This Is How You Become More Articulate
Summary
TLDRIn this insightful transcript, the speaker emphasizes the importance of articulate speech as a powerful tool for effective communication and personal growth. They argue that being articulate is not just about speaking well but also about aligning one's words with their true beliefs, fostering genuine and compelling interactions. The speaker encourages individuals to practice thoughtful speech, listen to themselves, and engage in meaningful conversations that can lead to personal development and success.
Takeaways
- π£οΈ Articulate people are considered dangerous because they can effectively communicate and persuade others.
- π¬ Articulation in speech is compared to the articulation of joints, allowing for a range of motion and expression.
- π The speaker emphasizes the importance of literacy and articulate communication in all professions, including trades like plumbing.
- π Our culture values the word as a tool to create order from chaos, and articulate individuals can contribute to this cultural value.
- π¦ The speaker criticizes the lack of emphasis on teaching articulate communication to young men, which he sees as a disservice.
- π€ Admiration for rap musicians often stems from their articulate performances and ability to create compelling poetry.
- π€ Being articulate is linked to success in various fields, including military leadership, where communication is key.
- π§ββοΈ The process of becoming articulate involves self-reflection and careful attention to the words one uses, much like feeling one's way through a swamp.
- π To improve articulation, one should practice speaking the truth, read great literature, and write about topics that interest them.
- π€ The speaker suggests that pausing and asking genuine questions can lead to more interesting and meaningful conversations.
- π Authenticity and honest inquiry in communication can pave the way to personal and professional success.
Q & A
What does the speaker suggest is the most dangerous quality a person can possess?
-The speaker suggests that the most dangerous quality a person can possess is being articulate, as it allows one to communicate effectively and persuasively.
Why does the speaker believe that articulate people are dangerous?
-The speaker believes articulate people are dangerous because they can express their thoughts and ideas compellingly, which can influence and persuade others, and potentially lead to significant impact.
What is the speaker's opinion on the importance of literacy and articulate speech in one's career?
-The speaker emphasizes that literacy and articulate speech are crucial regardless of one's profession, as they enable effective communication, negotiation, and problem-solving.
According to the speaker, why should educators emphasize the importance of articulate speech to young men?
-The speaker argues that educators should emphasize articulate speech because it can make young men competent and influential, equipping them to be forces to be reckoned with in their future endeavors.
What does the speaker suggest is the alternative to being articulate?
-The alternative to being articulate, as suggested by the speaker, is to be inarticulate, which can lead to being unable to formulate strategies, elucidate visions, or compel and convince others effectively.
How does the speaker describe the process of becoming more articulate?
-The speaker describes the process of becoming more articulate by paying close attention to one's speech, feeling one's way with words, aligning language with personal integrity, and practicing thoughtful communication.
What role does the speaker believe language plays in culture and societal order?
-The speaker believes that language plays a central role in culture and societal order, as it is through the power of words that habitable order is extracted from chaos and possibility.
Why does the speaker mention rap musicians as examples of articulate individuals?
-The speaker mentions rap musicians as examples of articulate individuals because they often demonstrate extraordinary articulation in their performances and spontaneous poetic expressions, which young people admire.
What is the connection the speaker makes between articulate speech and strategic thinking?
-The speaker connects articulate speech with strategic thinking by stating that being articulate allows one to plan strategically, as it involves clear communication and the ability to convey complex ideas effectively.
How does the speaker define 'articulate' in the context of the speech?
-In the context of the speech, the speaker defines 'articulate' as the ability to express oneself clearly and effectively, with precision and grace, which is a sign of differentiation and strength.
What advice does the speaker give for improving one's articulate speech?
-The speaker advises to listen to oneself, eliminate fillers, take time to craft words carefully, practice expressing truths, read great literature, and write about one's thoughts and problems to improve articulate speech.
Outlines
π£οΈ The Power of Articulate Speech
The speaker emphasizes the importance of articulate speech, drawing an analogy between articulate joints and articulate speech that allows for effective communication. They argue that articulate individuals are more capable and dangerous in a positive sense, as they can negotiate, introduce, and advocate effectively. The speaker criticizes the lack of emphasis on literacy and articulate speech in education, particularly for young men, and suggests that being articulate is a cultural necessity for order and progress. They highlight the admiration society has for articulate performers like rap musicians and the necessity of articulate speech for strategic thinking and leadership, as exemplified by a former special operations soldier named Jaco Willink.
π Becoming Articulate: A Journey of Self-Mastery
This paragraph delves into the process of becoming articulate, suggesting that it starts with paying close attention to one's speech. The speaker uses the analogy of walking on a path through a swamp to illustrate the careful selection of words. They reference Carl Rogers, emphasizing the importance of aligning speech with one's identity and the value of genuine communication. The speaker encourages self-reflection on the impact of one's words, the elimination of filler language, and the practice of crafting words carefully. They recommend reading, writing, and engaging in deep thought about problems as ways to improve articulation, framing it as a moral endeavor and an adventure of personal growth.
π Articulation as a Divine and Growth-Oriented Practice
The final paragraph discusses the spiritual and transformative aspects of articulate speech. The speaker suggests that mastering one's tongue is akin to treating the word as divine, and they propose that the power of the word can create habitable and good order. They encourage full commitment to the belief in the divine power of words and highlight the importance of honest inquiry in conversation. The speaker promotes the idea of pausing to reflect on one's true thoughts before speaking, which can lead to interesting and growth-promoting conversations. They cite Joe Rogan as an example of someone who successfully embodies this approach, asking questions out of genuine curiosity rather than for personal gain, leading to a path of success through exploratory dialogue.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘articulate
π‘compelling
π‘integrate
π‘genuine
π‘strategy
π‘elucidate
π‘instrumentality
π‘pausing
π‘humble
π‘exploration
π‘golden pathway
Highlights
The importance of articulate speech as a form of differentiation and strength.
Articulate speech compared to the grace of a well-articulated body.
The complexity of speech as a motor activity and its potential for danger.
The lack of education in articulate speech, particularly among young men.
The choice between competence and articulateness versus vagueness and uselessness.
The role of articulate speech in various professions, including plumbing.
The cultural supremacy of the word in creating order from chaos.
The necessity of articulate speech for effective communication and leadership.
The admiration for rap musicians as examples of articulate performance.
The link between articulateness and success in various fields, including the military.
The transformative power of becoming articulate for personal and professional growth.
The process of becoming articulate by paying attention to one's own speech.
The analogy of walking on a path of stones to describe the careful choice of words.
The importance of aligning language with personal integrity as taught by Carl Rogers.
The discovery of the speaker's own weaknesses in language and the journey to articulateness.
The practice of crafting words carefully and the value of reading and writing for articulation.
The moral endeavor of becoming articulate and mastering one's own tongue.
The concept of the 'Divine word' and its role in creating a habitable and good order.
The power of honest inquiry and the importance of reflective communication in conversations.
The example of Joe Rogan's success through exploratory conversation and genuine questions.
The pathway to success through guided honest inquiry and truthful communication.
Transcripts
you once said the most dangerous person
is one who is articulate
what would you recommend to a one who
wants to learn to speak in a more
articulate manner
well articulate is an interesting word
eh because if your joints are
articulated
and that means you can do things with
them
because they're articulated right
they're not one solid vague Mass
they're differentiated
and someone who's graceful is
articulated
and compelling because they're
articulated and
speech is a form of articulation in that
manner because
the act of speech itself is extremely
complicated it's a very complicated
motor activity right it's very
complicated action to
dance with your tongue let's say
and
it is definitely the case that there is
no
more
exceptional form of
the capacity to be dangerous than to be
articulate and one of the things that
really shocks me and part of the reason
that my son and I
and our co-workers developed this essay
app is that
young men in particular are never taught
this
it's like well why learn to why be
literate
well do you do you want to be do you
want to be competent and dangerous or do
you want to be vague and useless
because those are your options and I
don't care what your job is
it doesn't matter what you end up doing
no if you're a plumber with great
respect for plumbers by the way and
you're articulate you can negotiate with
your clients you can introduce your
co-workers you can
you can make a case for your employees
you can you can advertise your services
you can think through your problems
your your
firing on all cylinders
in our whole cultures based on the idea
of the supremacy of the word our whole
culture is based on the idea that it is
the word itself that extracts habitable
order from chaos and possibility
and and the reason our culture is
predicated on that
is because it's a deep truth and to the
degree that our culture actually
embodies that it works
so
it's a great thing to be articulate
and it would be so lovely if our
Educators were wise enough to
communicate this appropriately
to young men
who are striving forward and to let them
know in no uncertain terms that if they
want to make themselves into forces to
be contended with
that there's no surer route to that then
an exceptional poetic literacy now it's
not like young people don't have
intuition of this there are reasons they
admire rap musicians for example who are
often extraordinarily articulate in
their performance and their
capacity for spontaneous poetic
utterance and certainly
the greatest people I've met including
great warriors
you might say
are great in no small part because
they're articulate I know
a former special
Services Special Operations Soldier Jaco
willink some of you might know about
charcoal he's got a pretty decent online
following and you know he's about four
feet wide and about three feet thick and
he's one tough son of a I'll tell
you you don't want to mess with him and
he knows perfectly well and is very
capable of articulating the fact that
his success as a eminent Warrior is in
no lar no small part dependent on his
ability to communicate
because he could communicate well he
could listen to the men
who were under his command because he
was articulate he could explain to his
superiors the situation on the ground
because he was articulate he could make
a case that the men under his command
who were deserving would be promoted
because he could think in an articulate
manner he could plan strategically and
not lose battles
okay so that's the case for being
articulate and what's the alternative
you want to be inarticulate you want to
say ah and like and um and pause and
stumble and and and be unable to
formulate a strategy be unable to
elucidate a vision be unable to compel
and convince other people to entice them
with with your with your articulated
vision of what might be you want the
opposite of that
that's why would you want that you would
you you would you would choose
awkwardness over Grace
that's
it's preposterous
it's
Beyond foolish and I cannot understand
for the life of me why this case isn't
made in a compelling manner particularly
to young men and I know it's not being
articulated to young men because they're
dropping out of the educational realm in
droves
and it's unbelievably sad so
how do you become articulate
well
by paying attention to what you say
that's a good start and what do I mean
by that
I mean pay attention
to what you say
so
you can you can you can think of this as
an analogy
so
imagine that you're trying to walk
across a swamp and the swamp is
murky but you know there's a path you
know there's a path of stone under the
water but it twists and moves and if you
stay on the path you won't drown the
crocodiles in the swamp won't devour you
and as you walk forward you can feel
with your
with your next step where the stone
might be
and then you feel it solid then you take
that step and then you do the same thing
with your foot again you search and and
you find out what saw it and you step on
it and you move forward in that manner
that's what you do with your words
it's the same thing
you feel and you you feel
is this
the right word how is it is the fact
that I'm uttering it putting me together
and making me
intact and stronger or is it
tearing me apart and making me dissolute
and weak
and and you can learn to do that
I learned this in part from Reading Carl
Rogers who's a great clinician and
Rogers believed that
the integration of language in action
was a necessary precondition for
operation as an effective clinician that
you had to
align what you said with who you were
and that one of the things that your
clients would be evaluating you for was
that
capability
and you might say that someone with that
capability
manifest themselves as genuine and
trustworthy
and
and more than that I would say also as
compelling and interesting although that
can be gamed but
the entire combination
that emerges out of
the domain of articulate
communication can't be gamed it's
not not easily
you feel your way
I noticed 40 years ago when I started
thinking these things through that
much of what I said actually made me
feel weak I didn't know why exactly but
sometimes some of the things I said
didn't have that effect they weren't
accompanied by a sense of Shame let's
say they weren't accompanied with a
sense of vulnerability
they were solid and at the beginning
that was probably only about five
percent of what I said the rest of it
was instrumental you know it was
language I was using to get my way in
the manner that Tammy described when she
introduced me tonight there was an
arrogance in my use of language that had
to do with the desire to attain proximal
victories right to appear smart let's
say to win an argument something like
that a very different idea than merely
feeling my way along to see what word
was appropriate for what moment
and but you can learn to do that
and you can listen to yourself and you
can stop humming and hawing and using
like and you know and fillers and you
can take the time necessary to craft
your words carefully and you can
practice
merely saying what you believe to be
true
and you can read
and you can read great writers and you
can write and you can write about what
you think about the problems that obsess
you
and you can become articulate as a
consequence and there'll be nothing
about that that isn't the adventure of
your life
and so it's a moral Endeavor in some
real sense right to become articulate is
to become the master of your own tongue
and
to become properly articulate is to
is to make the word divine
and to treat it in that manner
and to decide whether or not you believe
that it is the case that the Divine word
creates the order that's habitable and
good and if you do believe that
well if you don't believe that then what
do you believe
and if you do believe that well
go all in
see what happens
see what happens if you become
articulate
[Applause]
I'll I'll give you one more small
example Tammy touched on this in the
introduction too she said she'd learned
to pause
you can pause it's it's a prayerful
pause in some sense
when you're in a discussion with someone
you can ask yourself
they might present you with a question
or a conundrum or a proposition and
instead of responding with what you know
to be right so to speak you could just
ask yourself what do I actually think
about that
but it has to be a real question it has
to be the kind of question that you'd
posed to someone you didn't know
it has to be a question predicated on
the idea that you might not know who you
are
and that you could ask and so someone
will present you with a question you
think okay
what do I think about that
but you have to want to know the answer
and then the answer will make itself
known
because that's how thought works and
then you can just communicate that
answer
and and if you do that you'll be
interesting right away
you'll be interesting to the person that
you're talking to and if they do that to
you they'll be interesting too and then
if you both do that you'll have an
interesting conversation and if you have
an interesting conversation you'll both
grow as a consequence and that's
actually the pathway to growth
and you just wait you can wait you can
open yourself up to the possibility that
what needs to be said will make itself
manifest if that's what you
are striving for
if that's what you're asking for and
then you can merely communicate that you
have to abandon instrumentality to do
that so one of the reasons Joe Rogan is
so successful by the way
is that that's what Joe does
he just asked questions
he doesn't he isn't trying to get
something from his guests he's not
trying to become more famous he doesn't
need any more money there's no
instrumental utilization of language in
his discourse he's just
a humble lunk head you know in the most
profound sense
who would like to know more than he
knows
and who asks all the stupid questions he
can think up
and it turns out that he's actually very
very smart and
and very well educated now from after
talking to hundreds and hundreds of
people and listening and so the stupid
questions he asks aren't stupid and
they're questions that are shared by
virtually everyone who's listening and
he takes his listeners Along on this
process of exploratory Endeavor and it's
the pathway to success
and the same thing can be true of your
life
the pathway to success is
is much
it's a
if you're Guided by the spirit of honest
inquiry and every word you say is
reflective of what you believe to be the
truth then the pathway that you walk on
is a golden Pathway to success
and and I I know that I know that to be
true
Browse More Related Video
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)