Mastering the Art of Communicating Effectively: Don't Overflow the Coffee Cup

Imagine you’re holding a warm cup of coffee.

Now someone walks over and starts pouring more coffee into it. They keep talking and pouring. And pouring. And pouring.

At first, it’s nice, but before long, your cup overflows. It spills. It’s a mess and instead of appreciating the coffee, you’re cleaning it off your lap.

That’s what communication often looks like in organizations. We have something valuable to share — a message that matters — and instead of delivering it with precision, we dump everything we know onto our audience. We forget that good communication isn’t about what you say, it's about what they hear.

Communication Is Not One-Size-Fits-All

You may have the best idea in the room — something with the power to inspire, shift culture, or spark change — but if you don’t understand your audience, you’ll miss the mark.

Everyone hears the same message for a different reason:

• A CFO hears the cost.

• A team member hears workload.

• A client hears value.

• A CEO hears strategy.

  
  

They’re all sipping from different cups.

If Your Message Is Gold, Don’t Water It Down

When something matters to us, we tend to say more — thinking that passion equals clarity. But the more we talk, the more we dilute the power of what we’re trying to say.

The most effective communicators don’t overfill the cup, they deliver one rich, well-brewed message at a time — tailored to who’s listening.

So, How Do You Communicate With Intention?

1. Know Your Audience: Who are you speaking to? What matters to them? What lens are they viewing this through?

2. Clarify the “Why” — For Them, not just why it matters to you, but why it should matter to them. Different people buy in for different reasons.

3. Simplify the Message. If your core message was a tweet, what would it say? Get there first. then build only what’s needed around it.

4. Pause Before You Pour. Before hitting send, hopping into a meeting, or giving feedback — pause. Is what you’re about to say going to fill the cup… or overflow it?

Final Thought

If communication is like coffee —Make it strong. Make it intentional and know exactly who you’re serving.

Because when you speak with clarity and care, your message doesn’t just land — it sticks.