Stop Rambling, Start Persuading—For Whatever You Write, Say, or Show | Todd Clarke
Todd Clarke, the Minister of Clarity of Todd’s Got A Pen shares with us how you can Start Persuading—For Whatever You Write, Say, or Show. From brain barf to busting the writer’s block, Todd gives us a rundown on how to distill information to ensure you get a clear, concise message across your audience.
Overexplaining
As there is a similarity in how people talk and write, most people end up rambling and jumping from one thought to another. In fact, host Jaimie Jay shares he is guilty over-explaining in five sentences, which he could have easily said in one sentence. Todd shares that this is common, especially when one is passionate about what he wants to share with the audience.
“We want to tell people this much but when we tell people that much, not much of it registers. So how can we synthesize and be able to leave them with what really matters?” – Todd Clarke
Barf It Out
Todd supports the idea of barfing it out or doing a brain dump when you are writing, as it busts the writer’s block and allows creativity to flow. Another thing he points out why people are having a hard time writing is due to lack of structure. He shares how preparing a “list of facts” before you start writing does wonders in sending a clear message.
“We just start listing facts about their business. Know who your customers are, and what they want. Before you write, you need to have all that in place. It makes writing much easier.“ – Todd Clarke
Writing With Purpose
To be clear, Todd shares that barfing out ideas is only applicable to chunks of information. He also notes that it is always important to be guided with a purpose. For example, he writes emails, he makes sure he writes on top of the email what he wants to achieve and write from there. He edits and trims unnecessary contents afterward.
Aside from the process and creating structure, he shares how important it is to be authentic and vulnerable in your writing.
“I tell my clients, even if you don’t have a true, distinguishing value proposition, you’re going to stand out from your competitors because you’re going to sound honest and thoughtful. So when you owned that vulnerability and you shared it, people develop trust and they want to be a part of that. In fact, even in business, people buy more when you help them develop trust and help them make a good decision whether they should work with you or not just by being very clear.” – Todd Clarke
To learn more about how you can stop rambling and start persuading, watch this episode.
Bio:
✎ My values: Be clear. Be real. Be bold.
✎ My mission: Be so clear, people ‘get it’ right away
✎ My irreverence: Help people stop rambling and start persuading
Connect with Todd!
Website: @Toddsgotapen
LinkedIn: @ToddClarke
Calendar: @ToddWrites/bookme
About Jaime Jay
Meet Jaime Jay – a man who wears many hats, and wears them all admirably. He's a master connector, an entrepreneur extraordinaire, and a published author who knows how to get things done.
Before he found his way to the business world, Jaime served his country as a brave paratrooper in the U.S. Army. But that's just the beginning of his many accomplishments.
He's the founder of the renowned Bottleneck Distant Assistant Services firm, and his book "Quit Repeating Yourself" has become a must-read for entrepreneurs everywhere.
When he's not busy building his empire, you can find him on his beloved Harley Davidson, cruising through the countryside and taking in the invigorating effects of Uitwaaien – a Dutch practice that involves facing the wind to boost health and relieve stress.
He enjoys spending his free time outside building stuff with his wife, Nikita the dog and their two kittens (for now at least) Tommy and Tater.
He is ‘over-the-moon’ happily married to his wonderful wife Sara, his amazing daughter, Jessica, who is serving our country as a United States Army soldier. Jaime and Sara are the proud grand parents of two beautiful little girls.
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Quit Repeating Yourself provides guidance for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and managers to help prevent unknown challenges from ruining their business.
