Strong communicators make strong leaders. In this episode Lone Rock Leadership co founder Russ Hill shares three tips for more efficiently communicating in meetings and in one-on-one chats.

Meetings shouldn’t feel like a maze. We walk you through a simple set of moves that transform wandering discussions into sharp decisions: take a clear, movable position, ask direct questions that reveal where people really stand, and read the story their behavior tells beyond their words. These techniques are built from years of coaching senior executives and observing what actually accelerates results inside complex organizations.

We start by reframing the opening minutes of any meeting. Instead of circling the topic, set a pace by offering a concise position that others can react to. Then prime the room: ask for perspectives, pause to show you’re listening, fill a few seconds while people gather their thoughts, and invite someone to start. When the comments come, validate fast and keep the momentum with Who’s next? This small change expands participation, reduces awkwardness, and prevents the facilitator monologue that quietly shuts a room down.

From there, we show how direct questions cut weeks of guesswork. Whether you’re pricing a keynote, aligning on a product timeline, or negotiating priorities across functions, precision prompts like What range do you need us to be in? and What do you not like about this plan? reveal constraints early and save endless back-and-forth. Finally, we confront a hard truth: most people share only 60 to 75 percent of what they think. To access the rest, ask What else am I missing? and pay close attention to consistent behavior—follow-through, responsiveness, and initiative—as the real signal of commitment.

If you’re ready to lead faster and communicate with less friction, this playbook will help you run better meetings, make cleaner decisions, and raise your value as a leader. If it helps, share it with a teammate, subscribe for more practical tools, and leave a quick review so others can find the show. What’s the first question you’ll ask differently this week?

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Visit the Lone Rock Leadership Website:
https://www.lonerock.io

Connect with me on LinkedIn or to send me a DM:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/russleads/

Tap here to check out my first book, Decide to Lead, on Amazon. Thank you so much to the thousands of you who have already purchased it for yourself or your company!

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About the podcast:
The Lead In 30 Podcast with Russ Hill is for leaders of teams who want to grow and accelerate their results. In each episode, Russ Hill shares what he's learned consulting executives. Subscribe to get two new episodes every week. To connect with Russ message him on LinkedIn!