How to articulate your thoughts effectively (like Steve Jobs)

Summary

In this video, Vicky discusses how to effectively articulate your thoughts by breaking them down into actionable steps. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the impact of your ideas on others and provides a simple four-question framework to enhance communication, referencing Aristotle's principles of logos, pathos, and ethos.

Takeaways

• 😀 Effective communication involves articulating your thoughts in a way that others can understand and act upon.
• 🧠 The misconception that ideas should only be shared when they are 'good enough' is counterproductive; articulating ideas helps clarify them.
• 📚 Joan Didion and Stephen King emphasize the importance of writing to discover and clarify one's thoughts.
• 📋 Writing down ideas frees up mental capacity, allowing for deeper thinking and clearer articulation.
• 🎯 To articulate thoughts effectively, start by considering what action you want your audience to take after hearing your idea.
• 🤔 Ask yourself what you want your audience to know about you to establish credibility and trust, using Aristotle's concept of ethos.
• 📈 Focus on what you want people to know (logos) rather than simply regurgitating all the facts and figures.
• 💬 Incorporate emotion (pathos) by considering how you want your audience to feel about the information you're presenting.
• 📱 Steve Jobs' introduction of the iPhone is an example of effectively combining ethos, logos, and pathos to connect with an audience.
• 🚀 Jobs emphasized the revolutionary nature of Apple's products to appeal to an audience interested in innovation and change.
• 🌐 Simplicity and clarity are key in communication; using big words or complex language can actually obscure your thoughts.

Q & A

What is the main topic of Vicky's video?

The main topic of Vicky's video is about how to articulate your thoughts effectively.

Why do people sometimes fail to communicate their ideas clearly?

People sometimes fail to communicate their ideas clearly because they might not have broken down their ideas into actionable steps or they might not have considered the impact of their ideas on others.

What is the misconception about when to communicate an idea according to Vicky?

The misconception is that people think they should only communicate their ideas when they are good enough, but Vicky suggests that articulating and writing down ideas can actually help make them clearer.

Who are Joan Didion and Stephen King, and what do they say about writing?

Joan Didion and Stephen King are renowned authors. They both say that they write to find out what they think, which implies that writing helps clarify their thoughts.

What is the first step Vicky suggests to articulate thoughts clearly?

The first step Vicky suggests is to ask what you want people to do once they've heard your idea, focusing on the impact of your idea on others.

What are the four questions Vicky suggests to help articulate ideas?

The four questions are: 1) What do you want people to do? 2) What do you want people to know about you? 3) What do you want people to know about the topic? 4) What do you want people to feel?

Why is it important to consider the audience's perspective when articulating ideas?

It is important to consider the audience's perspective because it helps in understanding how the idea can affect their lives, making the communication more effective and relatable.

What is the role of 'ethos' in effective communication according to Vicky?

In effective communication, 'ethos' refers to speaking to the credibility and trust you build with your audience. It involves sharing what you want your audience to know about you to establish trust.

How does Steve Jobs use ethos in his introduction of the iPhone?

Steve Jobs uses ethos by establishing Apple's credibility by highlighting its history of introducing revolutionary products, thus building trust with his audience.

What is the difference between 'logos' and 'pathos' in the context of Vicky's video?

In the context of Vicky's video, 'logos' refers to speaking to logic and reason, focusing on facts and figures, while 'pathos' refers to speaking to emotion, connecting with the audience's feelings.

Why is it a misconception that one needs to be highly intelligent or have a big vocabulary to articulate thoughts properly?

It is a misconception because language is meant to express thoughts, not to conceal them. Simplicity and clarity are more effective in communication than using complex words or jargon.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ Effective Communication: Articulating Thoughts

In this video, Vicky discusses the importance of articulating one's thoughts effectively. She highlights the common issue of having a clear idea in one's head but failing to convey it clearly to others. To address this, Vicky introduces four simple questions that can help break down ideas into actionable steps. She emphasizes the misconception that ideas should only be shared when they are 'good enough,' arguing instead that the act of writing and articulating ideas can help clarify them. She quotes Joan Didion and Stephen King to support the idea that writing is a way to discover one's thoughts. The goal of the video is to encourage viewers to try articulating their thoughts more clearly.

05:01

📱 Steve Jobs' Approach to Revolutionary Products

Vicky uses Steve Jobs' introduction of the iPhone as an example to illustrate how to build credibility and trust with an audience (ethos). Jobs emphasizes Apple's history of introducing revolutionary products, such as the Macintosh and the iPod, to establish the company's credibility. He focuses on the word 'revolutionary' to resonate with his audience's desire for innovation. Vicky explains that the goal is to make the audience understand the impact of the idea and what they should do with it. She also introduces the concept of logos, which involves using logic and reason to support one's ideas, and pathos, which connects to the audience's emotions.

10:03

🤔 The Importance of Emotion in Communication

Vicky delves deeper into the elements of logos and pathos, explaining that logos is not just about presenting facts and figures, but about making the audience understand what they should know to take action. She contrasts this with pathos, which is about making the audience feel a certain way about the information. Using Steve Jobs' presentation as an example, Vicky shows how Jobs connected the features of the iPhone with the emotions of feeling smart, easy to use, and ahead of the game. She emphasizes that logos and pathos must be connected to drive the audience towards the desired action, such as buying the iPhone.

15:03

💡 Simplicity in Articulating Thoughts

In the final paragraph, Vicky dispels the myth that one needs to be highly intelligent, have a large vocabulary, or extensive public speaking experience to articulate thoughts effectively. She quotes George Orwell, who said that language should express thoughts, not conceal them. Vicky advises viewers to ask themselves four key questions to clarify their thoughts: what they want people to do, what they want people to know about them, what they want people to know about the topic, and what they want people to feel. She encourages writing down thoughts to see the connections and articulate them clearly. The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to try articulating their thoughts more effectively.

Keywords

💡Articulate

Articulate in this context refers to the ability to express thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively. It is central to the video's theme as it discusses how to communicate ideas in a way that others can easily understand. For example, Vicky mentions that sometimes our ideas make sense in our heads but fail to be understood by others, highlighting the importance of articulating thoughts clearly.

💡Misconception

Misconception is a false or mistaken notion. In the video, Vicky addresses the misconception that ideas should only be shared when they are 'good enough'. She argues that the act of articulating and writing down ideas helps to clarify them, which is a key point in the video's message about effective communication.

💡Ethos

Ethos, in the context of the video, refers to the credibility and trust that a speaker establishes with their audience. Vicky uses Aristotle's concept of ethos in rhetoric to explain how sharing personal experiences and values can help in articulating ideas. Steve Jobs' introduction of the iPhone is cited as an example where he establishes Apple's ethos by emphasizing its revolutionary nature.

💡Logos

Logos, as discussed in the video, pertains to logic and reason in communication. It is one of the three elements of rhetoric mentioned by Vicky. She explains that logos is not just about presenting facts and figures, but about selecting the information that will logically lead the audience to the desired action or understanding.

💡Pathos

Pathos is the appeal to emotion in rhetoric, as explained by Vicky. It is crucial in the video's theme of effective communication because it helps to connect the audience emotionally with the ideas being presented. She illustrates this with Steve Jobs' presentation, where he emphasizes how the iPhone is not only smart but also easy to use, evoking a sense of desire and exclusivity.

💡Actionable Steps

Actionable steps are specific, practical actions that can be taken to achieve a goal. In the video, Vicky emphasizes the importance of breaking down ideas into actionable steps to make them more understandable and implementable. This is a key strategy in her approach to articulating thoughts effectively.

💡Credibility

Credibility refers to the trustworthiness of a speaker or source. Vicky discusses how establishing credibility is essential in effective communication. She uses Steve Jobs' introduction of the iPhone to show how he builds credibility by highlighting Apple's history of revolutionary products.

💡Revolutionary

Revolutionary, in the context of the video, signifies something that is radically new and transformative. Vicky points out that Steve Jobs uses the term 'revolutionary' to describe Apple's products, which helps to articulate the company's innovative spirit and the impact of their products.

💡Stream of Consciousness

Stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method of narration that presents a character's thoughts and feelings in a continuous flow. Vicky contrasts this with the structured approach needed for effective communication, emphasizing the need for a clear goal and structure in articulating ideas.

💡Engagement

Engagement in the video refers to the level of interest and involvement of the audience. Vicky stresses the importance of engaging the audience through relatable examples and a clear connection between the facts presented and the emotions they should evoke, as demonstrated by Steve Jobs' presentations.

💡Mental Capacity

Mental capacity, as discussed in the video, refers to the cognitive ability to process and understand information. Vicky explains that writing down ideas can free up mental capacity, allowing for deeper thinking and clearer articulation of complex thoughts.

Highlights

Articulating thoughts effectively is crucial for clear communication.

A common issue is having a clear idea in your head but failing to convey it clearly to others.

Four simple questions can help break down ideas into actionable steps for better communication.

A misconception is that ideas should only be communicated when they are 'good enough'.

Writing down ideas can help clarify them and free up brain capacity for deeper thinking.

Joan Didion and Stephen King emphasize writing to discover thoughts and perspectives.

The goal of communication should be clear: what do you want people to do after hearing your idea?

Articulating thoughts is not about a stream of consciousness but requires a structured approach.

Aristotle's principles of logos, pathos, and ethos can guide effective communication.

Ethos involves establishing credibility and trust with the audience.

Logos focuses on logic and reason, emphasizing what the audience needs to know rather than all you know.

Pathos connects with the audience's emotions, showing how facts and figures impact them personally.

Steve Jobs used ethos, logos, and pathos effectively in his introduction of the iPhone.

Jobs emphasized Apple's revolutionary nature to build credibility and connect emotionally with the audience.

The iPhone was presented as a leapfrog product that was both smarter and easier to use than existing smartphones.

Jobs connected the iPhone's features with an emotional appeal, making it desirable and futuristic.

George Orwell's advice on writing emphasizes simplicity and clarity to effectively express thoughts.

The four questions to ask are: What do you want people to do? What do you want people to know about you? What do you want people to know about the topic? What do you want people to feel?

Writing down thoughts and analyzing them can help articulate them clearly and effectively.

Transcripts

hi everyone it's vicky welcome back to

my channel today we're talking about

how to articulate your thoughts

effectively

now i think we've all had this

experience where we have an idea we're

really excited about

in our head it makes a lot of sense but

when we talk to other people

they're a bit confused they don't get it

and we don't know

why they don't get it what's missing

right

or it's the other way around of maybe a

professor

a teacher a boss who's telling us

something

and we know it's important that it

should make sense but somehow

we don't really get it so if that ever

happens in your life and you're

wondering what to do there are actually

four very simple questions

to ask in order to help you

break down your ideas into actual

actionable steps that you can

integrate into the way you communicate

so we'll talk about that today if you're

interested

keep on watching

now before we actually go into the four

steps

i need to address a very important

misconception that keep

most of us stuck and that is we think

that only when our idea

is good enough should we then

communicate it should we then write it

down should we then tell it

other people about it but actually it's

the other way around

having an idea which may or may not seem

clear in our head

if we start to write them out we start

to articulate it

maybe not for other people just for

ourselves we will

actually have more brain capacity to

make that idea

clearer joan didion said i write

entirely to find out what i'm thinking

what i'm looking at what i see and what

it means

stephen king says the same thing i write

to find out what i think so it's the

other way around we need to write

it down see it on paper and then release

that mental capacity in order for us to

think

for us to make that point more

articulate make it

clearer so if you ever find that oh i

just can't sort through this

idea is normal it's because you're

thinking too hard you need to put it

down on paper

see it in front of you and then break it

down release those

memory space from your brain so that it

can actually have

capacity to think through the problem on

a deeper level

so with that in mind how do we actually

think in order to clear our thoughts and

become more articulate

it's not about stream of consciousness

right we can't just let it

go everywhere we need a structure and

the structure

usually has a goal at the end so the way

we want to start is asking ourselves the

question

what do we want people to do once

they've

heard our idea and this is something

that we

usually miss right we don't actually

think about the other person like what

are they going to do it's

more of just satisfying our need

to share our ideas but the ones that

really communicate with someone

is that those the audience understand

what it means for them what this idea

how this idea can

affect their lives so if you really want

to articulate your ideas clearly you

need to know

how it impacts others and what you want

people to do so in this video

i hope at the end you will want to try

to articulate one of your thoughts

that you have not been able to

communicate as clearly to

other people so with that goal in mind

i've thought about what's the easiest

way to get someone to do something it's

giving them

step-by-step instructions that are not

complicated that are not long

so i've honed it down to just four

questions

you can ask yourself right it doesn't

you don't need to

take course or anything just four simple

questions

so you'll do it and i add misconceptions

so that you remove what's blocking you

from actually doing those things you see

why they're blocking you

so you're more open to trying this

with the goals defined the next three

steps

are a lot easier and i'm referencing

aristotle here

in his logos pathos and ethos

in rhetoric which is basically just

effective

speaking effective writing or just

effective communication

we'll start with the ethos which means

speaking to

the credibility and trust you build

between you

and your audience the question that's

useful to ask here is

what do i want my audience to know about

me in order for them to understand in

the first place why are you talking

about this

you can draw on your experience your

expertise your values

on why you are sharing this idea you're

sharing

this topic and it gets people to open up

and i'll use steve jobs here as an

example when he was introducing the

iphone for the first

time every once in a while a

revolutionary product comes along

that changes everything

and apple has been

well first of all one's very fortunate

if you get to work on just

one of these in your career

apple's been very fortunate it's been

able to

introduce a few of these into the world

in 1984

we introduced the macintosh it didn't

just change apple

it changed the whole computer industry

in 2001 we introduced the first ipod

and it didn't just

it didn't just change the way we all

listen to music

it changed the entire music industry

well today

we're introducing three

revolutionary products of this class

the first one

is a widescreen ipod with touch controls

the second is a revolutionary mobile

phone

and the third is a breakthrough

internet communications device

so three things

a widescreen ipod with touch controls a

revolutionary mobile phone

and a breakthrough internet

communications device

an ipod a phone

and an internet communicator

an ipod a phone

are you getting it

these are not three separate devices

this is one device

and we are calling it iphone

today today

apple is going to reinvent the phone

as you see for steve jobs here he is

establishing

apple's credibility building that trust

with his audience

by saying that apple is revolutionary

he repeats this again and again because

he knows

that that's what his audience is after

notice that he's not saying

apple has x years in producing great

electronics or

x years in producing very

durable products or effective products

he

is focusing on the word revolutionary

the idea here is

you don't have to build your credibility

through

just boring numbers like i've been in

this field for

50 years and that's why you should

listen to me instead he's focusing

on things that actually draw

interest from his audience and for his

audience right it's people who

think differently so they are interested

in things that are revolutionary they're

not interested

in the best in class they're not

interested

in the leader of the industry they are

interested

in a different perspective in things

that change the world

and turn it upside down so that's why

steve jobs here use the word

revolutionary

and he continues to hone in on this idea

so when you ask yourself the question of

what do i want people to know about me

you'll have to think about okay the goal

i want people to do is an action

now what can they know about me in order

to be

open and receptive to this idea comment

down below and let me know

do titles make you feel like yes i can

trust them these days

now the next element i want to talk

about is logos speaking

to logic and reason and i think this is

one

where most of us are very familiar with

this is what school teaches us right you

need the

facts and figures you need the

statistics

you need to put in the examples you need

to walk people through the process

in order for people to understand what

you're saying

but there's actually more than meets the

eye with logos

the question you actually want to ask

here is what do i

want people to know not that

what do i know and just regurgitate

everything you know

that's why most of the time things are

really boring and we find it hard to

concentrate because it's just like

a dribble of all the facts and we don't

know how everything connects together

right so it's what do i want people to

know

in order for them to take that action

again

right it's always connecting back to

that goal

and i'll show you how steve jobs does it

in a moment

but first i also want to introduce

the third element which is pathos

and the way to think about pathos which

is speaking to emotion

is that it is actually linked

to logos and the question to ask

is how do i want people to feel

and this is usually what is missing

in the way that we articulate that

people do not understand

they might understand the facts and the

figures

but they don't know how they're supposed

to

feel about it they haven't seen the

connection between

these numbers these facts and what does

that mean to me

how does that make me feel this actually

comes from the instinctive way we

process information

it's the information error now there's

so much information

so our brain needs to be able to sort

things

into useful and not useful and for our

brain what is useful

is does this help me survive and thrive

right and what are those those are

feelings of i

want to live and i want to live

comfortably

and happily so that is why

most of the time when we just focus

on okay i am a established scholar and

these are the things i

found people don't understand those

things because

they don't know actually how how does

that actually

make sense in my world what is that

supposed to make me feel is it going to

help me survive

is it going to help me thrive what is

the connection here

so with that in mind let's check out

steve jobs again

let me talk about a category of things

the most advanced phones are called

smartphones so they say

and uh they typically combine a phone

plus some

email capability plus they say it's the

internet sort of the baby internet

into one device and they all have these

plastic little keyboards

on them and the problem is

that they're not so smart and they're

not so easy to use so

if you kind of make a you know business

school 101 graph with a smart access and

the

easy to use access phones regular cell

phones are kind of right there they're

not so smart

and they're you know not so easy to use

but smartphones are definitely a little

smarter but they actually are harder to

use

they're really complicated just for the

basic stuff

people have a hard time figuring out how

to use them

well we don't want to do either one of

these things what we want to do

is make a leapfrog product that is

way smarter than any mobile device has

ever been

and super easy to use this is what

iphone is

okay so

we're gonna reinvent the phone now

software on mobile phones

is like it's like baby software

it's not so powerful and today

we're going to show you a software

breakthrough software that's at least

five years ahead of what's on any other

phone

now how do we do this well we start with

a strong foundation

iphone runs os 10.

now

why would we want to run such a

sophisticated operating system

on a mobile device well because it's got

everything we need

it's got multitasking it's got the best

networking

it already knows how to power manage

we've been doing this on mobile

computers for years

it's got awesome security and the right

apps

it's got everything from coco and the

graphics and it's got core animation

built in

and it's got the audio and video that os

10 is famous for it's got all the stuff

we want

and it's built right in to iphone and

that has let us create

desktop class applications and

networking

notice how he doesn't mention every

single thing that is great about the

iphone compared to all of the other

competitors out there because there are

many

right but he picks and chooses the one

that's going to make an impact

and is going to emotionally connect with

you he summarizes all of those things

together with just

it's smart and is easy to use how does

that make you feel

it feels like it's not intimidating

right it doesn't look like a blackberry

with all those little buttons that

it just looks very complicated it's easy

to use

it's smart and it leaps frog everything

that's on the market

and you're using something that's five

years ahead

of all of the other things that exist

out there and guess what

you like to think differently you like

the feeling of i'm using something that

is so

futuristic so cool with touch screen

no no weird keypads right

how does that make you feel you feel

different

in a good way you feel special i'm in

on this new tech world

right and that is how he gets you

to buy the product which is the goal of

his whole

presentation listing a few things that's

going to demonstrate the point

connecting it with the emotional aspect

of how easy

it is how cool is how streamline is how

is going to make me feel so special and

ahead of the game five years ahead of

the game

it's a similar approach as he used when

he was introducing the ipod

right it's not that it has five gigs of

memory what does that mean

right it means that you'll have a

thousand songs

in your pocket now that is powerful

right i can

feel it having all the sounds i love

more

songs i could ever dream of just in my

pocket not in a funny

cd walkman thing if you know people

know those things back in the days so

that's how you combine

logos and pathos they have to be

connected you have to make it make

sense together in order to drive towards

the goal

of for him buying the iphone buying the

ipod with those four questions

in mind i want to end with another

misconception that hold people back

and it's this idea of i need to be smart

i need to have a big vocabulary

i need to have a lot of practice and

public speaking in order to articulate

my thoughts

properly and that is not true george

orwell said it himself language

is an instrument to express thoughts

not to conceal or to prevent thoughts

so this idea of using big wars sounding

fancy

they actually conceal your thoughts they

are actually not directing

the attention to the idea instead

his rules of writing is to be simple to

be concise

make the words as short as possible and

just use

examples that are engaging that

translates

into something that people understand so

ask yourself

the four questions what do i want people

to do what do i want people to know

about me

what do i want people to know about the

topic and what do i want people to feel

then put your thoughts through these

by writing them down seeing the

connections and you will be able to

articulate

your thoughts clearly and effectively so

if you found this helpful please give

this video a thumbs up

subscribe if you haven't already and

i'll see you

in the next video bye