5.Do not be vague or refer to intuition. Refer to logic and authority when possible.

SAY: He didn’t go to school because he had a strep throat and doctor told me to keep him home for 3 days. DO NOT SAY: I kept him home from school because I could tell he felt bad.

6.Talk about trees, not forest.

SAY: “Because this is first ‘First Anniversary Banquet,’ there is no data I can analyze that can accurately predict monetary success of this event.” DO NOT SAY: “I don’t know. How could I know? We’ve never done this before.”

7.Stick to topic.

SAY: “Yes, I got hold of Mr. Sanchez. He will meet with you on Friday.” DO NOT SAY: “Yes, I got hold of Mr. Sanchez. Did you know he’s getting married next week? She’s a lawyer from Argentina. The wedding will be in Austin … and yes, he’ll be here on Friday.”

8.Supply context, and alert when changing subjects.

SAY: “Regarding meeting with Bob and Jim last week …” and “Here’s report. Now, in another matter …[and pause for them to switch gears]” DO NOT SAY: “Here are financial figures, and by way, Mary didn’t like it when Bob and Jim …”

9.Build your case with logic and reason, not emotion.

SAY: “I think (reason) I deserve a raise because I raised my quota 10% and brought in 5 new clients with increased revenue of $150,000.” DON’T SAY: “I feel (emotion) I deserve a raise (or “I want a raise”). It’s demeaning to be lowest paid in department. We’d all feel better if …”

10. Be brief, factual and to-the-point, talk slowly, enunciate, avoid pronouns and make references clear. (Oh, and skip hand gestures.)

SAY: Buy Mazda. It’s best deal. It costs 20% less and Edward [trusted mechanic] said it's in better condition. DO NOT SAY: My gut says get Mazda. He liked it too. Plus it’s got a lot of stuff other one doesn’t. Just hurry up and decide. This is driving me nuts.” (hands waving, voice getting emotional)