Remember the objective/question - If they ask a question, listen intently and lead with an answer. When working through the case, remember everything you do should be focused on the objective
Structure your thinking - When thinking + speaking, use structure to organize everything. By grouping things and talking in buckets you'll get your point across more concisely
Signpost - If needing to communicate multiple things, first state those x things! Then, afterwards, dive into each. So "I"m thinking about this in 3 ways. Way A, Way B, and Way C. In terms of Way A...."
Remember less is more - Think about longer sentences/phrases you use. Reflect on how to make them shorter. Much like you edit an essay, edit your speaking. Why use 5 words when a well-placed single word encompases that? Build your vocabulary (especially business vocabularly) to be able to use key words instead of wasting time "explaining" a concept
Practice with others - Tell others that you're working on this. Ask them to force you to be concise. So, tell them to interrupt you if you're rambling! Record yourself for answers and listen to yourself....look for ways you could have been quicker.
Take a few seconds - gather your thoughts. Perhaps right them down. Take a quick breather to better formulate and then articulate your thoughts
- Pause before speaking to gather your thoughts - the time may feel like forever for you, but it's not nearly as long as you think. Leverage filler sentences such as "that's and interesting point" to buy some time if needed.
- Frame your answer - Generally, MBBers say "There are 3 parts to this". Then, they highlight in 1 sentence each of the 2-4 points
- Iterate through each point - After framing how you're going to answer the question, then answer it by diving into each "part" in the order you summarized each.
(edited)
