Speak More Articulately Than 99% of People

Summary

This 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.