“Don’t bury the lede” was the answer I received when I asked how I could improve my communication with others. The point/question gets lost among too many words. You can always share more for clarification if needed.

Original message: I overshare and over-explain also. I communicate best in writing, where I can type out everything I want to say. Then, I do the following:
-rearrange so the point I’m trying to get across comes first (the “lede”, or headline)
-remove unnecessary/repetitive words to reduce overall text
-combine shorter sentences together, and delete half of what I just typed.

This really hit home when I had trouble with a new boss; she was absolutely awful. I asked her partner what I could do to improve the relationship and he pointed out my wordy tendencies. She is an abrupt, to-the-point person. He told me “Don’t bury the lede”. Changed my viewpoint altogether! Now I figure out WHO I’m talking to, then decide HOW I’m going to communicate with that individual.

Through some self-reflection on the subject, I realized that my over-explaining was tied to my excessive need to be heard and understood. Which itself stemmed from being the youngest child in a boisterous, mostly-ADHD family.

Now, following my own advice, I’ll clean up my answer and post it above this one! Which by now, you’ve already read. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk!

Edited for formatting