How To Become More Articulate - Quora PDF

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How can I become more articulate?

Are there any tips or techniques one can learn and use to help speak fluently and/or write
coherently?
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100+ Answers
Tim Enalls, Data Analyst, Entrepreneur, Book Author

Updated Jun 27, 2016 Featured in Slate
Pay attention to the following variables in your speech habits and rate them all on a scale
from 1 - 10. Place the most focus on and the areas you're weakest at the areas you're
strongest:
1. Pitch Variation - Vary the high and low frequencies of your voice to keep listeners
engaged and interested in what you're saying.
2. Voice Projection - You should be capable of talking with enough intensity so that
anyone who's 15-20 feet away can clearly understand you. Practice talking at this
intensity so that people can clearly understand you and follow what you're saying
thereby drawing favorable attention to yourself.
3. Use of Pauses - Strategically pause before and after the words and phrases you
want to emphasize.
4. Sentence Length Variation - Follow long sentences after short sentences and vice
versa. If you say 3 or more long sentences in tandem, you may lose people due to
the overload of information.
5. Determine How the Sound of your Voice Makes you Feel and Make
Improvements- Listen to yourself talk in a recording and pay attention to how you
feel when you hear yourself talk. Do you feel positive or negative? Pleasant or
irritated,? Energizing or sleep-inducing? There may be a high chance that most
people feel the same way when they hear your voice. Can you adjust the general
tonality to something more pleasing and stick to that?
6. Speed Variation - Slow down your rate of speech when you want to emphasize
certain words and phrases. Give people a chance to understand and follow what
you're saying. Speed up your speech when you know they already understand the
concept you're talking about.
7. Portray Confidence and Self-Assurance - Give people the impression that you're
100% sure of yourself, you're an authority in the subject matter you're talking
about, and you believe wholeheartedly in what you're saying. Many people are
disproportionately attracted to this quality even if it's specious. The impression of
doubt and self-restraint tend to repel many people even when that's grounded on
reasonable premises.
8. Vocabulary Usage - In most cases, speak at roughly the same vocabulary level as
your audience. Also, don't bring up concepts that are too far outside their
perceptive experience and the context of the situation.
9. Talk with a Harmonious Rhythm - Make your phrases and sentences harmonize
with each other like notes on a music sheet. Time your high, low, long, and short
https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-become-more-articulate-1 Page 1 of 32
pitches with each other succinctly and you'll have a natural flow to your speech
that is pleasing to the ear.
Here are additional tips to improve your overall articulation:
1. Imitate the Most Articulate Celebrities and Public Figures - Do your best
impressions of highly articulate and successful talk show hosts, news anchors,
radio hosts, actors, voice actors, etc. This is a great way to invoke benchmarks that
you can use as comparisons to your own voice habits and articulation level.
2. Practice Sentences and Paragraphs with Audio Recorders - Use audio editors
such as Audacity(Free Audio Editor and Recorder ) and Practice 15 - 30 minutes a
day until your general speech habits improve. Place emphasis on words, sentences,
and paragraphs that are most dicult for you to articulate. . repeat certain
sentences and paragraphs until they soundto pleasant
3. Visualize Yourself Speaking Well on National Television and in Front of Large

Crowds - Believe it or not, your unsatisfactory speaking habits and articulation
may be rooted in the fear of being the center of attention and embarrassing
yourself. Your lack of articulation could result from tension and a certain level of
social anxiety that result from your own thoughts and perceptions. Picture yourself
talking in situations that you think are well out of your league, and you'll start to
develop the peace of mind and confidence to articulate your speech carefully in
situations that would normally intimidate you.
64.6k Views View Upvotes
Related Questions More Answers Below
What can I do to become more articulate?
Does reading a lot make you more articulate?
How do I become a more interesting person?
How do I calm myself down and be more articulate while speaking?
What types of books can I read to help me become more articulate?
Conor Neill, Professor of Leadership Communication, Keynote Speaker on

Resilience
Written Apr 8, 2012
Practice. How to say it well? Say it often.
We have a tool today that was not available to the Greeks, nor to the Romans; not to MLK,
nor to Churchill... a tool that can accelerate one's progress to mastery: Use the webcam.
Self promotion: I built an online course to improve public speaking using the webcam
http://ethos.conorneill.com/impr...
Samridhi Arora, Exploring the Universe Within

Updated May 26, 2015
1. Listen to audio or watch your favorite show or movie in the language you intend to
speak, and as the characters speak, repeat loudly and simultaneously with them.
Do not focus on the pronunciation at the first go, just keep repeating the process
and you will develop it eventually.
2. Hear your own voice. While many experts suggest to practice talking in front
of a mirror, I personally feel that while you look at yourself and talk
simultaneously, you do multitasking thus compromising one over the other.

Hence, I suggest, based on experience of my students, that you use Audacity (Free
Audio Editor and Recorder ). It is free, open source, cross-platform audio editor
and better than simple recording apps. You can get good indication of your voice
modulation (pitch-high/low), pronunciation and speed of talking.
3. Talk to people you interact with on daily basis. Please don't just wait to meet the
people in your language class to test the result of your experiment. Do
remember, it is a continuous process and if you don't follow, your pace of learning
would be slow.
4. Read as much as you can. If your are not an avid reader, start with simple novel, it
will not only entertain you, but also improve your language sense and vocabulary
and this in turn adds to your confidence to express.
5. All about Vocabulary Many people suggest to learn 10-15 words/day from
dictionary. Well this method doesn't really help in gaining relevant
vocabulary. The best way to add new words to your vocabulary is by doing theme
based reading, as at that time, you have a context established thus making the
word more likely to to get registered in your
memory. How to do Theme Based
Reading: A few months back I read a book on The 80:20 Principle. I think it finds
its application in many aspects of life including this one. For instance, 80% of your
conversation revolves around 20% of topic.
Hence to begin with you can:
Make list of topics you are most likely to speak about.
By doing so you would know what topics you are most likely to speak about.Then
do theme based reading (Theme being the topic itself) as it will acquaint you
with the words you are most likely to use.
For instance, if you are an ice-cream vendor it will help a great deal if you are
acquainted to the vocabulary pertaining to at-least (but not limited to) following
topics:
Taste
For e.g,
Ayurveda identifies 6 Tastes by which all foods can be categorized:
a. Sweet
b. Sour
c. Salty
d. Bitter
e. Pungent
f. Astringent
6. Fruit
Color Though this was a very
specific example, I hope I have made my point on the 80:20 rule here. If you want to
go still further try to learn words from their roots, for e.g. Ego is root to many
words like Egomaniac, Egocentric etc. Word Power by Norman Lewis is a good
source for learning words from roots (English language).
7. Practice, Practice,Practice!! Nothing can substitute that. Practice in real time

environment, with real people often.
Good Luck!!
Kes Sparhawk Amesley, former Speech professor and constant speech giver
Written Jun 7, 2016
Thank you, Gerald, for asking me this question. I think Ill have a somewhat dierent
answer from many of the others, because I actually taught Rhetoric, which is a combination
of reading, writing, speaking and listening. The Rhetorical approach presumes that a lot of
reading and listening, and speaking and writing, are the same.
Its perfectly normal to take more time to produce the good sentences! In writing, thats why
we have the editing phase. The first stages are to get your ideas down on paper; the editing
phase is to clean up what youre saying ie, add metaphor and examples, tighten up whats
said and take out repetition, and so forth. As you get more practiced, both at writing and
speaking, youll produce better drafts and the editing will be easier, but Ive never heard of
any respected writer (besides perhaps Balzac) who thought the first draft of anything they
wrote couldnt be improved.
I see tips about public speaking, but youre talking more about informal interactions, right?
The best I can advise you here is to practice, practice, practice. I grew up thinking I was a
writer because I was terrible at saying things aloud, but I was involved in political and social
issues and that meant having to speak my mind or at least participate in group
discussion. I became better and better as I had to do it more often, and as I listened to other
people in the groups all way more articulate than I, or so I thought.
Now I have imaginary arguments with straw people, pacing my living room, after Ive read
something which makes me excited or angry or both somewhere on the internet. That
hones my argument, though of course straw people are much more satisfactory at handing
you lines and failing to demolish your argument. Still, it does work. And again, as others
have said, listen listen listen, read read read. If its a topic which interests you, youll
probably want to be able to say something pithy and intelligent, so hearing what other
people say is the first step.
I always had a good memory, so Id add if its an option for you, memorize your favorite
sound bites and one or two sentence summaries. Sometimes while were groping for
personal reaction, a quotation or paraphrase from someone else helps. (I dont mean an
eloquent quotation, I mean just something someone else said or wrote well: John Donne
once wrote that the loss of one person is a loss for everyone, and you shouldnt even ask who
died; every human being is part of us. I feel that way, and thats why I dont like people
suggesting that killing one set of humans is okay because theyre somehow less than we
are.** I spent my high school study halls just reading quotation books and poems, and I
had no idea how useful that would turn out to be when I was talking.
I hope this is helpful.
I agree with Mandy Mooses comment that your question and explanation are already quite
articulate, so Im sure that practice as described is all that it will take. Im glad youre
interested in pushing your abilities; its rare, and rewards everyone in contact with you, as
well as yourself.
** The paraphrase is from Donnes Meditation XVII, No Man Is An Island. This quotes the
best known piece, which is what Im paraphrasing. John Donne Meditation XVII ("No man
is an island") You might also find useful Joan Baezs adaption in her lyrics based on this
piece, No Man Is An Island Lyrics
Joshua Otusanya, Stand Up Comedian and Accountant. YouTube -

ThisisJoshO
Written Nov 29
1. Practice speaking from your diaphragm instead of your throat.
2. Note any bad habits you have in your speech (words like um, like, uh) and work on
replacing these fillers with pauses. A pause reflects confidence and gives the
impression that you are more sure of what you are saying.
3. Expand your knowledge base. Read, watch, listen and learn as much as you can. Its
important to make sure you arent taking in knowledge into a vacuum. Stop and
take time to reflect on what youve learned so that it sets in.
4. Try to speak at the same vocabulary as your audience. When expressing your points
of view use examples that your audience can relate to.
5. Imitate popular public figures. Watch and study their cadence, tone of voice and
body language.
6. Vary the length of your sentences while speaking. Doing so keeps whoever youre
speaking to more engaged in what you are saying.
Watch me put some of these points into practice on YouTube: ThisisJoshO

Sasha Strauss, Brand builder, speaker, teacher.

Written Apr 28, 2013
The words have to become natural for you to use. Try listening to songs with sophisticated
lyrics and learn to sing them with understanding. You'll be surprised at how natural the
word use becomes in daily conversation.
Related Questions
For example, you might not like the subject matter, but the band Bad Religion is so
articulate, their fans built a web dictionary just for the words used in their 30+ years of What can I do to become more articulate?
music.
http://www.thebrpage.net/lexicon/ Does reading a lot make you more articulate?
11.4k Views View Upvotes How do I become a more interesting person?
How do I calm myself down and be more articulate

Anirudh Anupama, Budding writer -- Working on a Novella. while speaking?
Written Aug 27, 2015
What types of books can I read to help me become
I struggle to speak fluently a lot. I am too trying to overcome this. more articulate?
I have met many people who speak fluently and I used to wonder how do they do that. With What are some ways to become more emotional?
the help of keen observation of their personality, I understood that they manage their
How do I become more handy?
thoughts really well. E.g. Rakshita Nagayach.
Why am I having trouble improving my English?
See imagine this, you are holding a piece of paper on which everything is written in well
advance what you have to say. Will you stammer now? How can I be more patient?
How can I be more articulate in public speaking?

Similarly, if we gather our thoughts and plan well before we express them, it is possible that
we speak very fluently. For that, we need to organise our thoughts. Before speaking we need
to properly think that what we are going to speak about.
There is another factor of vocabulary. If you are falling short of words to express what you
have to say, you may end up with 'uuu-uuu-uuuu'. (FYI - It is not moaning.)
For this you can read more. You can atleast gather the most used and basic words which can
help you to express your feelings without any excess need of memorisation of dicult word.
Also watching the speeches of dierent spokes persons, orators, political leaders, etc. may
help to understand the choice of words, timing and body language while speaking.
Peace!
Thanks Peniel Jacobson.
14.8k Views View Upvotes Answer requested by Peniel Jacobson
Domhnall O'Huigin, An amateur in lifelong love with the natural world.

Written Feb 25, 2012
"Enhance [your] speech" is a fairly broad remit, with that said some pointers I have
personally used below. Caveat: with mixed levels of success I must say but some success,
however modest, with all of them.
No particular order.
The Demosthenes [1] method of articulation. He famously practiced speaking with

a pebble in his mouth, on the theory if his diction was understandable with, how
much better would it be sans pebble? I have genuinely tried this and provided you
go for 'small pebble' and not 'gobstobber', it is not as bonkers as it sounds....
Always speak standing up if possible. I don't know the physical science here
(something about the diaphram?) but I spend a good portion of the day on
conference calls and I've had feedback when I take calls e.g. reclining in a chair or
similar ("you sound dierent"; "Are you ok today? You sounded 'down' on that
call...etc." ). I think this is related to the advice customer service reps are given:
'smile when you are on a call', meaning literally, physically smile and the customer
will hear it in your voice. If you stand, even if you are in your den or on your own,
you will feel more authorative and this will come across in your speech.
Use your own life for a stock of anecdotes that could be adapted to specific
circumstances. There is a reason books of jokes for after-dinner or other public
speakers do so well but I am not advocating you memorise other peoples' jokes. I
think that is ok for some people but not if you are really trying to improve your
speech (as opposed to trying to be some sort of Bob-Hope-alike).
The significant dierence I am proposing is you mine your own experiences for stories that
can be used to illustrate a speech, whether a formal speech (such as a presentation) or
something more o the cu.
Do not improve your vocabulary* and [related] listen to and read great
rhetoric.
Full disclosure, I have been told since I was a child to stop 'using big words for the sake of it'
or similar. You can probably see this proclivity in my various written answers also.
In my defense I don't consciously do it to seem 'grand', I learnt most of my vocabulary from

reading, not hearing words used and when the word fits, I use it. As I commented elsewhere,
the alternative is to assume the people I am speaking to are idiots and I think that is the
greater of the two evils.
So, now that I have finished feeling sorry for myself, I have got to admit that one of the first
(and best) pieces of advice I got in this area is spot on. From an English teacher of mine: "If
you want to be clearly and powerfully understood, use short, Germanic words instead of
longer, Latinate ones."
I think the logic of that is pretty much bang on the money. Think of great rhetoric we all
know:
"I have a dream"

"Yes, we can"
"Ask not etc."
This mode of speech is visceral (there I go again) - a gut punch that a child can understand
and that speaks directly to us, no interpretation of the words required before the message
sinks in - the words and the message are one.
Finally, read the speeches of great orators, I mean read them out loud to yourself. I am
particularly thinking of Burke [2] writing this, although he shares my vices of digression
and Latinate words.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dem...
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edm...
*not for the specific purpose in the question at least.

7.3k Views View Upvotes Answer requested by Tom Murphy
Brendan McCrain, Father, Writer, Business Owner

Written Oct 2, 2014
Well. I see writing and speaking as two very dierent things. I think we can easily equate
them because so often when we are listening to an eloquent speaker we are actually
listening to a well-written script read by an expert performer.
I can be quite articulate and I can be an emotional verbal train wreck. Sometimes people are
surprised when I stammer, trail o, cuss, use the wrong words, and cry when speaking.
Seriously. Sometimes I feel like I can't speak fast enough to keep up with my thoughts.
Turns out, I really just needed to slow down.
To speak better: listen more.
Benefits: Most people won't listen to you unless they have felt heard themselves. Listening
allows others to express their ideas and gives you time to prepare your own. Listening allows
you to borrow other people's phrases, echo their own perspectives, and improve your own.
But make sure you're listening, not silently planning your monologue. Never be afraid to say
"give me some time to decide how I feel about this" before answering. Especially on
important issues. Most people respect this.
Read Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People." He will tell you to seek to
understand before seeking to be understood. This simple shift in paradigm will open worlds
to you.
To write better: submit to the truth of shitty first drafts. Revise. Trim. Revise. Revise.
Turn o the filter that has you poised over the keyboard, fingers hovering, eyes scanning
the Vast White, brain scrambling for the Quintessence of Life. Just write. Get it out. Read it
back. Revise, revise, revise. No one but you should ever read the first draft. Set this rule for
yourself and now you're free to fail.
Read whenever you have time. Read to steal like a crate-digging hip-hop producer goes to
flea markets. Ask: Why is that sentence so powerful? What did that metaphor achieve? How
does the rhythm of the paragraph enhance the author's arguments?
Without knowing what kind of writing you are trying to improve, it's hard to give specific
advice. Trying to write fiction? Practice elegant and unusual metaphors. Trying to write
news articles? Focus on the story outside the story. Trying to write for marketing? Quit it!
That's my job. ;)
Hope this was a valuable perspective!

Jonathan Brill, Writer Relations at Quora

Written Oct 31, 2015
The best lesson I've learned about how to use language to communicate more
eectively is the acknowledgement that language is only a lie, told about the truth. To
become articulate, you have to communicate in spite of the words you have available, not
become totally dependent on them.
When communicating with anyone, the objective is to get them to see things as you see
them, using only these clumsy, horribly blunt instruments called words. Of course the
words don't mean the same things to them as they do to you, and if the concepts are new,
you're going to have to use a whole bunch of indirect words to get there. The challenge of
course is to choose wisely and so use as few as possible.
So you have this challenge of taking your ideavirus and infecting someone else. As a
salesperson in a previous life, my livelihood was dependent on successfully implanting
ideaviruses with very little time and even less attention. Here are three guidelines that
helped me hone my message to be as ecient as possible:
1. Respect that time and attention are finite. Keep words and complexity to a
minimum. Too short and they don't get it, too long and they won't read it. If you
must deliver a message that will be read and understood, its easier to build up to
telling a little more than trying to rewind, make them forget, and start from
scratch.
2. Everything important happens in the other person's head. Write while in the
mind of your reader. Speak while in the mind of your listener. If they're in front of
you, you should be watching and listening more than communicating.
3. Describe everything in givens. Accomplished, ecient communicators are

practiced in the art of only using words and phrases that are probably common. Of
course you might not know, but the more you know your audience and the more
you're versed in the practice of allusion, the more you'll be able to hone your use of
simple, descriptive terms with common meanings. Relating something to fear is
going to resonate; relating to an analogy specific to a fable from your hometown in
Uzbekistan may be a miss.
Communicating complex ideas eciently is hugely valuable, and people who do this well
will always be in high demand. Once you've started to figure this out, getting buy-in on
everything you want to do will be easier (necessary for building anything of consequence).
4.9k Views View Upvotes Answer requested by Tahsin Mayeesha
Lat Nayar, Transformational Coach, Writer, www.loser2champion.com

Written Oct 2, 2015
I stammered till I was 14. Especially when I was nervous, which was quite a lot. I was shy.
Too shy.
I lacked confidence. Even when I had something worthwhile to share, I did not feel like I
could. The more I felt that, the more I could not.
So, first things first.
Speech is an expression of yourself. So being articulate cannot be separated from who you
are and what you choose to articulate.
Also, you mentioned being coherent. This is more than just your voice or vocabulary. It
involves making sense. Words alone will not do. There should also be tidiness in your
thoughts, even emotions.
And it all starts with confidence.
Even if you don't feel confident right now, let's start with the possibility that you can be.
That is enough. You can build from that.
Build from wherever you are. Like I did.
My stammer disappeared by the time I was 15. I moved on to become a speaker and debater.
This is my journey.
1. Playful curiosity
Once I believed that I could improve, I relaxed a little. Then, I became curious. I wondered
what set o the stuttering. I started to notice that I did not stutter much in school, nor at
home with my family. The stuttering was strongest with relatives or with people I met for
the first time.
What if you don't have a stammering problem? Use your curiosity to observe when you are
able to relax and speak fluently and when you can't. Notice when you make sense and when
you don't.
Just observe more.
2. Breathe
Speech comes from breath.
Breathing well will make your voice stronger. You will be able to pause at the right moments
when you speak and not end in a squeak because you ran out of breath.
Your speech will be much smoother with proper breathing.
3. Listen and pause
Once you have the basics of (1) and (2) covered, you are ready to experiment with your
speech.
I used to think speaking well was just about "speaking". I was wrong.
Being articulate and coherent is also a measure of how good you are as a listener.
You would not be considered coherent if you don't understand the relevance of what is
being discussed. So, listen well.
Then, pause with attention. It is a sign of respect.
The pause allows you to formulate what you will say. Much better than saying something in
a rush then backtrack etc.
4. Talk simply
A confident person has no need to impress anyone with bombastic words. Simple speech
works better. It also sounds more genuine.
Plus, it makes your listener feel more comfortable.
5. Improve your vocabulary
This may seem to contradict (4). Not really, Improved vocabulary will give you more scope
to express yourself. It will give you more options in the style of how you speak.
In fact, improving my vocabulary even helped me to become more mentally sharp. I began
to understand the nuances in words and to think in deeper ways.
6. Hum
This is a daily practice that keeps my voice strong. Hum a song. Do low notes first and work
your way to high notes. This exercises the muscles in your mouth and throat and keeps the
voice supple.
7. Read widely
Read great books. Read a lot. Read many authors.
This practice improves vocabulary plus gives you a wider perspective on life. Dierent
opinions, dierent viewpoints and a more deeper understanding of others.
8. Lifetime practice
It is an ongoing practice. Develop your whole personality by all of the above.
Once again, speech is an expression of yourSELF. As you develop yourself, your articulation
and coherence will also develop.
Dillon Forrest, forever a student

Written Sep 18, 2012
Repetition, shamelessness, and patience, in that order. I used to speak far too quickly. I've
gotten much better and enunciate much better. But I'm still working on it myself.
First, repetition. You must catch yourself speaking unclearly. Anytime you do so, repeat
the sentence again more clearly. Repeat it aloud. Keep repeating it until you're happy with
your enunciation. This is also how I cut out "um" and "like" from my everyday speech --
catching myself making the mistake and then repeating myself correctly.
Second, shamelessness. You are perfectly allowed to ask for and receive help. Re-teaching
yourself to talk is hard. It might be impossible without some help. So, I'd tell people that
I'm trying to speak better. The people who I see most often are particularly the ones that I'd
like to tell. I'd ask them to call me out when I speak unclearly. And then I'll repeat myself
until I enunciate well. It's not the easiest thing to admit to others that you'd like to change
the way you speak. However, if you can do so, you will receive a lot of help and support.
Third, patience. You are suering from bad muscle memory right now. To fix that, you
must un-learn then re-learn. Un-learning and re-learning is much harder than
straightforward learning. You have to overcome the inertia of many years of a bad habit.
That takes longer than a few days or weeks or months.
Those three are the things that I've done and continue to do to speak better. I'd also like to
add the following suggestions:
Record yourself speaking. Listen to your recording. It's okay to cringe. But keep
practicing, and you'll become happier and happier with your voice recordings.
Consider adding other vocal practices to your regimen. I conjecture that you might
also have other easy ways to improve your speaking if you have articulation
problems. Are you opening your throat? Are you breathing from your diaphragm?
Is your back straight and your posture upright?
Smile more and be happy. When I envision a person mumbling, I envision him to
be unhappy. I imagine others might perceive you to be unhappy and maybe
therefore unpleasant to speak with. While smiling might not directly improve your
articulation, it will definitely improve your overall presentation. And after all,
aren't we trying to improve our speaking to improve our overall presentation?
Hope this helps!

Fatima Sarwar, I read The Economist but I do Art

Written Sep 9, 2015
1. Articulation comes from having an understanding/knowledge of the subject

matter.
Ever noticed people fluently and passionately speaking about the last basket ball match or
who will be the next president? Its because they KNOW enough to confidently articulate
that information. Hence, read. And read everyday.
Tip: I try writing/summarizing my readings into crisp and small scripts. It magnifies the
level of understanding and helps remember.
2. Articulation also comes from practice.

Notice how people pause during mid sentences to find the right word? That's because they
don't practice speaking enough.
Converse a lot. About how you feel, how you see things, how you can relate them to simpler
things. It polishes your use of adjectives and creative speaking.
3. Articulation also comes from watching and listening.

Tune in to your favorite hosts' show, or your favorite series and observe. Write down
anything sparking interest, a cheesy line delivered, an emotion described well, a fancy pick
up line. Remember that, use that, and improvise those words for later usage.
4. Articulation, most importantly, comes from Confidence.

In one of the hilarious scenes from the Big Bang Theory, Leonard sarcastically rebounds at
Sheldon for how its not actual swimming if you learn to do it on dry floor rather than in
actual water.
Crux being, somethings only come from doing them in 'deep waters', by making mistakes,
and by eventually getting confident by learning from those mistakes.
So start working towards that confidence!
Alex Parry, Health, Life and Strength Coaching

Step 1: READ. You'll increase your vocabulary, get a sense of how language can be used and
you'll become more interesting in the process.
Step 2: PRACTICE. Talk to people in more detail, chat to friends and family. You might
even be able to find a friendly public speaking group in your area where you can go to
practice.
Step 3: SURROUND SELF WITH ARTICULATE PEOPLE. You'll rise to the level that is
around you. if you surround yourself by inarticulate people then you'll fall to their level.
I'm not an expert but I grew up on a council estate and went on to study English and History
at Oxford. Becoming more articulate isn't easy, but it is achievable.
Chris Loughnane, tersely cogent

Updated Oct 4, 2012
Read books written by articulate people, and speak slowly.
I recommend Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (author)
More specifically, many of Emerson's essays (self-reliance being my favorite) were given as
speeches, so would be a great piece to start with.
Marcus Geduld, Shakespearean director, computer programmer, teacher,

writer, likes dinosaurs.
Written Mar 15, 2016
There are lots of good suggestions, here: read, listen, practice, etc. But no one has
mentioned the most important thing: play.
Most of the articulate folks I know revel in words. They play with words and sentences every
day, and they play in a variety of ways: rhyming, attempting tongue twisters, punning,
doing impressions, slinging insults, making up nonsense words, playing Scrabble, etc.
My friends are mostly actors, and they're all very articulate. They truck in words. And when
we get together, we dribble words as if they were basketballs. This play is a combination of
sophistication and silliness, with total acceptance of what anyone says, even if it's fuck the
asshole of every kazoo in Shit Town!
Playing with words makes you comfortable with them. Over time, it allows you to own them.
They are your toys, your playthings. And play also stirs up all sorts of surprising
possibilities.
But you have to do it every day, many times a day. When you have no idea how to play, just
start saying beep boop m'gorange orange fractal dactyl algebra galgebra horizon McGoo!
3k Views View Upvotes
Kumar Narain, Consciously and mindfully working on speaking and listening

well.
Adding some points to what others have said, extracting/paraphrasing some from Kumar
Narain's answer to I read a lot but when I speak I can never find the right words to say. How
can I fix this? :
I humbly share these thoughts below, with the most sincere intention to help:
Reading is a great habit to further one's talking or articulation. Reading builds (i)
knowledge, (ii) sentence structures, relationships and flow, (iii) understanding of
cause-eect, what-if, assertions-negations, (iv) understanding of complexity in our
character and behavior and so much more. Reading also gives confidence and
context, both very beneficial to speaking.
Sometimes, intelligent and well-read people create a self-imposed pressure to use

bright and crisp language when talking. If you can, please try to ease that
pressure on you. Let the words flow, even be faulty. Once that pressure eases, you
may find words coming to you a lot easier.
For somewhat important conversations - If you can and are not embarrassed by it,
use written help or Index cards. I have had to rely on written bullet points, like a
teleprompter.
For casual conversations with friends, speak briefly, listen and then speak again,
using shorter sentences. I often meet people with limited attention span and
longer sentences can cause them to "disappear", sometimes literally.
Avoid tensing up or losing your cool when words don't come or if you lose your
chain of thought. This is easier said than done but there are mindful techniques to
get past this hump. Smile, don't be put on a spot and some kind soul may finish the
thought for you. I usually follow up that supported completion with "Exactly !".
This also kind of involves other people and you can pick their attitude and mindset.
Practice in private, as many others have said. When I had to prepare for debates or
technical speeches, I would practice, almost like a private recitation.
Pick a few topics of your choice and write first. And then speak them out. Writing is
the next logical, evolutionary step for a reading brain. Don't have to write a lot, start
with a few sentences. This will also synchronize your written and spoken word.
Find a trustworthy partner in your speaking improvement exercise. Set

meaningful goals - Please see Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals
In social places like a coee shop, or library, or a store - Strike a conversation with
strangers. You will be freer in not having to worry what they thought of your
speaking, as you may not see them again - so less baggage ! You will also be able to
pick conversation cues and fresh perspectives. I have found that conversations with
Familiar people can often get a bit repetitive and prejudged.
Get some audio books. There is a definite benefit from aural (as in heard) inputs
from more accomplished speakers. Any topic will do. As you listen, repeat after
them. I am a constant customer of Audible, try it free - 30 day audiobooks free trial
from Audible . Listening to good books is a double win, both for the language and
for speech and presentation.
Try reading printed books aloud. Get into and emulate the characters, perhaps
recalling them from a play or a show or a film you saw. And there are both
"narrated" and "dramatized" versions of audio books. Venture into the the
dramatized versions.
Go small - brief and succinct. The same sentence can be rambled on with 100+
words; or engage and energize with 5. Greatest writers and speakers often don't
waste words. There are quite a few books that teach how to use fewer words and
cut down the superfluous and redundant.
Good luck and best wishes.

Andrew Hennigan, Compelling speaker, coaches speakers. TEDxStockholm

speaker coach.
Written May 18, 2016
Here are some simple steps to becoming a more articulate speaker in conversations:
Recalibrate your expectations. If your aim is to speak like the actors in a movie or a TV
show you might need to recalibrate your expectations. That witty exchange that took seven
seconds to deliver might have taken a team of writers several weeks to rewrite to perfection.
Real-time conversation rarely reaches that level.
Listen to real-world conversations. Find opportunities to talk with people who talk about
interesting things. This might be in the local bar but is more likely to be at events where
people meet who love language. This might be a local writers group, the village debating
society or whatever.
Slow down, think before talking. Haste is the enemy of clear speaking. Dont be afraid to
take a moment to digest what you have heard and to reflect before you speak. One or two
seconds delay isnt likely to cause you any problems but might give your brain time to find
the right word.
Consume words in industrial quantities. Finding the right word often means knowing
that the word exists and having it in a layer of your brain where it can be retrieved. Listen to
talk radio, podcasts, speeches, TEDx talks, lectures and any other content where you are
exposed to a rich vocabulary. Read quality newspapers and magazines.
Practice, practice then practice some more. Reading and listening will give you a more
robust passive vocabulary, but to learn how to use all these words appropriately you also
need to practice conversation. Find opportunities where there are spaces for talking with
like-minded people about a broad range of topics. Attend events that are outside of your
normal area, talk about topics you dont normally talk about.
And dont forget that listening.

704 Views View Upvotes Answer requested by Nornubari Frank Deezua
Seth Mohan, Embodying the principles of Kaizen to the best of my ability

Written Oct 19
Toastmasters. Almost every major city/town in the world has a club, and this is a great place
to improve your writing and speaking skills.
Joining Toastmasters in my 20s opened up a world of growth for me. I was able to improve
my communication skills by making regular speeches. I went from being extremely shy and
introverted teenager to being an actor and Youtuber.
Having time constraints on the speeches meant I had to write concisely while adding as
much detail as possible. When delivering the speech I had to stand in front of a room full of
people and share my story. This helped me overcome my nervousness.
After the speech I was evaluated by pre-assigned peers on my performance. They observed
my confidence, clarity, tone, volume, use of crutch words like umm and uhh. Having my
speeches critiqued in this manner by people who are passionate about communicating
eectively was a huge blessing. I was able to record my speeches on video and evaluate
them later in more depth.
I also learned to evaluate other members and give constructive feedback in a professional
and empathic manner.
In short, joining Toastmasters helped me be a better writer, understand the nuances of story
telling, and be a more confident speaker.
Coach Martin Wilson, I am a Proessional Speaker

Written Jun 3, 2016
Self Articulation
By Martin Wilson
The best way to better articulate yourself is to gain a greater self awarness. Self-awareness
starts with understanding that everything is perception. The greater yourself awareness is,
understanding your feelings, knowing your triggers, knowing what you really want in life,
the better you will be able to articular and express yourself to others.
When you don't have a clear awareness of yourself your perception and articulation of who
you really are will be distorted.
www.coachmartinwilson.live
Available on Amazon.
521 Views
Andr Mller, linguist, Esperanto speaker, sci-fi fan, geek

I never had problems with clear pronunciation, but I noticed something:
With an ex-girlfriend of mine, we enjoyed both to read out books to each other (usually each
one one chapter) and over the time, this indeed helped me be able to read faster, speak
clearer and also talk faster (when necessary).
So I assume that you can train yourself by reading out loud (well, not necessarily very loud)
whatever book or newspaper you're reading, either to yourself or to your partner, starting
slowly but clearly, enunciating every syllable. After a while you will become quicker
automatically.
Say Keng Lee, Knowledge Adventurer & Technology Explorer in Optimum

Performance Technologies
Written Jan 25, 2016
I like to share some practical approaches with you:
Before you speak, always make it a point to have a strategic framework in your head, by
asking yourself
[Just remember, our mind speed is much faster than our tongue speed!]:
- what's my intended objective? or what does the recipient or audience want from me?
- how best can I put it across to them?
There are many ways to put across or explain something, as information and.or idea, can be
best organised and structured as follows from the explanatory standpoint, drawing upon
my own extensive experience in strategy consulting and performance coaching:
- listing or enumeration;
- topical;
'- definition;
- classification
- process;
- chronological;
- compare and contrast;
- order of importance;
- sequence;
- spatial;
- cause and eect;
- problem:solution;
For example, when explaining something that is a listing or enumeration, the strategic
framework one holds in the head is to use a numerical sequence to explain the information.
If it's a process that you are explaining, you know very well that a process always involves
stages or steps, in a sequence.
That's to say, there's a start-point, an endpoint, and a developmental path of transition

points in between.
With such a strategic framework in the mind, your explanatory path just follows the
sequence.
Does this approach makes sense to you?
So how do you practise?
Here are a slew of possible practices:
1) Watch any Hollywood movie from a DVD, and switch it o at 60-minute point, you can
just do a running commentary - by speaking aloud - onto the recorder function of your
smartphone: your personal impressions and/or feelings about the movie plot up to the 60-
minute cut o point;
2) Listen to an international news broadcast, and do your best to articulate your viewpoint
about the rationale and motivations of the report as broadcasted;
You can replicate this initiative when reading your daily English news paper;
3) Grab any postcard or photo or picture at random, and proceed to describe in detail - again
by speaking aloud - what's in the picture:
whats the theme/what's in the foreground/what's in the background/what's in the centre or

middle/what's on the right/what's on the left/what's at the top/what's at the bottom/what at
the top-right/top-left/bottom-right/bottom-left/what's happening/is it inside or outside/who's
there/how's the weather and/or timing; how do you know/compare and contrast/how do you
feel/what do you like/what do you dislike/would you like to be in the postcard or photo or
picture; why and why not?
4) Once in a while, invite your social buddies over a cuppa or a simple quick meal, under the
pretext of holding social conversations/intellectual interactions;
5) Identify a few MNCs in your city, and then, one by one, call up their Customer Service to
enquire about a product or service, or make a product or service complaint, just for the sake
of having an imaginary conversation; naturally you need to do your homework first to put
some realism;
6) Do a public speaking gig at your local community club or public library, say for free as a
volunteering contribution to society, just to showcase your technical expertise and vocal
prowess at the same time;
7) Join a local chapter of the international Toastmasters' Club in your city, if any;
Frankly, with a little bit of ingenuity and imagination on your part, the possibilities to
improve your speech are virtually unlimited.
I like to reiterate that your verbal facility and conversational fluency can only come from
massive usage and consistent practice in dynamic interpersonal interactions in the real
world as much as you can!
John Chang, I help creative entrepreneurs make small changes for BIG results

Speaking like writing is an art.
Sure, there are scientific approaches to it. You can go the Toastmasters route for that.
But the best speakers hone their craft by spending hours and hours practicing.
Here these authors talk about Steve Jobs prepared for his now famous Stanford speech -
How Steve Jobs Made Presentations Look Eortless
And often rather than hiding behind subject matter, the best speakers connect with their
audience by being vulnerable.
http://brenebrown.com/2013/12/17...
I know, this is the opposite of what we're taught, right?
Especially when public speaking is our number one fear -
Sorry, if you were looking for some shortcut, simple answer.
But here's what NOT to do - don't be that guy.
You know the one that loves fifty cent words that say nothing.
There was guy in our ROTC unit back in college that loved to use words that I often
wondered whether he understood the meaning..
BIG words don't make you look smarter!
So, look for opportunities to practice speaking, be willing to be vulnerable and connect with
your audience, and most of all be yourself!
511 Views
Jason T Widjaja, Pupil of everyday life, every day.

Written Mar 8, 2016
The short answer is: with a partner.
I have been walking around with jumbles of thoughts for the longest time, and the saying
that captures this is:
"The times I have the most to say are the times I can't talk"
All that changed when I met someone whom I could engage at length about topics I was
interested in. He would challenge my point of view and ask for clarity in a non-judgemental
way. For me, expressing those ideas with him helped crystallise them in my mind and
change the way I think, giving me clarity when I think and speak. I also found myself using
those same phrases in work situations to good eect.
I think everyone could use someone like that.

1k Views View Upvotes
Richard Neno, Graphic designer, gamer, horror bu, geek, gay dude. Not
necessarily in that order.
Written Oct 2, 2014
Work as a sales clerk in a bookstore.
Even if it's only for a few months, but this will help you improve in 2 ways: 1) you'll be forced
to talk to people. A lot. One of the most common of which will be responding to the
question, "what would you recommend?" You'll quickly grow comfortable having
conversations with complete strangers, which will allow you to articulate well.
B) You'll start reading. A lot. I read 7 or 8 books a week. Much of that is from my 4 years at
Borders. Everyone working there will have recommendations and your conversations will
revolve around them. Not only does being well read make you look smart, it teaches you
new words and how to use them in context, thus increasing your vocabulary.
Plus, working in a bookstore pretty much kicks ass. It's one of the best jobs out there.
Steve Nieker, Startup Advisor & Founder Coach

Written Jun 2, 2015
Communication is not about the size of your vocabulary or mastery of idioms. It's about the
relationship between the speaker and listener. To be a great communicator, focus on having
a clear position ("I don't know" is the one of the most versatile), on understanding the
position of your co-communicator, and sincerely trying to bridge the dierence with words.
You'll find that how you speak says far less about you than what you mean.
845 Views View Upvotes
Rahul Sinha, Self-Improvement starts with self-help.

Written Oct 20
To develop the art of articulation, do something about it everyday!
Organize your thoughts.
To articulate the thoughts eectively, you need to have organized thoughts. For that take
your time to organize the thoughts and then express it. It means allow yourself to think
before you put it in writing or in voice.
Herere couple of ways to practice it.
To write your thoughts eectively, create an outline. Suppose you writing an

email to your superior but you dont know how to frame your thoughts eectively,
then it is better to create a rough sketch of your thoughts. When youve the outline,
then stretch the outline with your thoughts on each and every heading and sub-
heading. For this make use of bulleted lists or pointers instead of paras.
To speak your thoughts, take a pause. Have you ever considered the significance
of full stop after every sentence? Right! thats for your help. It help you to pause a
second after a sentence, think, organize and frame next sentence. Thats what you
need to do while speaking. Dont try to be a bullet train. While speaking be the car
which adjust as per the road conditions. Taking a pause for couple of secs not make
much dierence if you able to convey your message eectively.
Speak or write consistently. when you writing or speaking, follow the consistency in the
length. i.e. dont keep one sentence short and next one bit long. Maintain a reasonable
length. The consistency in the length will allow you to frame and convey the thoughts
eectively and eciently.
While speaking, take care of your tone as well. Keep it consistent. i.e. to express on sentence
you shouldnt seem too happy and for next too sad. Neutralize the tone.
Use mirror. at times it is bit dicult to take care of length, variation, tone, pitch and so
many things. In that case, learn from others. Apply the mirroring technique. Under this
technique, do as others doing. The more you do, the better youll learn to articulate
thoughts like others.
Suppose you want to speak eectively, for this watch movies, news or commentaries.
Observe and recognize the tone, length of the sentences, pitch and variations of
commentators, anchors and so on. Practice their approach as they do. Itll help you to learn
it bit easily.
Courtesy of image
1.4k Views View Upvotes Answer requested by Palak Jagtiani
John Camarines, won and lost speaking competitions

Two things:
1. Talk to yourself.
I participated in broadcasting competitions when I was in High School. I won Best Male
Anchor in the English Category in my home city.
The reason of which is simply because I "practiced" imitating those anchors at CNN: how
they speak, how they articulate their words, how they express their opinion. (I'm 15 back
then, so hey, what do I know.)
I also gave out imaginary speeches at the privacy of my bedroom. That was how I was able to
become confident in my own manner of speaking.
I basically talked to myself, a lot.
2. Talk and listen to other people.
I suggest you befriend someone who you know is a good public speaker. Try to converse
with him, and see him in action with others. Take note on how he speaks. Listen and
observe attentively.
You might be surprised at how many things you can learn from just spending one hour from
this person.
Good luck!
Philipp Scholz, 20, been to the bottom, now I'm here.

Written Mar 8, 2016
Yes, you should.
You seem insecure if you don't speak clearly. It is a great idea to practice this during
daily conversation.
There is really no special trick. I think you've done the most important step, you are aware
of the problem.
Now every time when you speak and you find yourself mumbling, start to speak more
clearly. Over time this behaviour will become engrained in your mind.
If the problem stays, I think it would be a great idea to consult a logotherapist.

711 Views View Upvotes Answer requested by 1 person
Craig Good, Teller of stories, many of which are true.

Written Aug 2, 2014
Practice.
Find an improv class and take it. Seriously. This will put you more at ease, and get you to
stop beating yourself up for a perceived "failure".
Practice some more.
Lighten up on yourself. Your question was coherent and articulate. And everybody
everybody thinks of something better to say later. The French named it L'esprit de
l'escalier .
Then go practice.
2k Views View Upvotes Answer requested by 1 person
Jeanne Locke Alford, A lifelong learner and keeper of many shortcuts

Written Jun 18, 2016
Sometimes the bane of really smart people is simple: they are really smart thus they think
too much.
Now that that is out of the way.
You are a thinker and ponderer, no doubt. Nothing wrong with this, so accept it. Some
people can shoot from the hip and have to learn to live with consequences of speaking (or
writing) too quickly. You think about all that first.
So its an organization skill that you need.
I counsel young managers to ask themselves a few questions before they write an email or a
report:
1. Who is my audience? (peers, managers, senior mgmt., customers, etc.)
2. What do I need to say here?
3. Why is this important to my audiene?
4. What do I want my audience to do with this information? (Call to action)
The old rhetoric rubric comes into play: Tell them what youre going to tell them. Tell them.
Then tell them what you told them.
Answering these simple questions set ups Tell them what you are going to tell them.
These questions work before you write an email, make a phone call, present at a meeting.
They simply help to clarify what your message is.
Hope this is useful.

Vincent Chin, Learning the art of communication

Written Oct 21
A senior sales engineer at Telstra once told me, people only remember two things about
you, your confidence, and key points that you said.
Confidence comes from knowing what you do really well, so that means lots of hard work
and study. But thats not the question, so lets skip that. The second thing key points, is
the trick to talking. And Ill tell you what George from Telstra told me.
Tell them what youre gonna tell them, and tell them what you told them.
In other words, tell them your idea, your purpose, your vision, or whatever it is you want to
tell them.
And tell them the same thing again.
Let me give you an example. If someone asks you how your day went, and you go like,Oh it
was great.
Chances are theyre gonna forget it.
Who is going to remember how your day went when there are plenty of things out there to
remember?
However, if you go like this,
Oh it was great. It was great because 1)I woke up early and had a good night. 2)My boss gave
me a raise today. 3)I met an old friend of mine and we had the most wonderful talk we ever
had. And thats why my day was great.
So you ask, why would they even bother remembering anything about me?
Well, youre right. No one is ever going to remember all three reasons as to why your day was
great. In fact, theyll probably forget right after you talk to them. However, they will
remember this.
Your day was great.
Thats what they got out of the conversation. Thats what theyll remember. People forget
the reasons, but remember the idea.
Tell them what youre gonna tell them, and tell them what you told them.
And that my friend, is the trick to talking.

Stacey Danheiser, CEO, SHAKE Marketing Group, Co-Author of Value-ology

A few good resources to consider:
Attend free industry webinars. A ton of companies sponsor "best practices" webinars
where their customers share their stories - including challenges or pitfalls to avoid.
Learning from what your peers are doing is a quick and easy way to add value to your own
organization.
Audiobooks. I love my local library and order business books (on CD's or digitally) to listen
to in my car. This makes my commute time way more productive. I don't know about you-
but I personally don't have 5 hours a day to sit down and read!
LinkedIn pulse. The articles published here aren't too technical and they tend to be easier
to understand than reading an industry or trade publication (which assumes you already
know all of the industry jargon). You will find interesting people to follow and may even
build a relationship with the "authors" when you reach out with questions/ thoughts.
Find a mentor. You need to feel comfortable asking your basic business questions. Having
a mentor will force you to get organized and focus on what you want to learn (as you want
every meeting with your mentor to be productive).
Marc Wong, Author of "Thank You for Listening"

Written Mar 25, 2016
Keep a journal.
Some of the best things I've said in "everyday speech" were actually written down days ago.
A lot of stu that looks impromptu or o-the-cu is actually scripted and rehearsed
repeatedly until it looks that way. Even improvisation (both jazz and comedy) requires work
and practice before hand.
You can write about the day's events, and your thoughts on things happening at work and
around the world. You can write about a specific topic. You can refine your ideas, change
your mind, or just write about how confused you are. Then you can quote yourself whenever
you feel like it, as if you made it up on the spot.
Barry Hampe, I've done some

Written Sep 4, 2015
1. Read. Read everything. Read how people talk in novels. Read how people express
themselves in essays. Learn how to use language by reading.
2. Listen. What is the dierence between the way you speak and the way people you
admire speak? Self-correct.
3. Avoid big words. Big words are for thinking. Small words are for speaking. One
doesn't really understand something until one can explain it in small words.
4. Practice. You have to speak to become good at speaking. So talk to people.
5. Critique. Record yourself talking in a real (or imagined) conversation. Play it back
and critique how you did. Listen for fumbles, um, er, ahs, mispronounced words,
poor grammar. See if you get to the point or wander about aimlessly.
6. Repeat 3 and 4 as much as you can
7. Learn. Take a speech class or join Toastmasters International, where you will have
to speak in public and be critiqued by others.
8. Wait. Be sure you have something to say before you speak.

68.8k Views View Upvotes Answer requested by Peniel Jacobson
Anwar Mahmood
Written Jun 2, 2015
Assuming the language is English,
read a serious newspaper, such as Washington Post, New York Times, Guardian
watch serious television, such as BBC News
listen to serious radio and podcasts, such as BBC Radio 4
observe the verbal and none verbal communications by speakers on TED.com
practice, for example create a blog/vlog of things you are passionate about, oer to
deliver talks at schools, old people's homes, professional networking events, etc
Good Luck!
Bill Gibbons, A Constant Work in Progress.

Written Oct 23, 2014
Read.
And use a dictionary.
Together.
Diligent reading and cross referencing words that you either don't know or are unsure of the
definition or use, will expand your vocabulary very quickly. Knowing what words mean and
how they should be properly used will make your speech much more confident. When you
speak with confidence, you will be amazed at how people will listen and what you can get
away with!
Michael Taylor
This is a lifelong challenge. To complement the good advice already written, I will suggest
an honorable mention for increasing one's 'vocabulary'. The world not only judges you by
what you say, but how you say it. Using words that are accurate(honest), witty, and that
challenge status quo are pathways to being noticed and revered.
How does one increase vocabulary? When you listen to others use buzzwords, you will be
immediately tempted to copy them. Resist. Research a synonym and create a new way of
saying the same thing. Verbalize it privately a few times. Imagine who you might say it to
during a lunch break and give it a try. The more you do this, the easier it gets.
Here is an example: SpaceX had a stage 1 rocket explode recently during an historic attempt
to land it on an ocean barge. Rather than refer to it as an explosion, CEO Elon Musk
understated it as a 'rapid unscheduled disassembly event'. I am guessing that this
descriptive was already in his head before the explosion and that he had already practiced it
before the media picked it up. The descriptive was accurate, witty, and had the eect of
characterizing the event as a learning experience rather than a failure. Good leaders own
their words. Less successful leaders are owned by their words.
There are other two cautionary issues. First: know your audience and don't use words that
they have to google. The other is to not let your words become fluy and unauthentic.
People respond to people who can keep it real, so be yourself, just an improved version.
Rob Norman, Cooking Geek

Updated Oct 29, 2012
# As silly as it sounds, talk to yourself about whatever while you are, say, cleaning house.
# Speak slowly and clearly while pronouncing words correctly.
# Use pauses to think not just what you are going to say, but how you are going to say it.
# Enunciate all parts of all words.
# Also reading out loud, even of its just what you are reading in the news or here on Quora
will help build up your linguistics.
Andrea May, Instructional Designer, Project Manager, Vice President

A good place to start is to practice reading out loud. The material can be anything, a news
story, a book, the back of a cereal box. Just do it out loud and really try to make sense of
what you are reading to your imaginary listener.
Ken Hensley, Successful history of helping people learn, grow, and reach their
potential.
Written Apr 6, 2016
Practice Self-Control to be More Eective
The key to being concise and articulate is knowing what to say -- and what not to say. This
requires developing the ability to practice self-control.
Six Tips to Better Self-Control When Speaking
1. Dont dump everything into the presentation that you discovered in research.
Thats called a data dump, not a presentation.
2. Stay focused on your goal and stick to it. This assumes you have a well-defined
goal or call-to-action.
3. Dont chase rabbit trails, even when you find them entertaining (your audience
may not find them so entertaining; they may find them distracting). Self-control
means Im refraining from doing something I might really want to do.
4. Communicating with self-control requires you to be yourself, not someone

else. You cant speak with self-control if you're not being yourself.
5. Be disciplined about what to keep and what to cut. Think of speaking like eating
a healthy diet: what do I need to quit eating? What do I need to eat more of?
6. Put the needs of the audience to learn and be transformed over your need to
be armed and rewarded.
While self-control seems restrictive, its actually one of the most liberating things you can
do in any area of life, but especially in public speaking.
So, if you want to be a better communicator, get yourself under control.

David Higgins, works at Higher Education

Written Jun 3, 2015
The first two, communication skills, and being articulate are certainly things that can be
cultivated.
In communication there is always two parties [at least] The communicator and the
receiver/s of the communication.
1. The receiver of the communication is always more important than the the sender. This is
because for communication to be eective, it has to be both understood and appreciated.
Knowing what the mind of the receiver is like, likes, and the likely background knowledge it
contains are the keys here. Molding your communication for them means it can hit the
mark. Its not about you and what you think, its about creating a bridge.
2. The content of the communication needs to be structured so that it has a story like
sequence. This is because our minds evolved in a cauldron of stories, and it is how so much
of the information that is our culture and knowledge has been transmitted for countless
year before written language. Carry the receiver through the communication so they want
to get to the end of each sequence. There needs to be a sense that hearing the next part is
going to be worthwhile.
3. If it is speech it needs good tonal characteristics, just like the highs and lows of a story, the
dramatic moments interspersed with the thoughtful etc. In writing this is trickier.
Being articulate is a matter of having very clear conceptions of what you mean and an
arsenal of language to do it with. These two are actually connected, because building a well
developed vocabulary, builds your capacity for understanding finer distinctions between
connected and related ideas. Articulate is a sort of accuracy using a as fewest word possible
to define clearly the concept you want to convey. More accurate words help with this but
they need to be comprehensible to the receiver. Being articulate about feelings is a
challenge for many because they do not really fully understand their feelings and the
minutiae of their composition. Being articulate about technical things has the same issue in
the technical domain. You can't be articulate about things you don't understand, but you
can still be articulate about exactly what you don't understand. This is how good questions
are generated.
A way with words... well maybe you can develop it, but I think the mysterious quality of
putting language together in creative and engaging ways without losing the plot has an
inborn element. I have certainly seen it run in families, though perhaps they learn it o
each other.
I would guess its a talent that like any other talent can be more or less cultivated from its
base level.
Perhaps you could spend time listening to the worlds best comedians, and observe, think
about and mimic what they actually do with their words and presentation to be so engaging.
As you may realize retelling a joke does not always work, because there is so much that goes
into successful comedic communication.
Brian Zahn, electronics tech, baker, sculptor, writer

Written Jun 3, 2015
Quite simply, everyone wants to be heard.

When someone actually hears you, you feel acknowledged and armed, that you are
somebody and that you have something to say. It is always quite gratifying whether it's just
a mate, your lover, the cop who stopped you or standing in front of the judge.
The key here is reciprocation and you will reap as you have sown.
Learn the art of listening. It takes patience and empathy to wait on what the other person
has to say with a focus of attention on what they are telling you. Providing you give them
your undivided attention and allow them such time as they need they will feel unburdened.
Provide a short contemplative pause to insure that they are finished and waiting for your
response rather than risk interrupting their train of thought. Very few people will expound
on anything much longer than 3 to 5 minutes [except your professor] and they will run out
of things to say and look to you to respond. This is your chance to acknowledge everything
that they have said by paraphrasing the whole of it and asking if you misunderstood or
missed anything. This provides them with anotheropportunity to collect their thoughts and
because they have been given a chance to actually articulate what's on their mind outloud
to an audience that is actually listening they frequently will have gained an instant insight
into their own problem simply having had the opportunity to voice it. Your part here is
again to wait patiently for your que. If you are asked for advice then you can put on your
best advisor's hat and tell them from the heart to the best of your ability, based on the
information provided, what course you think seems best, but only if they ask. Treat
everyone you relate to with all the respect, empathy, and kindness that you can muster and
whether it is your parent, your friend, that judge, your lover, your boss, brother, or the guy
on the street, the lessons you learn will be valuable and many, and all of your relationships
will improve [and your circumstance and fortune] because all of those people will think that
you are exceedingly intelligent, understanding and kind, mostly simply because you took
the time to really listen to what they had to say. You treated them like a human being, they
felt it, will remember it, think highly of you and will most likely be reciprocal when given
the chance. Try it and see if it is not so.
Alex Iacob, studied at Communication

Written Jun 2, 2015
This does not apply solely to English:

- Read. A lot!
- Study the art of public speaking, oratory and start building your speech techniques
- study logic
- study non-verbal communication, body language
- start listening to others. What you're looking for is called charisma. Some people are born
charismatic, others learn it. But a general idea is to have subjects to talk about, experiences
to share. So start doing things. Then you'll have stories to tell
- go ahead and start having conversations, small chat, anything. What are you afraid of?
That others will judge you? That they'll think you have nothing to say and you'd better shut
up? Get that fear out of your mind!
Amal Dorai, studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

One fun way to learn good enunciation is to learn some rap music. Take a song like Rapper's
Delight, slow it down 2x without distorting the pitch, and load it in recording software like
Audacity. Record yourself attempting each line and listen to your recording after each take.
Once you've nailed it, start speeding up the track.
Harnoor Singh Kasva, An active Toastmaster. Competitive Public Speaker.

Written Oct 21
I had to resign myself, many years ago, that I'm not too articulate when it comes to
explaining how I feel about things. But my music does it for me, it really does - David
Bowie
I am very sure that you are very Articulate already, but you just need to realize it. Herss a
video that helped me a lot, I hope itll help you too.
Other than speaking you can be Articulate through your Art, Music, Poetry, Dance or any
other creative pursuit too. What matters is conveying your feelings as purely as possible.
Love yourself, be confident in your abilities and youll be much more Articulate.
Cheers :)
195 Views View Upvotes Answer requested by Palak Jagtiani
Blayne Jacobs, Self-employed life coach. Founder of SupremeSelf.org. The

guitar-wielding shaman
Written Oct 20
Hey there! I have been working on this aspect of my life as well. I am doing it right now as I
am typing this. I put extra awareness into my typing so that I make sure I write articulately.
If I keep putting this awareness into my writing, eventually, my articulating neurons will
be strengthened and articulation will become second nature to me.
I had a friend who stuttered. Think of stuttering as a record being played on a stuck
phonograph. The reader of the record gets stuck and slips backward over and over again to
create this repetition of words or sounds. In stuttering, the record is the sequence of
neurons that the speaker intends to engage in but, for some reason, it forms a loop and goes
on re, rep, repe re, repeat.
So the advice I gave my friend was to anticipate when he is about to stutter and lock in to
the parent syllable that causes the stuttering method. I asked him to hold it there so that he
pauses in the middle of the sequence of neurons that hold the stutter. Hed say something
like, I do not stu I then asked him to finish the word slowly and focus on completing the
word as opposed to speaking fast like, I do not stuuuuuu
So he ends up saying something like, I do not stuuuuuuuuuutter. If he keeps on doing it at

a slower speed to the point where he can say the entire sentence without stuttering then he
can start working at saying it at a faster speed.
So, what I am basically saying to you is that articulation is a habitual practice. You have to
pay attention to your words when you speak and slowly become more mindful of your
communication. You will develop the articulation neurons in your brain when you do this.
So, some practical practices:
When speaking or writing, focus on the flow of logic in your words. It has to make
sense. Making sense slower at first leads to making sense faster later.
Keep in mind that articulation lies in the communication the receiver is

experiencing.
Read many books by very articulate authors.
Speak a lot to your fellow human beings while being mindful of your
communication. If you lisp or stutter, put your focus on the annunciation of your
words.
Listen to public speakers, Tedx for example. Focus on how people whom are
already articulate speak.
Dont be too hard on yourself. It is fun to learn. Good luck.

PJL, Used to be lead singer in a band

Thanks for inviting me to answer the question, although I'm not sure I'm best-placed to
articulate my answer, haha!
Personally, I was lucky to grow up with a good education so that was a good start, though
unfortunately not helpful in this context..
I find that not reading books but reading magazines is a help, as they have a more
conversational tone.
Another point would be that articulation is the art of making oneself understood. I need to
think things through probably more than the average person, as I try to make sure that I am
understood.
Learn where it is appropriate to be concise, and where explanation is needed.
I also 'rehearse' conversations sometimes in my head. The shower is a good place for this!
Rohit Gulati, Football fanatic,Loving brother,aspiring engineer. Drunk with

thoughts
Written Jun 3, 2014
Start by talking to yourself about things you believe in or feel strongly about. Slowly you'll
start making sense of yourself,when that happens you'll be more articulate about everything
else too. Worked for me. You just have to think for yourself.
Artiom Rombakh, Amateur psychologist

I had the same problem back then.
Unfortunately, I can't recommend you anything but talking to other people. Live
conversations are very unique experience and with all advances in technologies they still
cannot be imitated adequately so that one could train their reaction to come up with proper
and timely replies.
What you ask is the same as "how can I learn reading in foreign language without reading
something in foreign language" or "how can I learn to ride a bicycle if I don't have a bicycle"
Just talk with people more.

633 Views
George Mosko, Human Being, Father, Consultant, Innovator, Entrepreneur

Know your audience: what is they want to hear? What is it they need to hear? What is it that
they are struggling with?
Anything that you say to answer those questions will be important for them to listen to.
Are they having a hard time making decisions? Hiring and leading people?
Lincoln said: "If you have 60 minutes to say something, spend 40 minutes preparing and 20
minutes saying it."
The best TED speakers were analyzed and what's common to their talks is that about 65% of
their talk is part of "their story."
Stories have, for thousands of years, resonated with humans.
Stories. Know your audience. Prepare. That's a good start.

192 Views
Muhammad Jehanzeb
Written Jan 21, 2015
Practice writing. It will help you organize your thoughts and convey your feelings in a more
concise manner. Increase you vocabulary. It will help you in indentifying new behavior
from which you can express yourself.
Think briefly before you speak. Pauses in speech are good. Replace the "umms" with silence.
Speaking fast indicates nervousness. Ask your self if you are. You may need to find
confidence. Be firm, and try to reduce hesitation.
I have a blog and writing almost every day has made me understand my self better.
Understand yourself and you will be able to convey yourself.
Make blog, private or public. Its up to you.

Suretta Williams, Life Experience, Teen Mentor, Been Giving Advice (when
asked) for years
Written Mar 9, 2016
Thanks for the A2A
The first thing you have to do to stop mumbling, is to look at someone's face. Many people
literally can't "hear" what you are saying unless they read your lips. It's not a hearing
deficiency, but it's a processing issue. So, if you are looking down, and the person can't hear
you because you are mumbling, you'll still be confused. Another reason not to mumble is
that we "hear" our own voices and gauge our conversation level based (partly) on it.
So, mumbling is making your voice sound deeper (to you) but not to anyone else.
The other thing is to practice everyday phrases like "No, thank you," or "Have a good day" so
they sound pleasant. As soon as they sound pleasant, they are often easier to understand.
My son used to speak very quickly, even after speech therapy. He's 31 now, and I still have to
slow him down now and then.
You want obvious pauses between words, but not empty hollow caverns.
Amanda Harris, works at Writing

Written Oct 2, 2014
Not helpful, but I would say that you're articulate when writing from how you've explained
your question.
I am rubbish verbally. What I sometimes do, and this might not be applicable, is imagine a
graph showing the relationship between what I want to describe with reference to another
variable. I know how bad that sounds. So, if I wanted to articulate how I was progressing
with learning to drive I would visualise a line graph, time on the bottom axis and capability
(or not) on the y-. That would help me describe how I was doing.
Less nerdy, and perhaps you could have an image in your mind of a situation/person
whatever, then describe it. Maybe that would bypass the panic for words via however our
weird, individual brains work and make connections. Could you imagine you're reading the
transcript of what you would want to say? When I've tried to do some creative writing (and I
don't claim to be any good), I imagine I'm reading the book of the story I want to write.
I do wonder though, whether you're actually better than you think! TBH I'm not sure that
I've made any sense at all, but I thought I'd give it a go!
Seema Shah, Bio:Self review, a way of life! Friend, philosopher and Coach.
More at http://seemashah.in/; #talktoseemashah
Here goes my list of suggestions,provided you can take an initiative and follow them:
Search
Need clarity for questions,
in thoughts: people, and
Read, understand topics
and assimilate this information and Sign In
voice it out or pen it down.
Increase your vocabulary: Read.....
Become a little more extrovert: Interact more with people around.
Think a little faster and then express yourself: Read a little at a time, speak it out. If
no one is around, then speak to self.
Need to have empathy and sensitivity: while expressing your thoughts sand in the
other person's shoes. Speak in tone which is acceptable to others
Determination and commitment: This is a must,
Set defined goals and milestones and prepare an action plan and implement it to
completion:
Consistency in tasks at hand: Be regular.
Practice, it is never enough!
Specific inputs for conversation: Practice speaking in front of the mirror, talk to
self, with siblings, family, relatives, acquaintances. Move from general to specific
topics which you are more aware about. Gather courage and put your points across,
do not be one in the herd. Express your point of view based on what your heart
says, and ensure that your thoughts are aligned with your values and principles.
Specific inputs for writing: Quora is an ideal sandbox for improving your writing
skills. Even I have improved my writing skills over a period of time on Quora. Then
why not you? It is easy, you just need a kickstart.
Further insights are available from my answers on this and similar topics. but, just don't
read, action is equally important!
900 Views View Upvotes Answer requested by Akash Agarwal
Teena Cormack, Distinguished Toastmaster

Written Jun 7, 2016
Thanks for your question.
I will add three suggestions to the list you already have. Your local library may be a great
resource to find the groups I suggest.
1. Consider joining a Toastmaster Club. http://wwww.toastmastersinternat...
2. Consider joining a writing club near you. There are often groups who write and give
you the option to read your work aloud and/or oer suggestions for improvement.
3. As to reading more, that is also wonderful. Reading outside a preferred genre and
joining a book club may also assist in your quest. I trust these may assist you to
expand on the practice suggestion given by the others.
230 Views
Lisbeth Sebastian, Developer Romantic Traveller Reader

Written Jun 3, 2015
If you have enough time, you can learn it yourself. But I should warn you, it is a lengthy
process if your are going to do self study. If your need is pressing and you have a tight time
frame, you could always seek professional help.
The following are a few tips I keep on telling people to focus on, to learn English, or any
language for that matter. To have a way with words, as you put it, you need to interact with
more people and practice speaking.
1. Read a lot to increase your vocabulary. If you are strong on words, you can sing a language.
You can subscribe to online sites like dictionary.com , awad.com and use them at possible
occasions. If you tend to use a lot of fillers it is because you stumble and is in the search for
proper words. A strong vocabulary and you need not look back.
2. Start writing. That's another form of your speech. If you can write well, you can speak
eciently. The vocabulary you collect along the way is useless if you do not use it every day.
Try to keep a journal and write in it regularly, if you do not have the habit or passion to write
essays or stories.
3. Listen to international news channels like BBC, watch English movies ( first with sub titles,
then reduce them slowly) and TV serials. When you listen, you get to pick up the
pronunciation, idioms, phrases and the slang. This is in addition to your exposure to
vocabulary.
4. Speak in English in all the opportunities you can get. Practice speaking to yourself initially
to gain confidence. You can try to speak in front of a mirror. If you have friends who can join
you, you can do the exercise where you are given a topic, impromptu, and have to speak upon
it for a minute or two. While you are speaking, ask your friend to note down and count your
mistakes.
5. Join international forums like TED, Toastmasters etc. They give you constructive feedback
on your speech. If you are interested, you can do it regularly and get certified.
Akash Bathla, 27+ years of experience of living LIFE :)

Updated Sep 7, 2015
This is what I've been doing since a few years now -
1. Think in English (the best of all ).. It's a conversation you are having with yourself and no
one else is listening
2. Forget English movies. The accent is way too dierent to be caught be in the wee days.
3. Watch Indian English news channels - NDTV, TIMES NOW, etc.
4. Read English books and newspapers - and read them aloud. Makes your tongue and
facial muscles used to the movements required to speak English words in a flow.
5. Speak to someone in English, few minutes every day. Tell the person about your motive
so that he/she is supportive and can be a guide. Improves self confidence too.
6. Believe in yourself. Don't get disheartened. You didn't learn hindi in a few days' time
either, and even mistakes mean you are trying :)
7. And the best one - Sidhu paaji, some years back, was hell scared of speaking English. See
him now ;-)
Happy Learning :)
Jon Hilderbrand, By this time, I know pretty much how NOT to do everything!
Written Jun 5, 2015
Be patient, listen...actually listen. Too many people "hear" the person they are talking to, all
the while simply trying to think of the next thing they want to say, racing ahead of the
speaker in their minds, trying to assume they know what is going to be said.
Make the words "I do not know" your best friends, perhaps followed up with "Let me think
about it." You cannot know everything, so don't fake it.
Articulation comes from not just fluency, but familiarity, appreciation, study, and love of
one's language. Study etymology, Latin and Greek root words, Shakespeare, Greek and
Roman mythology, philosophy, theology. You know, in the High Middle Ages, theology was
known as "The Queen of the Sciences." Find out why.
Grab a copy of Bartlett's or The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. Just being able to come up
with a simple, but stunning, apropo one liner or anecdote at the right moment can be an
awesome feeling. But it's even better if you really feel it!
Q: "So, what's he saddest thing you've ever read?"

A: " 'Tired of all this eternal buttoning and unbuttoning' ".
Q: "How odd! Why do you say that?"
A: "It's over the grave of a wealthy Frenchman who committed suicide."
Or you are talking with friends about government oversight or who the "watchdogs" of
society should be, and just at the right time, you say--very wisely, of course--"But!" You raise
a finger, perhaps an eyebrow: "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"
And when your friends (assuming they're not budding lawyers or Latin/Italian majors!) look
at you in astonishment, you translate: "Who shall guard the guards?"
It's actually fun, but be prepared to be wrong, to mispronounce, to flub every once in a
while. No Oscar Wilde is born -- or hatched -- full grown. The dierence is in the recovery.
For every one liner you know, you need two to get out of a jam!
Good luck, and enjoy! "Words are all we have." Samuel Beckett
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Self-Improvement Life Advice

How can I become more articulate?

Easily switch between multiple Gmail accounts with Shift.

Tim Enalls, Data Analyst, Entrepreneur, Book Author

Here are additional tips to improve your overall articulation:

3. Visualize Yourself Speaking Well on National Television and in Front of Large

Related Questions More Answers Below

What can I do to become more articulate?

Does reading a lot make you more articulate?

How do I become a more interesting person?

How do I calm myself down and be more articulate while speaking?

What types of books can I read to help me become more articulate?

Conor Neill, Professor of Leadership Communication, Keynote Speaker on

Practice. How to say it well? Say it often.

Samridhi Arora, Exploring the Universe Within

simultaneously, you do multitasking thus compromising one over the other.

source for learning words from roots (English language).

7. Practice, Practice,Practice!! Nothing can substitute that. Practice in real time

I hope this is helpful.

Joshua Otusanya, Stand Up Comedian and Accountant. YouTube -

1. Practice speaking from your diaphragm instead of your throat.

Watch me put some of these points into practice on YouTube: ThisisJoshO

Sasha Strauss, Brand builder, speaker, teacher.

11.4k Views View Upvotes How do I become a more interesting person?

How do I calm myself down and be more articulate

How can I be more articulate in public speaking?

Domhnall O'Huigin, An amateur in lifelong love with the natural world.

The Demosthenes [1] method of articulation. He famously practiced speaking with

In my defense I don't consciously do it to seem 'grand', I learnt most of my vocabulary from

"I have a dream"

*not for the specific purpose in the question at least.

Brendan McCrain, Father, Writer, Business Owner

To speak better: listen more.

Hope this was a valuable perspective!

Jonathan Brill, Writer Relations at Quora

3. Describe everything in givens. Accomplished, ecient communicators are

Lat Nayar, Transformational Coach, Writer, www.loser2champion.com

So, first things first.

And it all starts with confidence.

Build from wherever you are. Like I did.

Just observe more.

Speech comes from breath.

Your speech will be much smoother with proper breathing.

3. Listen and pause

Then, pause with attention. It is a sign of respect.

Plus, it makes your listener feel more comfortable.

5. Improve your vocabulary

Read great books. Read a lot. Read many authors.

It is an ongoing practice. Develop your whole personality by all of the above.

Dillon Forrest, forever a student

Hope this helps!

Fatima Sarwar, I read The Economist but I do Art

1. Articulation comes from having an understanding/knowledge of the subject

2. Articulation also comes from practice.

3. Articulation also comes from watching and listening.

4. Articulation, most importantly, comes from Confidence.

Alex Parry, Health, Life and Strength Coaching

Chris Loughnane, tersely cogent

Read books written by articulate people, and speak slowly.

I recommend Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (author)

Marcus Geduld, Shakespearean director, computer programmer, teacher,