know you, may not have any prior knowledge of your background and yet is present to learn from you or the panel with whom you speak. Therefore, take time to assess how your personality and character can enhance your message. Play with your intonations and diction to entice your audience. When incorporated into your clearly thought-out message, you can capture any audience.

You'll also need to chose words that are reflective of how you want people to think, feel and act. What type of emotions and thoughts are you wanting to evoke? Words need to be reflective of this. Chose wisely. Also don't assume everyone will speak the same language. Know your audience and if you need to use an acronym that is somewhat niche explain it.

The level of technical proficiency in a subject that some communication demands is no excuse for creating comprehension barriers for general audiences. It is crucial to simplify the content. One of the best strategies to do so is by using short sentences or varying intonation which reflect punctuations (should you be reading some sort of text out loud). Now, as for using direct language... Perhaps we have a debate here. As I write in my book, "Give Me Tea, Please: Practical Ingredients for Tasteful Language," I argue that there are many benefits to combining formal, informal, direct, and indirect language devices in communication; it just depends on the type of communication being conveyed.

Be mindful not just of what you are communicating (the message) but how (the method). Don't try and communicate too many messages in too short a period of time if delivering in person/on line. Particularly if it is a complex topic that needs time for the audience to digest and make sense of. Always be clear on scope of what is to be discussed, take aways and next steps.

Logical structuring of messages, particularly those for presentations, should be short, sweet and to the point. So that you do not lose your audience, I usually coach that one should break their message into 3 overall points. Then within each of the 3 points, select no more than 3 key areas of consideration or highlights. Keep it simple. Use your conclusion to summarise how your argument or perspective is proven (do not merely just summarise your message). Then, either provide attachments and footnotes for additional detailed reading or (if delivered by oral presentation), use the Q&A session to dive into more details as per the needs of the audience member asking.

Consider how you are going to communicate and include people with various needs. English is not always people's first language, there may be low literacy and numeracy and you may have people who are legally blind. These are just a handful of factors you need to consider. It's essential you make sure people can fully engage with your message. Do your research before launching.

Similar to my advice above, keep your message short, sweet, and to the point! One of the best editing techniques is to deliver your message to a colleague or peer before presenting it to the public or your target audience. As for proofreading, that goes without saying for written presentations. For oral presentations, it is very easily for slip up in grammer or use the wrong word that sounded similar to the one you had intended. When this happens, of couse proofreading is not possible, so just correct yourself and move on. Remember Oprah who said 'Ka-na-da' instead of 'Canada' on live TV. The end of the world didn't take place, and yet she is still regarded as one of the most prolific, articulate, and powerful speakers of our time.

Remember, be short, sweet and to the point. That is the best route for ensuring clear messaging to your target audience. Dynamic storytelling, presentations, and especially text-based delivery of messages are most powerful when brief and passionately argued.