Reflections on Thirukkural 649: Less and More - Balancing Brevity and Detail 🗣️✍️✂️🔑

“Who cannot speak brief and flawless words

Are fond of uttering too many words.” ( Thiruvalluvar)

Thiruvalluvar’s verse reminds us that those who lack brevity, clarity, and precision often compensate with excessive speech. This tendency to over-explain may come from gaps in understanding or a desire to impress, but it often leads to confusion and dilutes the message. In contrast, brevity reflects wisdom—it allows us to cut through the noise and focus on what truly matters. Being brief not only saves time and enhances clarity but also prevents overwhelming the listener. However, there are moments when longer explanations are essential to fully convey complex ideas, especially in academic or specialized discussions. Finding the appropriate balance between concise expression and detailed explanations is the key to effective communication.

But how do we find this balance? For example, if I say, "Stating your point of view and asking others for theirs contributes to a high-quality conversation," I might believe I’ve communicated clearly and concisely. In a face-to-face conversation, I could immediately see your reaction and address any questions or misunderstandings. However, in written communication, where immediate feedback isn’t available, stopping here could leave room for misinterpretation. I might need to elaborate on what I mean by "stating your point of view" to prevent assumptions and ensure my message is fully understood. This highlights the challenge of balancing brevity and detail, especially in writing, where there is no immediate feedback loop to clarify misunderstandings.

Fast-Paced Professional Environments

In a fast-paced professional environment, where attention spans are short and efficiency is key, clear, precise, and concise communication ensures that essential information is conveyed quickly. Brevity not only saves time but also shows respect for the other person’s time. Organizations aim for meetings and conversations that are productive while encouraging mutual learning and understanding.

In Discussing the Undiscussable, William Noonan defines advocacy as “expressing a view or making a statement about your position” and inquiry as “exploring the views of others through questioning.” Balancing advocacy and inquiry is essential for cultivating high-quality interactions, as it acknowledges the limits of our own thinking and invites additional perspectives and contributions.

High-quality advocacy involves clearly expressing our views by sharing the thought process, data, and assumptions behind our conclusions. This transparency helps prevent misunderstandings and avoids vague generalities. Including a concise example can further enhance the clarity and impact of our communication.

High-quality inquiry seeks to understand others, invites alternative perspectives, and encourages them to challenge our thinking. Simple yet effective questions include: “Could you give an example?”, “Do you see it the same way or differently?”, “What’s your reaction to what I just said?”, and “What might I be missing?”

For example, saying, “There is no way our project can succeed!” is brief, but it lacks transparency, context, and clarity about my intent, potentially leading to defensiveness or unnecessary lengthy discussions. In contrast, balancing advocacy and inquiry enables me to share my reasoning and invites alternative perspectives: “I heard Fred say yesterday that he couldn’t fully engage with the project. Without his support, I’m concerned about its success. Do you agree, or do you see it differently regarding Fred's role in this project?” This version is brief, clear (straightforward and easy to understand), and precise (specific, unambiguous, and detailed enough).

In Action Inquiry, Bill Torbert explains that the effectiveness of communication is enhanced by balancing and integrating four key elements: framing, advocating, illustrating, and inquiring. This approach expands on the idea of balancing advocacy and inquiry, adding even more depth and clarity to my initial statement “stating your point of view and asking others for theirs contributes to a high-quality conversation.” By applying these elements in sequence, we not only communicate with more clarity and precision but also stay open to other perspectives, allowing our views to be questioned or even proven wrong. Framing sets the stage by clearly stating the purpose of the conversation, ensuring everyone is aligned rather than assuming they already know and share the objective. Advocating focuses on presenting our point of view in relatively abstract terms. Illustrating provides concrete examples or stories that make our advocacy clearer and more relatable. Finally, inquiring invites others to confirm or challenge our assumptions, creating space for learning through dialogue. By integrating these elements, we cultivate more meaningful and productive conversations.

Let’s enhance the previous example with Fred by integrating the four elements of speech: “I want to talk about the project's success and how each member's involvement impacts it (framing). I heard Fred say yesterday that he couldn’t fully engage with the project, and without his support, I’m concerned about its success (advocating). For instance, when Fred managed the technical aspects in the previous phase, his full engagement was critical to meeting deadlines (illustrating). Do you agree that Fred’s involvement is key, or do you see his role differently (inquiring)?” While this version is longer, it remains concise and precise in each part, and by adding framing and illustrating, it improves the overall clarity and impact of the message.

Teaching Situations

Now, let’s explore balancing brevity and detail in a teaching situation. As Yoga teachers, we communicate not just through words but also through our presence and the embodiment of the teachings. Overloading students with information can limit their ability to be fully present with their experiences, interfering with their capacity to feel and explore.

In a Yoga class, we aim to guide our students toward experiencing the state of Yoga during practice—a state where the mind is focused and still, the body feels open and strong, the breath is deep and even, and a beautiful sense of inner harmony and balance is felt. Excessive talking can hinder this process.

We should provide just enough information to clarify the purpose of each technique and ensure its correct and safe execution. For complex techniques, breaking them down into simpler steps can prevent overwhelm. Once this foundation is established, we guide students into practice, encouraging them to feel deeply and discover the effects and benefits of the technique for themselves. As they engage with the practice with profound interest, deeper layers will be revealed to them. By avoiding over-explanation, we create opportunities for students to seek answers within and discover their own insights. Often, the answers they uncover themselves are more powerful than those we provide. This process helps them recognize and sharpen their own intelligence.

By offering just enough accurate details and clear instructions, we create space for students to build confidence in their ability to explore and learn, allowing them to grow at their own pace. As their curiosity and readiness develop, we can introduce subtler and deeper layers of the practice—when they express interest and are ready for it, not before.

If we give too many details, students may become passive, relying only on what the teacher says instead of actively engaging in their learning. By being short and clear, we hold their attention and help them remember what they learn, especially when we present information simply or tell it as a story. Less detail sparks their curiosity and encourages them to explore on their own, leading to discoveries that matter to them. This way, they become active participants rather than passive recipients. At the same time, when we aim to expand students' minds, we can approach a subject from various angles, presenting different perspectives that help them develop their thinking and appreciation for diverse viewpoints. This approach enables them to draw conclusions after examining the many facets of reality.

Detailed explanations are essential in theoretical classes as well, especially when introducing profound practices that operate on multiple levels of our existence. By providing context about their origins, addressing cultural appropriation and misappropriation, and explaining their significance, we enable students to engage with these practices more deeply and respectfully.

However, as teachers, we must resist the temptation to overwhelm students with information just to show our knowledge or the depth of the teachings. True engagement comes from genuine curiosity, and when students are curious, they will naturally ask questions, allowing us to meet them at their level of understanding. Growth cannot be forced or rushed; students evolve at their own unique pace, and it is our responsibility to honor that process.

Conclusion

Words are actions. They reflect what is important to us and reveal our inner clarity or confusion, shaping the world around us. Let us be clear about why, what, and how we communicate, ensuring our words come from the heart, empower others, contribute to mutual understanding and learning, and create a positive impact.

Whether in personal life, a teaching situation, or a professional setting, we should develop the discernment to recognize what constitutes sufficient detail for each context and how to communicate that information with clarity, precision, and always with love and kindness. Choosing between being brief or using more words depends on the goal, context, and audience. Brevity is effective for clarity, engagement, and efficiency, while detailed explanations can offer multiple perspectives, depth, and context. Finding the appropriate balance is key to effective communication.

How can we cultivate this discernment? In my view, a quiet, calm mind leads to clear thinking, which is essential for expressing our thoughts with precision. By nurturing inner stillness and engaging in regular self-reflection (Swadhyaya) to reconnect with our core values and priorities, we simplify our lives and enhance our ability to communicate—both in speech and writing. This, in turn, leads to high-quality conversations, better relationships, and a greater impact. We will explore how to put this into practice in the next and final part of this article.

🛠️📋 Practice

Finally, let’s explore how to put this into practice through three techniques that cultivate stillness, clarity, discernment, and simplicity:

Cultivate Inner Stillness – Before writing an important email or engaging in a challenging conversation, take a moment to practice six rounds of Sukha Pranayama. This simple yet effective breathing technique promotes relaxation, supports cardiac coherence, and quiets your mind, helping you cultivate a state of inner stillness and harmony. This allows you to approach your next activity with greater ease and clarity. For a guided practice, refer to this video on Sukha Pranayama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIoJLNAOFGw

Practice Self-Introspection (Swadhyaya) – Regularly engage in self-reflection to stay aligned with your core values and priorities. By consistently reminding yourself of what matters most, you can communicate only what’s necessary with greater clarity, purpose, and authenticity.

Simplify When Necessary – Resist the urge to overwhelm others with excessive details. Be clear about the why, what, and how of your communication. Provide just enough information to spark curiosity and invite questions, fostering a natural flow in the conversation. Always aim for love and kindness in every interaction, and choose your words thoughtfully.

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📚✍️Written over 2000 years ago in Tamil Nadu, the Thirukkural offers timeless wisdom on the art of living through its 133 chapters, each containing profound insights on life. For English translations, I use both Dr. M. Rajaram's 'Thirukkural – Pearls of Inspiration' (Rupa Publications) and Kannan’s translation available at thirukkural133.wordpress.com .

This translation of Thirukkural 649 comes from Dr. M. Rajaram. Kannan’s translation of the same verse is as follows: "Those who know not how to converse clearly and flawlessly in a few words, love to speak profusely.”

Bibliography

M. Rajaram. Thirukkural - Pearls of Inspiration. Rupa Publications, 2023.

Kannan. Thirukkural in English. thirukkural133.wordpress.com

Torbert, Bill R. Action Inquiry: The Secret of Timely and Transforming Leadership. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2004.

Noonan, William J. Discussing the Undiscussable: A Guide to Overcoming Defensive Routines in the Workplace. Jossey-Bass, 2011.