Have you ever met people who, when they start talking, just don’t seem to know when to stop?

My conversations with clients this month have been heavily focused on listening wholeheartedly and getting comfortable with the concept of pausing (to think!) before replying. Why is this so important? Because our ability to listen well has plummeted as a result of working remotely. It’s not that great in person either to be honest, and this has dramatically affected our ability to communicate effectively.

All too often in business I encounter behaviour which I call the ‘press play’ trap. What do I mean by ‘press play?’ Some of us reading this article have enough life experience to remember the cassette recorder. You hit a button when a song came on the radio, to record it for posterity.

In the world of work, the ‘press play’ trap means that someone starts talking… and keeps talking… and is still talking… whilst being blissfully unaware that they’ve lost their audience.

When it comes to communication, this is our challenge. Stop and think. Organize your thoughts first – rather than share all the internal dialogue. Say less. Say it better. Say it in a way that is crisp, concise, compelling. Cut out the waffle.

Why? Because otherwise you’ll build a brand as the ‘press play’ person. When you start; you don’t stop. Don’t be that person. Don’t fall into that trap.

On such a note… 

I’ll take my cue.