Four-Sentence Rule

I note a current resurgence in this. As coined by George Kohlrieser from at least as back as 2006.

There are plenty of similar steers. If he wasn't quite the first to suggest such brevity scores, he certainly does seem to be the first to report a genuine, demonstrable, tangible improvement attached;

"We have seen extraordinary results with this rule – teams reducing meeting times by as much as 70%".

Who wouldn't want a piece of that?

The above finding followed his description;

"Each person speaks in four sentences or less (except, of course, when someone is making a presentation). Keeping to four sentences encourages people to think clearly about what they want to say before they speak, thereby enhancing understanding and dialogue. This rule does not mean that you only speak in four sentences on all occasions, but rather that you have the ability to engage in clear and focused interpersonal exchanges."

No specific elements offered, it is very much a guiding principle proffered.

Which actually rewards the inventive. As you can craft your own format.

I've seen chat channel instructions during meetings - and not just virtual and hybrid either - of the /4sentences vibe.

In the internal setting of a salesteam meeting, there's often a similar stipulation for commonplace sections. For instance introducing particular deals being worked.

Could your internals do with a touch of shortening using this?

There's also joy to be had introducing prospects to this. Take for example a workshop style session.

Is there a need, desire or outcome of theirs which can be deconstructed by four component parts? A mirror to our entry-level sᴛᴀʀ explanation template, even.

You could mention that when you talk things through with your experts back at base, they insist on such concise illumination. Which once you know of it, is likely to be so.

In many cases, such approach may well be new to our prospect. They'll appreciate its discovery. Another reason to stand us apart from anyone else.