To ask for tips on becoming more articulate

[Happydays1244]

Some tips please ! I tend to rush through a story I’m telling ,or if I’m trying to explain something -partly due to lack of confidence .
I need tips on speaking/ becoming more articulate . Was at a presentation today and the person presenting just seemed so at ease and articulate .
Ps it’s not for doing presentations that I need this, just for day to day life outside work and in work also . Other people seem so at ease when talking at length/ explaining things/ recounting a story etc Thanks...

Read ! It really helps develop vocabulary

I'll be interested in the replies here. Not that I want to be more articulate, just curious if anyone can change. I would have thought you either have it, or you don't. You're either the person that has 20 seconds before everyone turns away, or you're the person who has people hanging on their every word.
Maybe practice the same story with different people. Maybe get in character when you tell a story, imagine you're the articulate person telling the story

You and me both OP! Bump ! Xx

Can you work on your confidence first of all?

If you are rushing through a story or explanation, is it because you don't think you're deserving of the listener's time? Because actually by rushing it might be more difficult to understand.

If it helps think over the main points you want to say in advance.

Practise making small talk with people at work or in shops. Just a little exchange of conversation.

I have to give presentations at work and I confess my tactic is 'fake it til you make it'. I'm often very nervous but have techniques to slow down my rapid heart and speech, I practise at home, and I think, I'm telling them something (hopefully) useful, they will want to listen (or be paid to be there!)

As a general tip I find reading more news helps me think of little snippets of small talk to fill silences. or I mention stuff I've read on mumsnet but don't necessarily quote the source.

Read a lot, and listen to Radio 4.

I've got loads of room for improvement but I often find making sure you are breathing correctly (no shallow breathing), smiling at the person I'm speaking to (or in a large assembly pick out one or two people in the room and "speak" to them) helps a lot.

Don't be embarrassed at "wasting" people's time and know your subject.

In a business environment, apart from being properly briefed, I've found also jotting some bullet points about the main points I want to cover - in the right order - helps me stay focused.

If all else fails and you're still nervous, pretend everyone is wearing a silly hat and go from there!

I've had comments on how articulate I can be since I was in school, I think it's because I was a big reader in primary school. As an adult I often pause for a few seconds until I've articulated what I want to say in my head before I actually say it. If the listener can't sit through a few seconds while I think of what I want to say next, then they need to work on their own conversation skills.

Happynow- that is very helpful... and also reading is an obvious aid that I hadn’t even thought of !
Probably a silly question, but any books in particular? Does it matter whether it’s fiction or non fiction?
Thanks for everyone’s tips so far!

Cant recommend any specific books I'm afraid - I did a short course at work a few years ago and that's helped me ever since. I have been a reader in a couple of wedding ceremonies since plus work events and I've found being prepared and having my crib sheet/bullet points help a lot.

Also meditative breathing helped me not just in those circumstances but during minor medical procedures as well, to calm my heartbeat and pulse. Good luck!

I often get comments about how articulate I am, I never even knew what it meant!

Hands! Use your hands while you talk, but not too much.

Speak closely, I know with a lack of confidence it can be really hard not to just mumble through and get it over with. But I try to imagine myself with all of the confidence in the world before speaking. I want to appear confident, I dont want people to know I'm so shy.

Water - if you find you are speaking fast and bunching all your sentences together without a break. Take a glass of water. Sip every so often after a sentence to give yourself breathing point, it gives you a moment to think about your next line without looking like hesitation and lets others take in the information you've already said.

Clearly not closely! Not articulate on a mobile. Bloody auto correct!

"Read ! It really helps develop vocabulary" just what I was going to say.

Also watch/listen good orators, modern and historical. Mlk, jfk, Peter Ustinov, thatcher (yes I hated her too but she was a very effective speaker), Obama, Churchill, Clinton, Roosevelt, Jackie O, the Greeks (Socrates, Cicero etc), Hilary Clinton, nye bevan, Gloria Steinem...

Watch things like Ted talks or even live parliamentary debates, or mps first parliament speeches.

"Probably a silly question, but any books in particular? Does it matter whether it’s fiction or non fiction?"

Not especially, though I'd err more to the literary than the popular for this. I'd personally recommend political/ideological speeches, well written biographies and autobiographies especially those by orators.

On a more "practical" level, slower - and then even slower was a tip I was given years ago, breathe, enunciate more than usual, pause after tricky words or concepts, don't overly focus on saying the exact words rehearsed of a speech, but understand it well so you can get the thrust/gist across. The audience don't know you missed a "the" in your 2nd sentence.

Practice, record yourself, listen to which words you struggle with and either work on pronouncing or thesaurus up an alternative (I have a slight speech impediment so it's best to avoid certain words)

Watch Amy Cuddy’s ted talks

Make sure you are breathing slowly and evenly. Say as little as possible to get your point across. Take a deep breath before you speak. Speak loudly and firmly. If you are addressing a room, aim for the person furthest back to make sure you are loud enough. And practice what you are going to say out loud several times, including a few versions so you can be seen to ad lib.

I practice out loud especially presentations to ensure it has proper flow. I do this repeatedly until comfortable
I write my own presentations and talks and try to make them accessible therefore limiting not expanding my vocabulary. I make points by metaphor and try to paint themes verbally

Presentation style that comes across as easy and articulate is something very practiced and refined to come to that point. Some do find it a lot easier than others,but you want to just feel more at ease yourself, for regular conversations?
Watch others, especially the pauses and body language,like the nods,or smiles, eyes, look for a style that you find appaeling and study what about it makes it work so well. Try not to work too hard, think of open questions to help open up conversation.

In terms of your breadth of vocab, reading and watching challenging literary productions, to expand your mind (where have I heard that before?)

There's lots of material online, but there's also places you can go see talks, too

I think to an extent OP, being articulate and effective public speaking are two quite separate skills. Public speaking can absolutely be learnt and taught, my previous employer often brought in coaches and held workshops for that very purpose. If you're serious about it and/or it would benefit you professionally, consider seeking one out, it pays dividends.

With regards to being articulate I think having a large vocabulary is key to be honest, work on expanding yours any way you can. Having the particular turn of phrase or word available off the top of your head ultimately saves you dithering, which is what results in gaps, and creates urges to fill them with anything, which becomes rambling.

Having the confidence to pause to think before giving an answer also helps, trust that you have the ability to formulate the words. Faking it until you make it works here, and not being afraid to retract and reword if you've spoken in error.

It sounds silly but find people you think are good orators and take notes, think about exactly what they're doing that you think sounds good- slow speaking, tone, vocabulary, syntax etc, rather than just letting your brain go 'well all of that was amazing, they're fantastic and I am shit'.

Recording yourself speaking is also helpful, and quite a lot of the in-work courses I've done involved watching our recordings back and analysing those.

Of course if you're just wanting to improve your confidence socially and dont have a need for public speaking or that skill in a workplace I'd recommend just finding ways to remind yourself that you're not in a hot seat, it's a neutral environment where you and the other person are equals. In conversation people are mostly put at ease with positive and open body language and open ended conversation that offers them the opportunity to discuss themselves in an environment that feels welcoming (ie- to someone that has expressed interest that comes across as sincere). Tell yourself that it's nice to chat, and good practice- what's the worst that could happen after all , rather than allowing your brain to file it as something you want to get over with asap.

Thank you! I am going to try all these tips! Any more are welcome:-)

Have you heard of Toastmasters? My DH joined a local club to improve his public speaking skills when he got a new job which involved giving lots of presentations. He found it incredibly worthwhile and enjoyable and it made a huge difference to his confidence and presentation skills.

Read literary fiction or academic nonfiction. Most people mirror language styles. So if you are reading daily mail article and pop fiction it’s only going to make your speaking worse.

Read.

I was a 12 year old off school with a reading age of 8.2 years later I no longer needed to do reading or spelling tests in school because I had mastered them.

The 6 months I was off I read everything from Goosebumps to Great Expectations.

Reading classic literature can really help with pronunciation as well as general literary intelligence.

Also English speakers teaching those with basic English are very clear and slow which helps you practice the techniques.

Read,read,read. Doesn't matter whether it's a newspaper or a novel. I've been an avid reader since the age of five (I'm now 55) and have had quite a few compliments over the years saying how articulate I am.

Agree with PP. Read anything and everything.

Also, wrt giving presentations and suchlike, there are great YouTube videos to watch from public speakers.

I mean, I read about 5 books a week and still fall apart at any kind of public speaking. My issue is definitely confidence.