Articulate Your Thoughts Clearly: 3 PRECISE Steps!

Summary

This video script outlines a three-step process to enhance clear communication and articulate thoughts effectively. It emphasizes the importance of reading to enrich vocabulary and structure, followed by writing to organize thoughts on paper. The final step involves practicing speaking to convey ideas with clarity. The script suggests reading five to ten pages daily, writing a page a day, and engaging in impromptu five-minute conversations to refine communication skills. It also recommends 'Profiles in Courage' by John F. Kennedy for its rich vocabulary and classical English style.

Takeaways

• 😅 Feeling muddled or unable to articulate thoughts clearly is a common issue, but there's a structured approach to improve communication skills.
• 📚 The first step to clearer communication is reading, which fills the mind with new ideas, vocabulary, and sentence structure.
• 📖 Reading non-fiction, biographies, classical literature, and business books can significantly enhance vocabulary and thought organization.
• 🌟 Reading books from earlier times, like 'Profiles in Courage' by John F. Kennedy, can provide a rich vocabulary and structured thinking.
• ✍️ Writing is the second step, allowing you to organize thoughts on paper, identify them clearly, and refine your ideas.
• 📈 Daily writing, even just one page, can help structure thoughts and prepare for clearer verbal communication.
• 🗣️ The third step is speaking, where you practice articulating your thoughts clearly in conversations with others.
• 💡 Practicing impromptu speaking for five minutes on a topic can help in organizing thoughts and delivering them effectively.
• 🔁 Consistent practice of reading, writing, and speaking is essential for retraining the brain to think and communicate more clearly.
• 📈 Regular practice and feedback from others can indicate improvement in communication skills and the ability to articulate thoughts.

Q & A

What is the main issue the video aims to address?

The video aims to address the issue of people struggling to articulate their thoughts clearly and communicate them effectively.

What is the three-step sequence suggested in the video to improve communication?

The three-step sequence suggested is: 1) Reading to fill the mind with new ideas and vocabulary, 2) Writing to organize thoughts on paper, and 3) Speaking to practice articulating thoughts clearly.

Why is reading emphasized as the first step in the process?

Reading is emphasized as the first step because it exposes individuals to rich vocabulary, good sentence structure, and organized ideas, which are essential for clear thinking and communication.

What types of books are recommended for improving vocabulary and thought organization?

Non-fiction, biographies, classical literature, books about historical events, business books, and literary fiction are recommended for their rich vocabulary and structured ideas.

How does the video suggest incorporating reading into one's daily routine?

The video suggests reading five to ten pages every day, preferably during breakfast, as a way to consistently fill the mind with new vocabulary and ideas.

What is the purpose of writing as the second step in the sequence?

Writing helps to organize thoughts, identify clear ideas, and structure them in a way that can be easily communicated, which is crucial for articulate speech.

How often and for how long should one write according to the video?

The video recommends writing one page every day as part of one's routine, following the reading schedule.

What topics can one write about to practice organizing thoughts?

One can write about past experiences, future goals, dreams, challenges faced, achievements, and any other subjects that inspire thought and reflection.

How long does it take to see improvement in communication skills according to the video?

The video suggests waiting for at least a couple of weeks of consistent practice to start seeing an improvement in communication skills.

What activity is recommended to practice speaking as the final step?

The video recommends practicing speaking by having an impromptu five-minute conversation with a comfortable conversation partner about a topic that is important to you.

How can the three-step process help someone who wasn't exposed to rich conversations growing up?

The three-step process can help by providing a structured way to develop vocabulary, organize thoughts, and practice articulating ideas, compensating for a lack of early exposure to rich conversations.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ Overcoming Communication Barriers

This paragraph introduces the video's focus on improving one's ability to articulate thoughts and communicate clearly. It acknowledges that many people struggle with expressing themselves and suggests that following a three-step sequence can enhance clarity in speech. The importance of aligning one's thoughts with their speech is emphasized, as muddled thinking often leads to muddled speech. The video promises to guide viewers on organizing their thoughts for better verbal communication.

05:03

📚 The Power of Reading for Thought Organization

The second paragraph delves into the first step of the proposed sequence: reading. It posits that reading is instrumental in filling one's mind with new ideas, vocabulary, and sentence structures. The paragraph suggests that exposure to well-structured thoughts and ideas through books can significantly improve one's ability to organize thoughts. The speaker recommends reading non-fiction, biographies, classical literature, and business books to enrich one's vocabulary and thinking. The paragraph also encourages readers to step out of their comfort zones and explore different genres to broaden their perspectives.

10:05

✍️ Writing as a Tool for Clarifying Thoughts

The third paragraph discusses the second step: writing. It asserts that writing is a powerful method for organizing and identifying thoughts, which in turn enhances the clarity of one's speech. The speaker shares personal preferences for writing in a notebook without lines, which they believe allows for freer thinking. The paragraph suggests using writing as a daily practice to reflect on past experiences, future goals, and aspirations. It also touches on the idea of using writing to prepare for important conversations or to structure thoughts before speaking.

15:06

💬 Practicing Speaking for Effective Communication

The final paragraph focuses on the third and final step: speaking. It highlights the importance of speaking as the ultimate goal of the three-step process, aiming to move thoughts from the mind to clear and articulate communication with others. The speaker notes that while some people develop communication skills through family upbringing and exposure to debates, others may need to practice more deliberately. A strategy for practicing speaking is suggested, which involves choosing a comfortable conversation partner and speaking impromptu on a topic for five minutes. The paragraph concludes by encouraging viewers to apply the three-step process and share their experiences and improvements in communication skills.

Keywords

💡articulate

To articulate means to express one's thoughts clearly and effectively. In the context of the video, the term is central to the theme of improving communication skills. The script emphasizes the importance of articulating thoughts as a reflection of organized thinking, stating that 'at the end of the day our speech is a reflection of our thinking.' The video provides a three-step process to help individuals articulate their thoughts more clearly.

💡thoughts

Thoughts, in this video, refer to the mental concepts or ideas that individuals have. The script discusses the necessity of organizing one's thoughts in a clear and structured manner to communicate them effectively. It is mentioned that 'we need to organize our thoughts in a clear way in a very structured way so when we communicate, those thoughts come out in a very clear and easy to understand manner.'

💡sequence

A sequence, as used in the video, is a specific order of steps to be followed to achieve a particular outcome. The video outlines a 'three-step sequence' for improving one's ability to articulate thoughts. This sequence includes reading, writing, and speaking, which are presented as a structured approach to enhance communication skills.

💡reading

Reading is the first step in the video's recommended sequence for improving communication. It is described as a way to fill one's mind with new ideas, vocabulary, and sentence structure. The script suggests reading non-fiction, biographies, classical literature, and business books to 'expose yourself to all of these things' and to learn from the structured thoughts of others.

💡writing

Writing is the second step in the video's sequence, serving as a method to organize thoughts on paper. It helps in identifying and clarifying thoughts, which is essential before speaking. The video encourages writing one page per day as a practice to 'get clear on those thoughts and identify them too,' which aids in articulating them more effectively.

💡speaking

Speaking is the final step in the video's three-step sequence. It involves expressing organized thoughts verbally to others. The video suggests practicing speaking by having impromptu conversations on topics that are important to the individual. This step is crucial for 'moving your thoughts from your mind from paper out into the world,' as it allows one to apply the vocabulary and structure learned through reading and writing.

💡vocabulary

Vocabulary refers to the collection of words and phrases that a person knows and can use effectively. In the video, a rich vocabulary is seen as an essential tool for clear communication. The script advises reading books with a high level of vocabulary to 'fill your mind' with the necessary language to articulate thoughts well.

💡structure

Structure, in the context of the video, pertains to the organization and arrangement of thoughts and ideas. The video emphasizes the importance of having a 'good structure' of ideas and sentences to communicate clearly. It suggests that reading and writing help in learning and applying this structure to one's thoughts.

💡muddled

Muddled thoughts are those that are unclear or disorganized. The video uses this term to describe thoughts that, when communicated, result in confused speech. The script states that 'if your thinking is muddled... then your speech is going to come out confused as well,' highlighting the need to avoid muddled communication by organizing thoughts.

💡clear communication

Clear communication is the ability to convey one's thoughts and ideas in an understandable and coherent manner. The video's main theme revolves around achieving clear communication by organizing thoughts and articulating them well. The script suggests that 'clear communication' is the ultimate goal of the three-step process, which is achieved through reading, writing, and speaking.

Highlights

The video offers a three-step sequence to help articulate thoughts for clear communication.

Following the three-step sequence regularly can organize thoughts and improve verbal clarity.

Speech is a reflection of our thinking; clear thinking leads to clear speech.

Organizing thoughts in a structured way is essential for clear communication.

Reading is the first step in the three-step structure, filling the mind with new ideas and vocabulary.

Books are a gateway to organized thoughts and good structure.

Non-fiction, biographies, classical literature, and business books are recommended for vocabulary and structure.

Reading five to ten pages every day is recommended to enrich the mind.

Writing is the second step, helping to organize thoughts and identify them clearly.

Writing daily, even just one page, can structure thoughts and prepare for clear communication.

Reflecting on past experiences or future goals can inspire writing topics.

Speaking is the third step, where thoughts are articulated in conversations.

Practicing impromptu speaking for five minutes daily can help master clear communication.

The video provides a book recommendation, 'Profiles in Courage' by John F. Kennedy, for rich vocabulary.

The process of reading, writing, and speaking takes time, with noticeable improvements after a few weeks.

The video encourages viewers to share their experiences with the three-step process in the comments.

Transcripts

have you ever thought that you don't

make sense when you speak that you get

your thoughts muddled or that you can't

express yourself clearly if that sounds

like you then you are not alone and this

video is absolutely perfect for you

we're going to talk about a three-step

sequence to help you articulate your

thoughts so you can communicate them

clearly now if you follow this

three-step sequence and you do it on a

regular basis it's going to help you

organize your thoughts better so you can

articulate them well and communicate

them verbally in a clearer way because

at the end of the day our speech is a

reflection of our thinking if your

thinking is muddled if it is confused

then your speech is going to come out

confused as well whereas if your

thinking is clear if it is organized

then your speech will come out clear and

organized and articulate as well so in

order to communicate and articulate

clearly we need to start with our

thoughts we need to organize our

thoughts in a clear way in a very

structured way so when we communicate

those thoughts come out in a very clear

and easy to understand manner if you

like what you're going to learn in this

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journey and i would be honored to share

this content with you as well now let's

move on to how to articulate your

thoughts clearly so the first thing you

need to do is to read reading is the

first step in this three-step structure

reading is a fantastic way to fill your

mind with new ideas to learn new

vocabulary rich vocabulary good

structure good sentence structure and

structure of ideas as well and it's

essential if you want to learn how to

organize your thoughts better because

you can learn how other people organize

their ideas and organize their thoughts

so every time you read a book whether

it's fiction or non-fiction you expose

yourself to all of these things there is

no way that you could come up with all

of this rich vocabulary or good

structure on your own and why would you

it's not necessary when you can learn

from other people who have gone through

this process

to write those fantastic books the way i

see it is books are really a gateway

into the world of organized thoughts and

good structure i mean think of how long

it takes somebody to write a book how

many revisions do they do how many other

people are involved in the process to

improve on their ideas or improve on

their structure there is a lot of time

money and effort put into writing books

you can leverage this and use this final

product to enrich your mind with rich

vocabulary with good structure and with

organized thoughts you can basically

learn from these high-level authors or

from the higher level work that other

people have created now what kinds of

books should you read well you've

probably guessed i'm not talking about

comic books i'm not talking about

children's books the kinds of books i

recommend you to read are non-fiction or

also fiction books biographies classical

literature books about historical events

business books or literary fiction all

of these are the types of books that

have had a lot of work put into them

that are using a level of vocabulary and

structure that you probably want to aim

for since you are working to become a

leader you probably want to sound more

intelligent and sound more structured

and organized as you speak these are the

kinds of books that you can use to draw

those ideas from and to get the

vocabulary from as well i do encourage

you to read books that you don't

normally read this will help to expose

you to new ideas new ways of thinking

new ways of structuring your ideas as

well so if you normally read biographies

then maybe opt for books about

historical events or maybe if you read

business books a lot you can learn a lot

by reading classical literature how

often should you read this is a question

i get asked quite a lot i recommend you

read five to ten pages every day the way

i do it is over breakfast generally as i

am eating my breakfast i have a book

beside me instead of my phone instead of

instagram i have a book beside me and i

am reading the book going through the

pages of the book as i eat my breakfast

as to when you read it's really up to

you how you like to fit it into your

daily schedule but i recommend you read

five to ten pages every day this way you

are filling your mind with new

vocabulary with good sentence structure

and new ideas as well you're probably

wondering if i have any recommendations

for you as to what books you should read

this is definitely a question i'm going

to be getting once you are at this point

in the youtube video so i wanted to

share with you this one book which is

one of my

favorite books to read it's called

profiles in courage by john f kennedy i

will put

some information about it in the

description below

it's an old book it was written in 1965

in a very classical style of english

like people used to write back then i

absolutely love the way people used to

write books during that time or even

prior to the 1960s i find it so

intelligent the vocabulary used is so

rich the phrases that are used one of

the phrases in this book that i came

across and i absolutely

love and i thought was so intelligent

was independent courage the phrase

independent courage so there's many more

phrases like that in this book there's

many more things you can learn in this

book it's an extremely this particular

one i got is extremely old i picked it

up in a secondhand store

if i were to flick through the pages you

can probably see

that all of the pages have actually

started to dislodge from the spine

they're coming out so i have to be

really careful with this book but

profiles encouraged by john f kennedy is

a really good book that i would

recommend you to read if you wanted to

start getting into reading books with a

higher level of vocabulary definitely

opt for the ones that were published a

long time ago so even in the early 1900s

the way they used to write back then the

way they used to organize their thoughts

back then the vocabulary they used back

then was at another level you hardly

even see that nowadays in the books that

are published so i highly recommend this

one or any other topic that was written

around that time or before that time to

help yourself enrich yourself with the

vocabulary the sentence structure to

really organize your thoughts better so

reading is definitely the first step

that you need to fill your mind to fill

your subconscious

with the tools with the vocabulary with

the ideas and the structure that you

need to move on to the second step which

we're going to talk about right now

writing is the second step in this

three-step sequence and this is a

fantastic way to help you organize your

thoughts better get it on paper so you

can actually see whether the thoughts

you have in your mind are truly

organized or not it also helps you to

identify your thoughts so sometimes when

you have those thoughts in your mind

they're all muddled it's hard to

identify clearly what those thoughts are

writing is one of the best ways you can

get clear on those thoughts and identify

them too as i mentioned at the beginning

of this video our speech is a reflection

of our thinking so we first need to get

our thoughts organized and we do this by

writing before we actually jump into

speaking which is the next step we'll

talk about in a couple of moments when

you don't do this this is what leads to

muddled communication when you have

those muddled thoughts in your mind and

then you go from those muddled thoughts

straight to speaking that's what leads

to muddled speaking and not being able

to articulate your thoughts clearly or

communicate them well basically what

writing does is it allows you to take

the time to organize your thoughts well

it allows you to draw them from your

mind to put them on paper and to see

whether they are organized or not and

whether they're good thoughts or not you

can put those thoughts in order you can

organize them and you can eliminate

thoughts that aren't important or that

don't add anything to the discussion if

you feel that you don't make sense when

you speak well it's probably because you

haven't spent the time organizing your

thoughts like you do through this

writing process you've just jumped

straight into speaking without

organizing them first and that is what

has led to muddled communication and you

not making sense i want you to get into

the habit of writing your thoughts now

how do you do this well it should be

something that you do every day just

like reading part of your everyday

routine and it's something that can

directly follow your reading schedule

you can do journal writing you can do

formal writing whatever type of writing

suits you better i recommend you write

one page every day so reading is five to

ten pages every day but writing because

it takes more time you are allowed to

pause you're allowed to organize your

thoughts a lot more

write one page per day i usually do my

writing in a book much like this it is

just a plain notebook

i'll open it up the pages are playing

there is no lines whatsoever in this

book and i find that this works much

better for me

to not have lines drawn on the page i

find that when i am working or writing

with lines it limits my thinking in a

way it prevents me from thinking freely

from writing freely so i like to have

the the space

and the opportunity on a blank page like

this to just scribble down my thoughts

and write them in a more coherent way

what can you write about so that's no

doubt your next question you have this

book what do you actually write about

well you can reflect on the past so

think of things that have happened

yesterday last week last month

perhaps there were fears you faced

conversations you had with people

challenges you faced achievements you

made your desires goals that you're

working towards goals that you have

achieved disagreements you had with

someone or agreements you had with

someone there are a number of things you

can use as inspiration for your writing

as well as reflecting on the past you

can also look to the future you can

write about your future goals your

future dreams your desires conversations

you want to have with people and this is

a fantastic point for people who are

looking to communicate more assertively

if you have a conversation you need to

have with someone that's an assertive

conversation you're a bit nervous about

that assertive conversation you can

write the conversation down using your

journaling your morning journaling that

you do if you're going for a job

interview you can use it for exactly the

same thing as well so there are a number

of things that you can write about it's

really just about you deciding on what

the subject is what the topic is that

you want to write about and this is

where you can start to get creative but

this process when it's done on a daily

basis it will definitely help you to

organize your thoughts to structure them

better and help you communicate them

more clearly as well how long will this

whole process take how long will it take

you to start seeing an improvement in

the way that you communicate well i

would recommend you wait for a couple of

weeks at least i think it takes most

people two weeks to start to see

improvement in their communication so

remember it's a whole process that you

have to go through and you're basically

retraining your brain you're retraining

the way that you think about things the

way you have your thoughts in your mind

the way you structure them and the way

that they come out as well when you

communicate and the way you notice

whether you are improving with your

thoughts and articulating them better is

if you start to feel less and less that

you are communicating in a muddled way

if you start to feel more and more

that you are clearer with your

communication and you're also noticing

through the reactions of other people

that they're really understanding what

you're saying so look out for these

signs the way you feel the way the other

person reacts to detect and understand

whether you're starting to see an

improvement with your own communication

and the third step in this sequence is

to speak so we have filled your mind

with rich vocabulary with good structure

with new ideas through step one where

you read then we have transferred all of

that knowledge and all of that

intelligence onto paper through the

process of writing and through the

process of writing you have started to

organize your thoughts better identify

good ideas reject bad ideas as well this

has led to clearer thoughts in your mind

leading to

clearer communication so the next step

in this process is to actually speak and

this is where you move your thoughts

from your mind from paper out into the

world in conversations with people you

are you interact with this is your

ultimate goal this is the whole purpose

of this three-step process to speak

clearly to articulate your thoughts well

and to communicate clearly to the other

person one of the things i've noticed

about people who speak very well who can

articulate their thoughts very clearly

is that they've been trained to do it

now sometimes this training happens

formally they might go to a school where

they learn how to do it but most of the

time it happens informally it happens

through their upbringing through their

family background through the education

that they get a lot of those people are

exposed to debates to people who have

fantastic communication skills they get

involved in those conversations with

those people and through the way they

communicate they can learn from those

people they learn the vocabulary they

learn how to communicate their thoughts

they learn how to argue points

there are many families in this world

every night over dinner they regularly

have

rich conversations they have deep

conversations whether it's about

politics about music about history

they debate a lot their ideas and

through this process if you do it every

night it's normal that they would

naturally develop really good

communication skills over time they're

being exposed to people who are good

communicators they themselves are

picking up all of these skills all of

these tools and they are bringing them

to their conversations in the world as

well they learn how to have intelligent

debates with people they know how to

argue their point they know how to speak

in a persuasive way they know how to

influence people or influence their

ideas they know how to explain

complicated concepts because they've had

experience and training in doing this

through practicing speaking these people

can gain invaluable skills in

communication in all types of

communication and communicating with all

types of people as well but not everyone

has this same upbringing not everybody

is exposed every night at the dinner

table to intelligent debates where

they're listening to people argue their

point and where they have a chance to

argue their point as well not everyone

is exposed to this growing up i

certainly wasn't i will admit that to

you i was not in a family where we had

these kinds of conversations at the

dinner table so i didn't learn how to do

this through my family upbringing as

well the strategy i used is reading it's

writing and it's finally speaking just

like i'm teaching you in this video so

we've been through the process of what

to do for the reading what to do for

writing now how do you practice speaking

if you don't have access to this type of

family environment that i just described

to you how do you actually practice

speaking well i'm going to share with

you an activity on exactly how you can

do that i want you to choose someone you

feel comfortable with it could be a work

colleague it could be a friend in your

personal life or your partner somebody

you feel comfortable with and i want you

to speak to that person for five minutes

straight it's an impromptu style

speaking for five minutes straight about

a topic that is important to you so it

could be the same topic that you wrote

about in your journaling stage you could

have that morning written about a

certain topic and you would like to tell

the person your conversation partner

about that topic so you could choose

that it could be about a conversation

you recently had with somebody it could

be an experience you recently had a

challenge you recently faced the topic

you choose is really up to you but if

you find it hard to choose a topic to

talk about then i recommend you choose

the same topic you wrote about that

morning in your journal you can write

out your thoughts in your journal how

you are going to discuss them how you

are going to present them to your

conversation partner you can do all of

that organization and all of that

planning in the second step when you

write remember we need organized

thoughts to have clear communication and

to articulate well so you can organize

your thoughts when you write

then when you speak you can follow the

structure the exact structure that you

wrote about that morning when you do

this on a regular basis it will help you

to organize your thoughts it will help

you to master how to communicate them

clearly and how to articulate them well

i do have another video on my channel

about how to be more articulate i'll put

a card on the screen above so you can

check it out once you finish watching

this video in that video i share nine

tips on how to be more articulate and

communicate clearly as well we have gone

through a lot of content in this video i

would love to know how all of these

ideas and this three-step process works

for you once you've tried out this

three-step process please let me know in

the comments jump back to the channel

and let me know in the comments how it

has worked for you have you seen an

improvement in your communication have

you noticed other people are reacting

differently or maybe they're even

commenting that you sound a lot more

articulate and a lot clearer when you

speak let me know in the comments the

benefits that you see thank you so much

for watching and i'll be back next week

with another video