Helping People Focus on Important Information

Certain phrases tend to get repeated often—in meetings, presentations, and everyday conversations. Over time, we start to echo them in our own communication, often without thinking.

But some of these familiar phrases are less effective than they seem — especially those that draw attention to what we don’t want people to focus on. When we highlight what’s not important, we risk distracting our audience from what truly matters. It's far more effective to guide their attention to the key points you want them to take away.

That’s why I recommend rephrasing the following:

Original: I won’t read this all to you, but…
Rephrased: I’d like to direct your attention to…

Original: You don’t need to remember everything here, but…
Rephrased: What’s important to remember is…

Original: I know there’s not a lot of time left, so…
Rephrased: Right now, I’d like to emphasize…

Original: I’m not going to go through all of this, but…
Rephrased: I’d like to highlight…

Original: I won’t discuss all of these details, but…
Rephrased: The main point is…

If you want your audience to focus, don’t draw attention to what you’re skipping. Instead, emphasize what matters. These subtle shifts in language can make your message more impactful and help your audience engage with the important details you’ve shared.

Author: Bri McWhorter, MFA
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