Workplace Multiplier by Tola Akinsulire

April 16, 2025

Welcome to the Workplace Multiplier newsletter. Published Monday to Friday, equipping you to achieve your professional goals faster and without burnout or overwhelm by leveraging The Triple Win Method.

The hidden reasons you're saying too much (and how to stop)

Howdy ,

Have you ever walked away from a meeting thinking, "I talked way too much"?

Or hit send on an email, then realized it's three scrolls long when it could have been three sentences?

Yesterday, I shared the two communication villains I battle daily. Today, let's dig into the first one: our tendency to overshare.

Why We Say Too Much

After coaching professionals across three continents, I've noticed several patterns behind oversharing:

1. The knowledge display: "If I share everything I know, they'll see how smart/valuable I am"

2. The insecurity shield: "If I cover every possible angle, no one can poke holes in my argument"

3. The assumption trap: "My audience is as deep in this topic as I am, so they need all this context"

4. The perfectionist's dilemma: "If I don't explain everything, someone might misunderstand"

5. The excitement overflow: "I'm passionate about this topic and want to share EVERYTHING"

Sound familiar? I've fallen into every one of these traps myself.

The Real Cost of Oversharing

When we overshare, we don't look smarter – we look less confident. We signal that we're not sure what's important, so we're throwing everything at the wall.

Worse, we're asking our audience to do the heavy lifting – sorting through our information dump to find what matters.

Your Action Plan: The 3-Step Edit

Before your next important communication, try this:

1. Write your first draft: Get everything out of your head without judgment

2. Walk away: Give yourself at least 10 - 15 minutes (overnight is better if it's a mega impact communication)

3. Return with "The Cut": Ruthlessly eliminate everything that doesn't directly support your core message

For emails specifically, try this challenge: After writing your email, cut it in half. Then cut it in half again. What remains is likely closer to what your audience actually needs.

Remember what we're aiming for: just enough information for the recipient to take the next best action.

Small trivia...I had to cut out things from my recently published book "Winning Beyond Borders: Achieving Success at Work in a New Country". I edited out to make sure readers only got what they needed, not all I knew about the subject. So, they can take action with what they read.

Tomorrow, I'll share why people don't take action after reading your communications and how to fix it.

Keep winning at work and in life,

Tola Akinsulire

Your Strategic Workplace Mentor

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Want to get in on some of the lessons I have picked up in my career? Get my eBook "21 Lessons I Learned in My Career - A Primer to Help You Become Better at Work". Get it here

Do you work in a new country, or does your work involve working with people outside your country? Get my acclaimed book "Winning Beyond Borders: Achieving Success at Work in a New Country". Get it here

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