Ecclesiastes 5:2
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
God is in heaven and human beings are on earth, yet He observes every act, so conduct in His presence calls for reverence and carefulness. Words uttered before Him must not be rash or hasty, but reverent, restrained, few, and carefully chosen. A prayer of a few minutes is enough to lay requests before God and to lead others and include their needs without tiring them.
In public worship and social prayer meetings prayer should be short and to the point, offered in humility rather than self-exaltation, and closed when the hearers' interest has ceased. Lengthy private petitions belong in the closet rather than in the meeting. Needlessly prolonged, long and mechanical prayers and exhortations weary worshipers and listeners, and even weary angels, weaken interest in worship, darken the meeting, and leave people exhausted rather than refreshed and strengthened.
The same restraint applies beyond prayer to remarks and leadership speech. Those in leadership should speak with restraint, choosing words carefully and speaking modestly and without presumption. Remarks should be brief and direct, and then stop, with care to avoid irritating speech. Such self-controlled brevity avoids overtaxing the speaker and tiring the hearers, and can accomplish more good than speaking at length.