Is there a guide on improving speech?

trainwithlino · 2017-06-01T13:32:17+00:00

Slow down, speak like the person already said "what?" Once, and be passionate about what you're talking about.

MattyAnon · 2017-06-01T19:36:46+00:00

Best of all: join a public speaking group. This helps to reduce your anxiety, give you practice as well as learning how to talk / speak well.

Clearly: practice talking slower and pronouncing more carefully. Mostly slower though.

Talk louder. Talk as if the target person is 2 feet behind the person you're talking to.

Powerfully: Try and talk in a low voice, but other than that this one happens naturally as you fix everything else.

Connection to thoughts: well this is about how you structure a story. Here's how to do that:

Every concept must be very simple.
Two sentences to introduce ONE new thing (a name, a person, a concept, a location, whatever it is).
Be consistent.

Terrible: "So my friend Julie or was it John told Susan that she I mean he I think anyway... they were cheating with...."

Better: "So have you ever had a friend who was just a little bit shady? So my friend John.... he's a guy I go way back with, we went to school together... anyway John is just a little bit dubious even when he's being straight with you. And his girlfriend Julie, she's sort of the same way... nice girl... but...." etc.

You introduce concepts one at a time, clearly and slowly and consistently. And repeat yourself (not too much, but a bit) to reinforce information. You won't make mistakes because you're only doing one thing at a time, so the listener has a consistent picture they're building up.

Outline your story at the start... it's best if it follows in chronological order, makes sense, and has a somewhat surprising ending. You can fuck with this format a bit by giving it a surprise beginning... "anyway, weird thing is, Julia was a guy all along".... but for starters pick a story with a surprise ending or at least a point / interesting.

A few twists and turns along the way is best. Engage the senses, add mystery, pause at the best bits to really engage people "... so there I was in the police station, thinking how the fuck am I going to get out of here....". Illustrate with concrete examples, don't ever speak in terms of the completely abstract.

Terrible: "I hate it when someone is cheating".

Better: "So I have a dilemma. I mean, what would you do in this situation... I have these two friends who are dating, John and Julie. And they're both cheating, but in different ways.... like the way John does it... " etc.

And yes, this post is an example of everything I outlined on how to clearly get your point across.

Hope that helps?

UEMcGill · 2017-06-01T11:55:16+00:00

Find a local toastmasters group. It will get you comfortable speaking in public, presenting ideas and addressing groups.

FlexGunship · 2017-06-01T12:48:39+00:00

When I was in college (over a decade ago, yikes) I volunteered to give every presentation I possibly could. And slides were minimal. An image. Some data. That's it. I learned to speak out of necessity.

I probably failed the first ten times, but I can't remember. I DO remember getting the only peer-given 5 out of 5 (our fellow students graded us) for my presentation during my senior project. 160 engineers, and only one of us got a perfect speaking score.

Practice. Every awful-sounding opportunity. Embrace the anxiety; it affects everyone... You stand out (and above) by not being controlled by it.

BlackMarmoset · 2017-06-01T14:23:31+00:00

Get used to stay at the centre of the attention. Start with close family members, then with friends and soon you'll be able to do the same with strangers.

Doesn't matter if it's a joke, a story, videogames or simply an opinion, try to speak fluently, clearly and understandably.

just_averagejoe · 2017-06-01T12:13:10+00:00

Start journaling every day and intend to write clearly and powerfully. With practice you will notice yourself instinctively knowing how to write well without effort.

You may wonder how this will help with speech, but do you realize that a majority of your thoughts are just words? When developing your writing ability, this skill will ingrain itself into your subconscious, and will not only relate to the formation of words on paper, but will also relate to every thought and idea you have which consist of words.

Other things that can help: reading, reading aloud, speech coach, and pronouncing words with a pen between the teeth.

IBeMadToo · 2017-06-01T23:01:58+00:00

I started a YouTube channel, and did commentary over videos of things I was interested in. Improved my speech HEAPS. I did a video almost every day whilst at Uni - not saying you need to start your own channel, but that practice every day, improvising without a script, I learnt to think better on the fly.

Another technique I've heard is saying a sentence, picking a word from that sentence, and continuing with a new sentence with that word. For example: Today I went for a 'run'. I run this company of 'intelligent' humans. Intelligent dogs can do more 'tricks'. It doesn't have to make heaps of sense or relate to the previous sentence, but it makes your brain think quick to continue the sentences. (pretty sure this technique has a name, just forget it)

SoloAlbum · 2017-06-01T15:20:18+00:00

Practice speaking slowly and clearly with a pencil between your teeth.

prodigy2throw · 2017-06-01T15:40:45+00:00

Honestly the only real way to improve, like most things, is practice.

Join your local toastmasters club

red_reality · 2017-06-01T22:14:36+00:00

Only by practicing. Your problem of speaking clearly and concisely is a symptom of a larger problem. You're thinking too much about what others think of you. This requires a perspective shift to get over. Until that happens, force yourself to talk to anyone, strangers especially and you'll see huge improvements each day. This is where motivation comes from.

Title	Is there a guide on improving speech?
Author	circedgirlsarecleanr
Upvotes	24
Comments	16
Date	June 1, 2017 8:37 AM UTC (9 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askTRP
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/asktrp/comments/6elggm/is_there_a_guide_on_improving_speech/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askTRP/is-there-a-guide-on-improving-speech.91949 https://theredarchive.com/post/91949

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