The Buried Point
The Apologizer usually has the best idea in the room. That is the part that stings. It is just buried. It arrives wrapped in so much cushioning that by the time you reach the actual thought, everyone has stopped unwrapping. Watch how it comes out. A long preamble about how others probably know better. A caveat. A second caveat. And then, almost as an afterthought, the insight that should have led.
He is front-loading the hedges and back-loading the point, and attention runs out before the point ever lands. The fix is not louder. It is an order change. Say the one sentence you actually mean first. Then, if you want it, add the nuance behind it. The nuance was never the problem. The burial was. Lead with the thing you would want quoted if you walked out of the room right after saying it.
Tomorrow: the Apologizer from another angle.
The Right Altitude. Available now. therightaltitudebook.com
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