The Power of Less

Authoritative speakers use fewer words, not more. Compare: "I think that perhaps it might be a good idea for us to maybe consider..." versus "Here is what I recommend." The second version is shorter, clearer, and harder to ignore. Trim the fat from sentences where extra words weaken the point.

Watch for hedge stacking — piling qualifiers on top of each other. "Maybe," "sort of," "I think," and "possibly" are fine alone. Combined, they weaken your message. Use one softener per sentence at most, or make a clean statement and let it stand.