Ordering your thoughts better/becoming more articulate?

[egglette]

Does anyone have any practical advice on this?

I've always been really interested in language; used to read a lot as a child and went on to study languages. However, somehow I feel it's not serving me that well professionally. I give (commercial/legal) advice for a living and it's about expressing yourself as clearly and precisely (ideally concisely) as possible.

The problem is, when I come to speak or write I feel like there are so many options available and I'm not normally happy with the first ones I choose. So I can spend forever rewriting emails, or worrying that in presentations the right words won't come on the spot. I don't think I'm just being fussy - the first things that come to me just often aren't that clearly expressed.

I have read some general advice but it's often along the lines of improving your vocabulary, reading more etc. but I'm not really sure that will help. If anything it will give me too many more options What I'm really looking for is to structure my thoughts a bit better in my mind, I think.

Sorry that this post demonstrates all the above issues 🙈 ! Really welcome any thoughts.

Write things down in advance

Practice

Slow down- often we start talking without thinking

Your expectations are too high. I do the same job as you, and that’s the craft. I rewrite many times, all the time. It’s a classic example of the old saying, ‘sorry this is so long, there was no time to write anything shorter’.

I don’t look for the right words in the moment when I am speaking. I plan what I am going to say, right down to the words I will use, not just what I am going to talk about.

Following with interest as this is something I’d like to improve, more so in speaking than in writing. The advice I’ve heard is to take pauses, breath and think in advance

In speech especially this could be down to anxiety, I speak without any problem in everyday situations but if I am a bit anxious I sound like a loon and wave my hands like an Italian grandmother for some reason