Laconic Speaking

I must have been in primary school when I first learnt about Laconic speaking. The best definition for Laconic speaking (which was a way of speaking in Ancient Greece) is to speak tersely. Which means to speak briefly, neatly and be effectively concise.

As a kid I was fascinated by the idea and tried to practice it, to the confusion of my family and friends. Still, I thought it was one of the best ways to speak. I still think that it has a lot of merits when it comes to communicating ideas and thoughts with others.

It forces you to basically stop beating around the bush and get straight to the point. Doing it by just communicating what is necessary to make your point, no more no less. I think it was the Ancient Greeks' contribution to the simplicity practice. Having this practice in mind really helps in communication. If you want to confront me, you have to say it to my face. If you didn't like what I did, you need to tell me what it was. If you disagree with what I said, you have to say it briefly.

Imagine how many long meetings, phone calls, conference calls and coffees we could avoid if we all practiced Laconic speaking. I'm not saying that we should embrace it 100% but practicing it can help us become better and more effective at communicating. It also gets us into the practice of boiling down our thoughts, simplifying them and clearly communicating them.