Simple Speaking: Stop Rambling, Speak Clearly at Work

In 2026, go for simple, not complex. Speaking is simple — especially speaking confidently at work. Get better at speaking.

To paraphrase Confucius: being a good speaker is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.

Complexity bias: this is a picture of my desk, out of shot from my webcam so clients don’t get intimidated by how SMART I am

Speaking well is simple — particularly when it comes to speaking clearly and confidently at work.

I didn’t say it was easy. Simple isn’t always easy.

When it comes to speaking, a lot of very smart professional people find simplicity very difficult.

But they find complexity easy.

Or rather, they find complexity comfortable. They can deal with complexity. They kind of like it.

Complexity bias in communication

I’ve been reading about complexity bias in this article by Shane Parrish from the Farnam Street online community. If you’re too pressed for time to read a whole book about it (like I am), this is a good, short(ish) read.

Put simply (haha), complexity bias is the tendency to assume that the more complex and difficult option is the better one; that the more complex answer to the problem is probably the right one.

Parrish gives a couple of examples:

A person who feels tired all the time might insist that their doctor check their iron levels while ignoring the fact that they are unambiguously sleep deprived. Someone experiencing financial difficulties may stress over the technicalities of their telephone bill while ignoring the large sums of money they spend on cocktails.

This reminded me of one of my favourite pieces on the satirical news website The Daily Mash: Man Deeply Disillusioned with State of World May Just Be Hungry ;)

I probably use about 10% of the functions on my phone. It’s unnecessarily versatile for my needs. But I like knowing it’s all there. I’d rather have it than a super-basic phone that does about five things.

Client case study: complexity, rambling, and professional communication at work

I have one client in particular who is highly intelligent, a deep thinker, and works in finance in a role where his thoughtful analysis of markets and business is extremely valuable.

He’s also conscious of wanting to impress his clients, colleagues, and bosses. His work is, by its nature, fairly complex sometimes, and he leans into that complexity by speaking in long, intricate, complicated deliberations in which (again, consciously) he tries to demonstrate the deep and meticulous consideration he gives to the matter under discussion.

In other words, he rambles.

Sometimes for five minutes continuously (those who’ve worked with me — I know, I can talk, right? Despite years of experience in public speaking coaching, I still have a weakness for going on a bit).

Rambling at work: how long til lunch?’

Why do some speakers ramble?

And how to stop rambling when speaking at work

1. speakers go on and on because they’re really interested in the topic, and want to share everything they have to say about it. The listener picks up on the value of what the speaker has to say, but misses the crucial sense of the value the speaker places on who they’re saying it to.

2. Sometimes they ramble because they’re not sure exactly what to say, but feel pressure to speak, so they just jump in and… sort of… figure out… what… um… they want to, er… say… as they… yep.
   Then it’s the listener who has to work to make that disjointed blurt of sounds make some kind of sense. Ugh. Tiring.

3. Sometimes rambling is an insurance policy — against failure to deliver the message, or against being judged.
   “They don’t seem to be getting it… maybe if I keep talking something will stick…”
   This makes listeners work hard, and therefore not feel valued. Think of a poor salesperson who talks and talks while you’re still deciding whether you even want to buy. Eventually you just think: actually, no thanks.

It’s often a mix of all three. When I talk about speaking and start rambling, it’s usually a mix of 1 and 3.

If listeners don’t feel valued, they won’t listen — no matter how intelligent or experienced you are as a professional speaker.

Rambling makes the listener work. It demands attention and patience. And rambling makes busy people — already juggling plenty in their own heads — think: ugh, get to the point.

So how do we stop rambling?

I consistently coach people — through public speaking coaching and executive communication coaching — to do the listeners’ work for them.

Example: pause more often. Between thoughts, not in the middle of thoughts.

It’s one of the simplest and most effective presentation skills coaching techniques I teach.

I’ve repeated this advice so often to this man, with his formidable intellect, that sometimes I detect a flicker of frustration: “Pausing again? Is that really all it comes down to? There must be more to it than that.”

To his credit, he keeps trying. And he’s getting better at it.

It is working.

And it doesn’t stop there.

‘The less I think about it, the better it is’

What he’s discovering is that this simple advice — pause more — forces him to focus more on the listener and what they need. And that affects the substance of what he says, not just how he says it.

Doing the listeners’ work for them, and seeing the resulting increase in engagement and understanding, often leads to a deeper reflection:

Do I really need to say all this? Could I make it easier by saying less? Or using simpler words?

(I’ve written about this tendency before on this blog.)

This client who “rambles” is finding that, increasingly, when it comes to speaking at work, “the less I think about it, the better it is.”

If complexity is your weapon of choice, that can be a hard lesson.

Smart professional people often feel confused by simplicity. Suspicious of it. Afraid of it.

The thinking goes something like: “If I simplify my language, people will think I don’t understand the complexity. That I’m not across the detail. That I’m not as intelligent as them.”

This is a common mistake in professional communication: confusing listeners’ needs with listeners’ judgements, and letting fear of judgement override clarity.

Does the listener think you’re intelligent? Who knows.

And actually, it’s not relevant to your job as a speaker.

Your job is to do the listeners’ work and convey value.

That value is conveyed not just in what you say, but in the physical act of speaking itself: the sound you make, your energy, your pauses, your eye contact, facial expression, and gestures.

And this doesn’t always mean using simpler language or saying less.

Maybe what you have to say is complex and sophisticated. Maybe it genuinely warrants attention to detail.

But the way to ensure your sophisticated thinking doesn’t overload the listener is to focus on some essentially simple things.

More energy.
Pause more.

There’s a bit more to it than that. But not much more.

So if this is ringing bells — if you recognise a tendency to overthink speaking, or to keep talking because you’re unsure whether the message is landing, or to default to complexity bias — then let’s see if I can help you overcome it.

Thinking about booking some accent reduction classes?

Public speaking training, presentation skills coaching, and accent reduction classes — this is something you’ve been thinking about for a while now. Not urgently. Just persistently.

Most of my clients are experienced mid-career or senior professionals who already perform well, but sense that their speaking isn’t doing justice to their capabilities. They’re highly skilled, extremely competent, and operating at or near the top of their fields — running companies, managing departments, leading teams, and making important decisions.

When they come to work with me on accent reduction coaching, they’ve often been in the UK for five, ten, sometimes 20+ years. Their English is fluent and precise, even if it still sounds slightly “foreign”. Their focus is on speaking English confidently at work, not on erasing who they are.

As I say on my homepage: they know what they’re talking about.

They know who they are.

Others are native English speakers who’ve done well professionally, are confident in many areas of their work, but sense that something isn’t quite working when it comes to speaking clearly and confidently in professional settings.

Frequently Asked Questions (according to AI haha)

Why do intelligent people ramble when they speak?
Because intelligence often comes with complexity. Smart professionals are used to dealing with nuance and detail, and that can spill into their speaking. Rambling is often driven by interest in the topic, uncertainty about what to say, or fear of being judged.

How can I stop rambling when speaking at work?
Focus on the listener, not on yourself. Pause more often between thoughts, and the thinking time this opens up for you will allow you to focus on exactly what you need to say. Do the listeners’ work for them instead of making them work to follow you.

Does speaking simply make me sound less intelligent?
No. Clarity and simplicity in speaking help listeners understand your thinking. They don’t reduce its sophistication — they reveal it.

What is complexity bias in communication?
Complexity bias in communication is the tendency to believe that more complex explanations are better or more accurate. In speaking, this often leads to overexplaining, rambling, and reduced listener engagement.

Is public speaking coaching only for people who are nervous?
No. Many people seek public speaking coaching because they’re already competent but want to be clearer, more concise, and more impactful — especially in senior or client-facing roles.

How does accent reduction coaching help professionals?
Accent reduction coaching helps professionals speak English more clearly and confidently at work, without erasing their identity. The goal is effective communication, not sounding “native”.