There is a peculiar phenomenon in the world of communication.
The smarter the person, the more likely they are to confuse you.
Now, before I receive strongly worded emails, let me clarify: intelligence is not the problem. In fact, it is often the source of the problem.
Smart people know too much.
They have context. They have data. They have nuance. They have “just one more point” to add which quickly becomes five more points.
And before you know it, what started as a simple answer has turned into a guided tour of their entire mental library.
The audience, meanwhile, is somewhere between impressed and completely lost.
Here are three reasons why this happens.
1. Over-explaining
Smart people love completeness.
If a question is asked, they feel compelled to answer it thoroughly from background to conclusion, with a few side trips along the way.
The intention is admirable.
The result is not.
Over-explaining dilutes clarity. The more you say, the harder it becomes for your audience to identify what actually matters.
In communication, more is not better. Better is better.
The discipline is not in knowing more. It is in saying less but saying it well.
2. No structure
When ideas are clear in your head, it is easy to assume they are clear when spoken.
They are not.
Without structure, even the most insightful thoughts sound scattered.
You start here. You jump there. You return to your original point, eventually.
The audience is left trying to assemble meaning in real time.
A simple structure changes everything:
Make your point.
Explain it.
Give an example.
That’s it.
Clarity is rarely about intelligence. It is about organisation.
3. No clear message
This is the most dangerous one.
You speak confidently. You speak at length. You answer every question.
But at the end, if someone asks, “So what was the main point?” there is silence.
Or worse, three different answers.
Communication without a clear message is like a journey without a destination.
You may cover a lot of ground, but no one knows where you were going.
Strong communicators decide in advance what matters. Then they make sure everything they say points back to it.
Final thought
Being smart is an advantage.
Being understood is a skill.
The goal of communication is not to demonstrate how much you know. It is to ensure that what you know can be received, understood, and remembered.
So the next time you are tempted to explain everything…
Pause.
Simplify.
Deliver the point.
If you would like to learn how to communicate your ideas with clarity and impact especially in high-stakes settings like media interviews:
Send an email with the subject “MEDIA.”
Stay on cue.
Kafui Dey is an award-winning broadcaster and media trainer. Email him on [email protected]
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