Some of us tend towards fewer words — choosing each syllable carefully, as if there was a mandate to “be clear, be brief, and be gone.”
But not every situation is like that. Sometimes we need to be able to expand on our thoughts and explain ourselves more thoroughly. And if we haven’t given ourselves permission or practice to do that in the past, it can be hard to do it when the opportunity arises.
In this post, Dean offers a simple and valuable practice that opens the door to this ability.
When people come to me for speaking coaching, the most common request is this:
“Help me stop rambling.”
And yes — being concise matters.
But there’s another problem I see just as often.
Speakers who don’t know how to elaborate.
They make a point… and stop.
They lose their place… and freeze.
They get asked, “Can you say more about that?” — and they don’t know how.
In business speaking, executive presentation coaching, and AEC presentation skills, the ability to elaborate is just as important as the ability to be concise.
Elaboration is what keeps your message alive.
It allows you to:
In leadership presence coaching and group presentation coaching, this flexibility is what separates rigid speakers from engaging ones.
To elaborate well, you need to develop a specific skill:
Listening to your own thinking in real time.
Your brain is constantly generating ideas — connections, images, associations.
Most of them happen just below your conscious awareness.
The skill is to:
In confident presence and interview skills training for professionals, this ability allows you to keep moving, even when things don’t go exactly as planned.
Here’s a practice to build that skill:
Talk continuously for a set period of time — without stopping.
Follow whatever ideas come to mind.
Let your thoughts wander.
Don’t worry about structure or perfection.
Just keep going.
It might feel awkward.
It might feel messy.
That’s okay.
In executive presence coaching and business development communication training, this kind of practice builds real-time thinking and adaptability.
This exercise isn’t about creating great content.
It’s about training your brain to:
Think of it as strengthening your ability to improvise.
Because in real-world situations — presentations, sales conversations, shortlist interviews — things don’t always go according to plan.
And when they don’t, you need to be able to keep going.
When you develop this skill, something shifts.
You stop fearing the moment when you lose your place.
You stop worrying about unexpected questions.
You trust that you can keep the conversation alive.
In sales pitch coaching, networking coaching, and AEC interview preparation, that confidence is a game changer.
Great communicators do both.
They know when to be concise.
And they know how to elaborate.
They can land a point clearly — and then expand it when needed.
That balance creates communication that is both clear and dynamic.
You don’t have to start with hours of practice.
Try it for 10 minutes.
Maybe while you’re driving. Maybe when you’re alone.
Just keep talking.
Follow your thoughts.
And see what happens.
Because the more you practice hearing and expressing those internal ideas, the more naturally you’ll be able to elaborate when it matters most.
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