Speaking clearly and concisely is a communication skill greatly appreciated in both personal and professional conversations. And getting a conversation started with someone who rambles is usually a small-talk nightmare.
As communication expert Chris Fenning explained, “We can tell pretty quickly if someone’s going to get to the point or if we are in for a long and painful conversation.”
Fenning, a former self-professed rambler, shared exactly how you can avoid being long-winded and unclear during conversations. He offered up his simple three-step conversation technique during a 2025 TEDx Talk.
The 60-second clear communication trick
The start of any conversation sets the tone for a productive interaction. As Fenning explained, “Every time we communicate, we have an opportunity to create clarity or confusion. And clarity begins from the very first minute.”
If the first minute of a conversation goes wrong, they can become “longer, less effective, and more frustrating,” added Fenning.
To avoid that, he created a three-letter acronym called TIP that outlines an easy framework for productive conversations:
T: Topic
I: Intent
P: Point
TIP conversation framework
According to Fenning, the TIP method works as follows:
T: Topic
Every conversation needs a clear topic. Fenning says that with a clear topic, everyone can stay in sync and understand what will be discussed.
“Start your message with one sentence that names the topic you want to talk about. And the more specific, the better,” said Fenning. “One message, one sentence that lets your audience know what the topic is.”
Examples include:
- “I want to talk about July sales figures.”
- “I want to talk about Project Everest’s timeline.”
- “I want to talk about our 1-on-1 this week.”
I: Intent
Intent should explain what you want the other person to do with your message. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Why are you telling me this?” while talking with someone, it’s because their intent was unclear, explains Fenning.
He adds that our brains go through a process called selective attention that determines what information is important and what is not. If your brain doesn’t know what to do with a message, it reads it as “not important, and we stop listening,” Fenning said.
By making your intent clear, you are telling your audience what to do with the information you’re giving them.
Examples include:
- If you have a question, say, “Can I ask you a question?”
- If you want someone to make a decision, say, “I’d like your help with this decision.”
- If you want to get something off your chest, say, “Is it okay if I vent for a minute?”
P: Point
Fenning says this is the most important piece of advice, and if you only had five seconds to speak, this is what you would lead with.
“We need a point. We need a headline,” he explained. “Something that tells us where this conversation is going. In one sentence, deliver the most important piece of information.”
Examples include:
- “I want to give a refund for a late delivery.”
- “Our project launch is going to be delayed for a month.”
