Speak More Articulately Than 99% of People
Summary
TLDRThis video script reveals three secrets to enhance your speaking skills. It advises upgrading 'workhorse words' to more precise alternatives, using a thesaurus or AI prompts. It introduces the 'commonplace book' as a tool to collect and review creative phrases for articulate speech. Lastly, it emphasizes the importance of eliminating 'fatty language', including fillers, redundancy, and intensifiers, to achieve crisp and engaging communication, offering practical tips and a PDF guide for improvement.
Takeaways
- 📚 Upgrade your Workhorse words: Common and vague words should be replaced with more precise and articulate alternatives to improve speech quality.
- 📊 Use a visualizer to understand Workhorse words: A tool to plot how common and vague words are, helping to identify areas for improvement in vocabulary.
- 🔍 Identify high-volume Workhorse words: Recognize and select words you use excessively in your speech for replacement with more articulate options.
- 📝 Contextualize your word choices: Determine the context in which a Workhorse word is used to find a suitable and precise alternative.
- 📚 Utilize resources like the Well-Spoken Thesaurus: A comprehensive list of precise substitutes for ordinary words to enhance your vocabulary.
- 💡 Employ creative prompts for alternatives: Use prompts provided by Chat GPT to generate articulate alternatives based on the context of your Workhorse word.
- 🔑 Incorporate new words into daily use: Make a habit of using new, more precise words by setting reminders or using them as phone lock screen backgrounds.
- 🗒️ Maintain a Commonplace Book: A collection of clever phrases and concise word combinations to enrich your speaking and writing.
- 👤 Learn from history's great articulators: Observe patterns in the language of renowned speakers and incorporate similar techniques into your own speech.
- ✂️ Eliminate bloated language: Reduce redundancy, filler words, and intensifiers to create lean, crisp sentences that convey your ideas more effectively.
- 🤔 Develop awareness and practice: Use techniques like finger tabs or processing word endings to focus on reducing redundancy and filler words in your speech.
Q & A
What are 'Workhorse words' as mentioned in the script?
-Workhorse words are common and vague words that are frequently overused in our speech to the point of exhaustion. They are words that are so common that they lose their precision and impact in communication.
How can one identify Workhorse words in their speech?
-One can identify Workhorse words by selecting a word they know they use excessively and then identifying the context in which the word is commonly used, such as describing food, a person, a project, or an experience.
What is the Wells Spoken Thesaurus and how can it be used to improve speech?
-The Wells Spoken Thesaurus is a resource that provides a comprehensive list of more precise and articulate substitutes for ordinary words. It can be used to find alternatives to Workhorse words, enhancing the richness and precision of one's speech.
What are the two methods suggested to find articulate alternatives for Workhorse words?
-The two methods suggested are using the Wells Spoken Thesaurus for precise substitutes, and using chat GPT prompts that provide articulate alternatives based on the context in which the Workhorse word is used.
What is the purpose of repeating a new word or expression aloud?
-Repeating a new word or expression aloud helps to increase awareness of the Workhorse word and sensitizes the speaker to their tendency to default to it, encouraging them to use the new, more precise word instead.
Can you explain the concept of a 'Commonplace Book'?
-A Commonplace Book is a collection of clever phrases, concise word combinations, jokes, analogies, metaphors, and quotes that one wishes to absorb into their own speaking. It serves as a personal repository of articulate expressions to be used in speech.
Why is it beneficial to review the Commonplace Book regularly?
-Regularly reviewing the Commonplace Book helps to internalize the phrases and expressions, making it easier to recall and use them in speech. This practice is inspired by historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, who reviewed his own Commonplace Book every Sunday.
What are the three types of 'fatty language' that contribute to bloated sentences?
-The three types of 'fatty language' are fillers (such as 'um', 'a', 'like', 'in', 'so'), redundancy spirals (where words are repeated unnecessarily), and intensifiers (words that cushion adjectives, like 'kind of', 'really', 'virtually').
How can one avoid using fillers at the start of their sentences?
-One can avoid using fillers by keeping their mouth closed until they have defined their starting words. This prevents the mind from defaulting to initial fillers and encourages more calculated speech.
What are the two solutions suggested to reduce redundancy spirals and intensifiers in speech?
-The two solutions suggested are processing the endings of your words to focus on what you're saying, and creating a 'finger tab' by pinching your index finger and thumb together, which serves as a physical reminder to audit your speech more carefully.
What is the ultimate goal of the techniques and practices discussed in the script?
-The ultimate goal is to help individuals develop more articulate, precise, and engaging speech, setting them apart from the majority who default to common, vague, and bloated language.
Outlines
📚 Upgrading Workhorse Words for Articulate Speech
The first secret to becoming a better speaker is to replace 'workhorse words'—common and vague words frequently overused—with more precise and articulate alternatives. The script introduces a visualizer to identify these words and suggests a four-step process to improve vocabulary. This includes selecting a common word, identifying its context, finding a more precise alternative using resources like the 'Well-Spoken Thesaurus' or specific prompts, and then sensitizing oneself to the word's overuse. The goal is to enrich one's speech with powerful and precise language, moving beyond the generic to the expressive.
📔 The Power of the Commonplace Book for Articulate Expression
The second secret to articulate speech is the use of a 'commonplace book', a historical technique employed by great speakers to store and recall clever phrases and word combinations. The script explains how to create and use a commonplace book, dividing it into sections that reflect different aspects of life and filling it with creative expressions. This practice helps in constructing well-composed, colorful thoughts and sentences that are engaging and pleasurable to the listener. The script also touches on the importance of reviewing this book regularly, akin to Benjamin Franklin's practice, to internalize these phrases for effective communication.
📝 Crafting Lean and Crisp Sentences for Effective Communication
The final technique discussed in the script is the creation of lean and crisp sentences to avoid the 'jagged broken sentence' effect caused by bloated language. The script identifies three speaking habits that contribute to this issue: fillers, redundancy spirals, and intensifiers. To counter these habits, the speaker suggests keeping the mouth closed until the start of a sentence is clear, being aware of redundancy and intensifiers, and using physical techniques like 'finger tabs' or 'toe scrunching' to maintain focus on precise speech. The script concludes with an offer of a free PDF summarizing the discussed methods to help viewers improve their speaking skills.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Workhorse words
💡Articulate speakers
💡Well-spoken thesaurus
💡Commonplace book
💡Redundancy spirals
💡Intensifiers
💡Fillers
💡Bloated language
💡Finger tab
💡Speech habits
Highlights
The importance of upgrading 'Workhorse words' to enhance speech quality.
Workhorse words are common and vague, often overused in everyday speech.
A visualizer is introduced to understand the commonality and precision of words.
The concept of 'articulate speakers' who choose precise words over common ones.
A four-step process to replace Workhorse words with more powerful and precise alternatives.
A PDF of common Workhorse words is provided to assist in identifying overused terms.
The Wells Spoken Thesaurus as a resource for finding articulate word substitutes.
Using chat GPT prompts to discover rich and varied descriptions for Workhorse words.
The strategy of using phone lock screens as reminders for new words.
The second secret for articulate speech: the use of 'commonplace books'.
Patterns in the language of history's greatest speakers, including the use of creative phrases.
The structure and benefits of maintaining a commonplace book for speech improvement.
Benjamin Franklin's practice of reviewing his commonplace book weekly.
The impact of using rich word combinations on sentence construction and speech.
Techniques to avoid bloated language and create lean, crisp sentences.
Identifying and eliminating 'fillers', 'redundancy spirals', and 'intensifiers' in speech.
Practical solutions like 'finger tab' and 'toe scrunch' to focus on reducing speech redundancies.
A free PDF with all discussed methods for easy reference and improvement.
The call to action to make this generation one of the most well-spoken in history.
Transcripts
the first of three secrets that will Aid
you in speaking better than 99% of
people is to upgrade your Workhorse
words Workhorse words are common and
vague words that we overwork to the
point of exhaustion in our speech here's
a visualizer to understand this the
horizontal axis plots how common to
uncommon a word is and the vertical axis
how vague to precise a word is Workhorse
words are words that fall within this
radius for example we might describe a
meal as good good is a Workhorse word a
movie was good vacation might also be
good our relationship pretty good great
or awesome we collapse the rich Dynamic
nature of life and the world around us
into a vague cheap adjective articulate
speakers select words that are sourced
from within this radius these are
moderately precise words that are beyond
the common vocabulary of most people
certainly we recognize these words but
we don't employ them in our speech if I
were to ask you to describe a coworker's
attitude you might tell me that they
were cool or nice a more precise
description might be to say they were
considerate approachable or cordal I've
been able to replace my Workhorse words
with words of greater power and
precision by following four steps step
number one is to select a Workhorse word
that you know you employ excessively in
your speaking to help you with this I've
aggregated the most common Workhorse
words into a PDF that is accessible
below this video let's say we want to
enrich the word good after selecting a
high volume Workhorse word identify the
context in which the word is commonly
used for example are you using good to
describe an attribute food a person
project an experience let's imagine
we're referencing to food step three
find an articulate alternative using one
of two methods method one is to use the
wells spoken thesaurus which I'll link
to for free below this video the wells
spoken thesaurus is an exhaustive list
of more precise and articulate
substitutes for ordinary words the
second method is to use one of the
following chat GPT prompts also provided
below one of these provides you with
articulate alternatives to your
Workhorse word based on the context in
which you would use your Workhorse word
such as in describing food the other
prop provides you with a list of examp
examples from novels where characters
use Rich Dynamic varied descriptions of
your Workhorse word the goal is to find
a word or expression that you're
comfortable with using and consider
featuring that on your phone lock screen
as a reminder step four use your voice
to punch up the Workhorse word to
increase your awareness of it good good
good you want yourself to become
sensitized to the word to the point
where you become aware of your tendency
to default fall to it just before it
happens this four-step process invites
the question how will I keep track of
everything this leads me to the second
secret that will put you in the top 1%
of articulators if you watch the
interviews of some of History's Greatest
wordsmiths you begin to notice patterns
in their language specifically you'll
notice the repetition of particular
creative phrases and expressions for
example Reverend Martin Luther King
would frequently use phrases such as
Cosmic significance rabble rousers and
agitators depths and dimensions of the
problem Thomas Jefferson often employed
the phrases human life of happiness and
incomprehensible machine of man Muhammad
Ali would frequently say style stamina
and system what you realize is that most
intelligent phrases and
expressions aren't generated on the Fly
rather they are preassembled in advance
and activated in speech creating almost
an artificial AR articulacy from rean to
Rosevelt to Churchill to Cicero many of
History's Greatest articulators used a
similar technique that technique is
called the commonplace book The
commonplace book is an aggregate of
every clever phrase or concise word
combination that you encounter that you
wish to absorb into your own speaking
I've kept a physical commonplace book
for some years now I've recently
migrated it to Google Docs here's my
current commonplace book I can't reveal
all the contents but we can preview the
structure I have divided this into 13
sections that represent different facets
of my life from technology to politics
to social media religion language each
section features creative word
combinations jokes analogies metaphors
quotes this table here for example
tracks my Workhorse words and the
articulate Alternatives I'm attempting
to work into my speech I read through
this entire document once a week and
that frequency is based on Benjamin
Franklin who also kept a commonplace
book and would review his every Sunday
this template I've created for myself
can be found below this video what a
commonplace book allows you to do is
develop a bank of Rich word combinations
that you can use to assemble articulate
thoughts when we speak for most of us
the average sentence looks something
like this it's rather dull and flat
peppered with ums and AZ clich
expressions and all kinds of vapid vague
Kirkland brand language we occasionally
add color to our sentences by using
unordinary and creative word
combinations but that's rare there's of
course nothing wrong with speaking in
this way for 99% of people this is our
communication default but there's no
denying that those who use fresh words
to engineer well constructed colorful
thoughts give their sentences and are
articulate heartbeat that is engaging
and pleasurable to listen to Imagine an
idea that might take you two sentences
to communicate that you've collapsed
into a three-word phrase and now added
to your commonplace
book when you enter the realm of
conversation pertaining to that idea you
can begin to employ the contents of your
commonplace book instead of vaguely
saying someone did a bad thing your
tongue selects grave Injustice that
opinion becomes school of thought
someone who is extremely sad can be
dealing with soul destroying anguish it
depends on the context of course these
phrases allow you to compose sentences
that are more seamless and teing with
color I want to share one final
technique that will Aid you in creating
lean crisp sentences remember that
Jagged broken sentence visualizer that
we referenced earlier that Barbed line
isn't just the result result of using
ordinary words and fillers it's also the
result of redundant and Bloated language
if you think about the average spoken
sentence as a thin line such as what is
Illustrated here bloated language is the
fat around your words that makes your
sentences feel heavy and greasy there
are three speaking habits that
contribute to fatty sentences first are
fillers the big five fillers are um a a
like in so these create tiny bumps in
our sentences and break the flow of our
delivery second we have redundancy
spirals this is where we double or
triple up our words in an attempt to
explain an idea it was a really really
really hard time there are an endless
countless unlimited number of things we
can do I want to read a book and just
understand internalize and read the
information in these examples instead of
moving forward with the delivery of my
thought and covering new ground I'm
retracing previous verbal territory with
replications and variations of the same
word you might think I'm being
scrupulous here but pruning redundancy
spirals from your speaking is one of the
chief contributors to creating clean
speech there's a crisp quality to
sentences without it in fact what makes
the words of great articulator
so penetrating is the amount of effort
they've put into un learning poor speech
Habits Like redundancy spirals in like
the third type of fatty language
intensifiers intensifiers are empty
words that we use to cushion our
adjectives in sentences kind of sort of
actually really basically virtually
totally literally super pretty much our
trip was really fantastic I literally
just saw them at the store I kind of
want to go to that Mediterranean
restaurant the trouble with intensifiers
is that they pad our sentences with
uncertainty and cheapen the meaning of
our words it's not enough to say an
event was fantastic it has to be pretty
fantastic to be fantastic none of these
fatty language habits are word crimes
against humanity 99% of us communicate
using bloated language including myself
but if you want to achieve greater
exactness with your speaking I suggest
three actions number one is to keep your
mouth closed until you've defined your
starting words the most vulnerable
moment particularly fulfill our words is
at the start of our sentences keeping
your mouth
closed prevents your brain from
defaulting to that initial um that your
mind so desperately wants you to lead
with as it relates to redundancy Spirals
and intensifiers the best solution I
found is simply awareness the challenge
is how do we keep our mind focused on
stripping our sentences of bloated
language without taking away cognitive
horsepower from communicating our
thoughts I noticed this when I was
modifying my own speaking behaviors and
I invented two solutions one is to
process the endings of your words when
you hear the endings of your
words you can't help but focus on what
it is you're saying this results in more
calculated speech the second solution
create a finger tab this practice
consists of pinching your index finger
and thumb together as a way of keeping
your mind focused on reducing redundancy
Spirals and intensifiers in your
speaking when you create that pinch and
you hold it as you speak that mild
discomfort creates an open tab in your
mind that causes you to audit your
speech more carefully if I'm
gesticulating a lot with my hands what I
will often do as an alternative to the
finger tab is scrunch my toes in my
shoes you only have to do this until you
retrain your mind to speak cons
precisely every method discussed in this
video I've assembled into a free pdf
linked below for easy review let's make
this generation one of the most well
spoken in the history of humanity thanks
for watching and consider subscribing
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