When saying “Quick” Slows Down Your Message

In presentations, conferences, and meetings, people often don’t have enough time to cover all the content they want to share. That’s why we often hear phrases like:

“I’ll go through this quickly…”
“To give you a ‘brief’ overview…”
“I just have a quick question to ask…”

However, even though these types of sentences are common, it’s important to understand the effect they actually have on an audience.

“I’ll go through this quickly…”
When someone says they will do something “quickly” it usually means the presenter will be speaking at a rapid pace. In order to keep up, the audience will have to put in more effort to track the details. Usually, this is when the audience decides to tune out. It’s more productive to simply omit that phrase and then share the corresponding content.

“To give you a ‘brief’ overview…”
Telling people something will be “brief” draws an audience’s attention to the time the content is taking, rather than the details of the content. This can invite critique because the audience starts to analyze whether the summary was succinct or if it dragged on too long. Eliminating that word is more direct and helps your message stand out.

“I just have a quick question to ask…”
When you’re already running low on time, saying something will be “quick” actually has the opposite effect. You don’t want to spend precious time adding in extra phrases when it would be better to spend that time on the discussion. That’s why I recommend avoiding that phrase and simply asking the question. This creates a smoother narrative which is a better use of everyone’s schedule.

While it’s common to comment on how “quick” something will be, it’s not always effective. Instead, omit those phrases and simply share the content. This can help your audience connect with the information which will be a more effective use of everyone’s time.

Author: Bri McWhorter
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