If you’re highly capable, knowledgeable, and conscientious, there’s a good chance you’ve been told some version of this: “You gave us too much information.”
And if you were only trying to be helpful, thorough and credible, that might be confusing and frustrating!
What's interesting is that the smarter you are, the more likely you are to over-explain. And the more you over-explain, the less impact your message tends to have.
So, why does it happen and how can you shift it?
Over-explaining is rarely about ego. In fact, it usually comes from really positive qualities:
You care about accuracy
You don’t want to be misunderstood
You’ve worked hard for your expertise
You’re used to justifying your thinking
You want to add value
Particularly in academic, technical, policy or specialist environments, you’ve likely been rewarded for showing your workings. Detail demonstrates rigour and context shows credibility.
So when the stakes are high such as during a presentation, meeting, pitch or difficult conversation, your instinct is to give people everything.
The problem is that your audience doesn’t experience your knowledge the way you do. They experience it in real time, with limited attention, competing priorities and a strong need to understand why this matters to them.
And when you over-explain with too much detail, a few things happen:
Your key point gets buried
Your authority can feel diluted
People struggle to follow your thread
Listeners stop deciding with you and start deciding about you
Ironically, the more you try to prove your expertise, the less confident you may appear. And that’s not because you aren’t credible. But because clarity is what signals confidence, not quantity.
The real issue isn’t information. It’s focus.
Most people don’t need more content; they need help knowing what to listen for.
If you really analyse it, you’ll notice that memorable speakers do a few things particularly well:
Make one clear point at a time
Choose examples deliberately
Leave space for the audience to think
Trust that they don’t need to say everything
Being remembered isn’t about saying more. It’s about saying the right thing, at the right moment, in the right way.
If you want to stop over-explaining (without dumbing things down), it’s not about stripping out intelligence or nuance. It’s about directing it.
Here are four practical tips that will make an immediate difference:
1. Decide your one takeaway first
Before you speak, ask yourself, “If they remember one thing from this, what should it be?” If you can’t clearly answer that question, your audience won’t be able to either.
2. Lead with the conclusion
Instead of building up to your point, bring it in early and then explain only what’s needed.
3. Use detail as seasoning, not the main course
Detail should serve your message, not compete with it. If it doesn’t help your audience decide, act or understand, consider whether it needs to be there.
4. Stop talking when the point lands
This one is crucial, but is sometimes the hardest one! Silence often feels uncomfortable, especially if you’re used to filling space. But stopping at the right moment is what allows your words to settle.
Attention is precious, especially in busy organisations and fast-moving environments where people’s brains are overloaded. And people don’t remember who spoke the longest. They remember who helped them see clearly.
Our role as a communicator is to ensure the message is understood. Our influence isn’t in how much we know, but in how effective we are at helping others to access it.
And if you recognise yourself in this, you’re not doing anything “wrong.” You’re just ready for the next level of communication and hopefully these tips will help you achieve that.
Mel Sherwood is a Presentation Skills and Personal Impact Speaker, Founder of The RED Effect™ and Author of ‘The Authority Guide to Pitching Your Business: How to make an impact and be remembered - in under a minute!’ She works with global business leaders, teams and individuals who want to be more confident, credible and compelling. An Australian based in Scotland, Mel is an award-winning speaker, author and coach and combines over 25 years’ experience in business with a background as an actor, presenter and singer.