If you don’t think that our society is experiencing a communication overload, you really are living under a rock. We can (over)share every aspect of our lives in real time via social media. We can record all of the ups and downs of our personal sagas through blogs. We can call or text anyone at any time. And the communication avalanche doesn’t exist just in our personal lives. Today, it’s a lot easier to get in touch with coworkers and ask them for information whenever and wherever you need it. And you can share every detail of your current project with your boss just by clicking “send.” We’re much better off than we were 20 years ago, right?

Well, maybe not. According to OfficeMax Cofounder, former CEO, and serial entrepreneur Michael Feuer, innovations in communication sometimes make it more difficult to get the point across.

“Since we can say as much as we want in multiple forums these days, almost everyone—including businesspeople—provide too much information (or TMI) in their exchanges,” points out Feuer, author of the new book The Benevolent Dictator: Empower Your Employees, Build Your Business, and Outwit the Competition . “In many organizations, the art of cutting to the chase has been lost.”

The lessons he’s learned throughout his career have convinced him that great leaders require clear, concise communication at all levels, so that key decisions can be made quickly and effectively.

“Before today’s instant transmission of words and numbers by lightning-fast speed, you had to talk to your boss in person, on the phone, or in a hard copy report,” Feuer explains. “In all of those formats, it was in your best interest to get to the point quickly. These days, though, there are email inboxes, shared calendars and documents, instant messaging programs, and much more. Employees can send a constant stream of information to their leaders—and that’s a problem that’s bleeding into face-to-face interactions, too.”

If you’ve ever asked an employee or a coworker a basic question and gotten an email that took you 15 minutes to read and answer that should have taken 15 seconds, then you know what Feuer is talking about. Many people seem to have a compulsion to provide minute, detailed responses embellished with “he said, she said” anecdotes.

“Really…who cares?” Feuer asks. “As a leader, you need the basic, bottom line, and you need it now. Your team members may want to provide you with excessive detail in the hope that you will recognize them as the ultimate experts on various topics. However, you must let them know that a succinct response is much more valuable.”

If you would like to encourage more concise and effective communication in your organization, read on for six of Feuer’s tips:

Be Clear About What You Need.
The first step in encouraging concise communication is to be straightforward about what you need. Don’t expect your team members to pick up on the hints that you’re dropping. (In other words, if you don’t want to read between others’ lines, don’t force them to do so with you.) Remember, though, that one size doesn’t fit all, so you may have to infuse your cut-to-the-chase request with humor or compliments to soften the message…or you may have to resort to the “ton of bricks” approach!

“When someone is giving me way too much information, I politely interrupt and tell him that I recognize him as an expert on the subject matter being discussed,” Feuer shares. “Then I say that since I know it’s a given that this person knows his stuff, I merely need a short sound bite. Usually, this strategy soon leads to more frequent one- or two-sentence summaries. If it doesn’t, well…that’s when the ton of bricks comes in!”

Talk Through Conversations.
While you can’t control every word that comes out of your team members’ mouths, you can establish standards of what is appropriate. Tell them that brevity and clarity are key, and point out that these things will set your organization apart from the competition. After all, clients and callers will appreciate the chance to do as much talking and question-asking as they want.

Get Frequent Updates From Key People.
(Simply put, micromanage.) Somewhere along the line, “micromanage” has become a bad word. It conjures up images of bosses who can’t delegate, who don’t trust their team members, and who don’t give employees room to do their best work. No, you shouldn’t do your team’s work for them, but according to Feuer, you should get regular (and of course, succinct!) updates from key people. These fast-and-frequent communications allow you to keep your finger on your organization’s pulse.

“When you know what’s happening in real time, you can accelerate your organization’s growth and prevent garden-variety problems from snowballing into disasters of Biblical proportions,” explains Feuer. “Don’t underestimate the importance of remaining aware of the flow of factual information!”

Use Your Negatives Sparingly.
Say you’re telling your team everything they need to know, but you still aren’t getting the results you want. What gives? Well, the problem might lie in how you’re delivering that cut-to-the-chase sound bite. Think about it: how many of your announcements start with a negative, followed by a litany of unpleasant consequences? (For example, “If we don’t increase sales next month, we’ll have to start letting people go.”)

“Many leaders think that this style is more forceful and expedient, but it’s actually counterproductive,” says Feuer. “If you make too many of these negative announcements, your employees will be motivated only by fear and desperation—at least in the beginning. As time goes on (and presumably, a majority of your threats don’t come to pass), your team will come to see you as a knucklehead, and they’ll start to ignore your message altogether.”

Look in the Mirror.
The golden rule—do unto others as you would have them do unto you—definitely applies to leadership and business. It’s always a good idea to treat your team as participants and partners in whatever you’re doing. Remember that they appreciate appropriate amounts of respect and praise, and that they also enjoy being given credit for having the ability to grasp the obvious.

Remember that the Medium is the Message.
If you’re like most leaders, every minute of your day is more than spoken for, and you may tend to tell your team what they need to hear, regardless of the overarching circumstances. Despite your busy schedule, try to always keep in mind that the vehicle or venue you select to deliver your directive is just as important as the point itself. Good news should be presented in an upbeat setting, and more serious subjects should be broached in a setting that’s “strictly business.”

Michael Feuer cofounded OfficeMax in 1988 starting with one store and $20,000 of his own money, a partner, and a small group of investors. As CEO, he grew it to more than 1,000 stores worldwide with annual sales topping $5 billion. He is also CEO of Max-Ventures, a venture capital and retail consulting firm, and founder and CEO of Max-Wellness, a comprehensive health and wellness retail chain that launched in 2010. After opening initial laboratory test stores in Florida and Ohio, a national roll-out is now underway.