It’s not how good your idea is.

@oliver-aust · LinkedIn post · oliver-aust_its-not-… original · 2026-07-01

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It’s not how good your idea is. It’s how clear it is.

How to speak 10X clearer ⬇️

Most people ramble and as a result their ideas stall.

That’s why I’ve developed the Clarity Code — my system that’s helped 300+ CEOs communicate even the most complex ideas.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 1: 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 3 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬

1/ Being boring  ↳ Boring is hard for the brain. Interesting is easy for the brain.  ↳ Fix: ask “How can I make this a little more interesting?”

2/ You are literally hard to understand  ↳ Poor articulation. Not speaking loud enough.  ↳ Bad audio, bad mic, hand in front of mouth.  ↳ Fix: Proper virtual set up. Practice clear articulation.

3/ Overloading the message  ↳ Muddled thinking. Curse of knowledge.  ↳ Wearing complexity as a badge of honour.  ↳ Fix: ask “What is the One Thing I want my audience to take away?”

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 2: 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 5 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬

1/ 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠  ↳ What – So What – Now What  ↳ Past – Present – Future ↳ Problem – Solution – Benefit

2/ 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝  ↳ Goal – Problem – Solution  ↳ Excite – Disturb – Assure  ↳ My Story – Our Story – The Future

3/ 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 ↳ “Running a company without a budget is like driving a car without GPS in a city you don’t know.”

4/ 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞  ↳ Abstract words are hard to understand for our brains.  ↳ Specific examples are easy to make sense of and remember.

5/ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 ↳ Clarity depends on what you say and how you say it.  ↳ Slow down and pause before your key message.  ↳ Avoid monotonous monologue and embrace vocal variety.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 3: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞? 𝐓𝐨𝐩 3 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬

1/ The BBQ Test ↳ Can you explain it to someone at a BBQ – and keep their attention? ↳ Cheat code: No jargon. No slides. Just say what you mean.

2/ Headline test  ↳ Does your key message sound like a headline?  ↳ “Q3 Business Update.” – NO!   ↳ “Business Growing but Challenges Ahead.” - YES!

3/ The Recording Test ↳ What sounds good in your head or looks good on paper can sound clunky and stilted.  ↳ Record → Review → Refine

How to speak 10X clearer on Speak Like a CEO:

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