How to be direct at work without the three-paragraph explanation

You know what you want to say. That's not the problem. The problem is what happens between your head and the page. By the time it's written, or said, there's a disclaimer at the start, a softener in the middle, and another one at the end just to be safe. And somewhere in all of that, the actual point got lost.

This episode of Career Espresso is about why this happens and what you can do differently, without sounding cold, blunt, or difficult.

What you'll discover

• Why over-explaining isn't a bad habit, it's a response to a real pattern women experience at work.
• The filler words most people don't notice they're using, and what they signal to the people reading and listening
• A simple way to structure what you need to say so the point lands first and the context actually helps
• Why you're probably anticipating a reaction that hasn't happened yet. And how that shapes everything before you've even started

Perfect for anyone who knows what they need to say but keeps finding ways to bury it.

Want more support with real-world leadership challenges? Head to How to Build a Leader on Substack for in-depth guides and scripts.

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