How do I speak well? Can I learn?

[bananasinabowl]

I’ve always struggled to get my words out how I want them to sound. I can type well but I can say things well out loud.

I am an avid reader but this hasn’t made me able to speak well or be able to use the big words in the right context.

you know how Megan markle speaks well and is articulate? That’s how I want to be. It didn’t used to bother me before but now I have an important job that mean I have to be able to express what I mean. I jumble my words and sometimes can’t even pronounce words properly. It’s giving me anxiety.

Is there something I can do to improve? A course? Online ?

thank you

but I can’t say things well out loud

Will pm you

If it's important for your job, they may pay for you to work with a coach - there are lots of people around, many former actors or voice coaches - who can help you learn the tricks of the trade. Expensive but worth it imo.

If that's not feasible, it's practice, practice, practice. Talk out loud all the time. Read things out loud. Stop and check how any unfamiliar words are pronounced. Do things as slowly as possible (rushing and therefore garbling is incredibly common) - so take something simple like a nursery rhyme and see how slowly it is possible to read it.

Read children's books out loud (get from a charity shop) - they are designed to be read aloud so usually have a strong rhythm which is easy to pick up on.

I narrate cooking the dinner almost every night - here you can see I've diced the onions finely, but you could slice them into half moons if you like. Yes, DP thinks I'm mad but it amuses me and it's good practice, because it also makes you less sensitive towards the sound of your own voice.

There is SO much you can do to make this easier for you. Don't give up!

Also make sure your work isn't prioritising/praising the extroverts (like me!) who can speak up quickly and fluently. It's just as important to allow time for the introverts who need a bit of reflection time to put forward those ideas. You could suggest that meetings contain a short discussion, then there's a couple of days for the reflectors to put in their opinions over email.

There's a balance between you improving and you helping to create a culture where everyone can be heard, if that makes sense?

(See how my first answer jumped right in with solutions and then my second was more reflective? That's exactly what I mean, giving that extra beat means the jumpers-in can also contribute more quality)

Definitely practice.

Do you mean you have a stammer of some sort op, ie, a problem with fluently getting the words out? Or is it more that you don’t think you express your ideas in a clear way?

Completely agree with you on this. It’s really important to have an inclusive speaking culture in meetings.

Listen to radio 4 and audiobooks.

I struggle to form meaningful sentences or sometimes make any sound at all! Particularly when I feel under pressure. I am more articulate when I am relaxed or really engaged with and confident with what i'm saying. I hate talking in grops of more than three or four.

If it's any consolation, I don't think people listen to each other at work much anyway?

Interested in the answers you get op..

Practice. Enunciate. Try you-tube advice. I used to rush my words, so it was hard for others to hear the individual words clearly. I was able to improve this over a few months doing exercises with things like tongue twisters. A stammer would of course likely need more professional support!

Is the problem organising your thoughts to be able to articulate them clearly (i.e. forming the sentence) or is the problem the actual saying of the words which form the sentence (more of a mechanical issue)?

Not being able to pronounce words well can be a symptom of dyslexia - it’s not just practice in these cases, it’s a language-processing issue and can’t necessarily be overcome. You can form strategies to deal with it though. Don’t dismiss it because you can read well/easily - there are lots of different ways dyslexia can present itself and if you have an atypical presentation you might have missed out on being diagnosed when younger.

You also don’t need to use ‘big words’ to speak clearly and express yourself well - in fact, using inappropriately complex language can be a barrier not something to aspire to.

@bananasinabowl try a voice coach. RADA also have some great business courses that are worth looking at

Could have written this myself OP, thought I was going mad. Very well read but more and more I find I have lost my voice. I speak fast and have an accent and also speak quiet as I'm an introvert and almost want to retract my words as I say them when I'm in a work meeting, barely speak anyway. I over think and it's like my mind has gone to mush.
I'm trying to speak slower but despite that, find words and thoughts do not come easily when I'm under pressure