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What are good ways to improve your speaking abilities?
For example, in work meetings.
#internship #intern
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8 answers
Updated
Madison’s Answer
Some good ways to improve speaking skills:
- practicing in front of the mirror by yourself or in front of friends/family
- write down things you want to say and have others look it over
- take classes (if your school offers them) and get insight from teachers
- take a course in Speech and Debate or Speech Communications (it will help with getting you prepared for interviews, speaking in front of large crowds, and how to pace yourself)
I hope that helps!!
- practicing in front of the mirror by yourself or in front of friends/family
- write down things you want to say and have others look it over
- take classes (if your school offers them) and get insight from teachers
- take a course in Speech and Debate or Speech Communications (it will help with getting you prepared for interviews, speaking in front of large crowds, and how to pace yourself)
I hope that helps!!
Thank you Ms. Bradford!
Diogenes
Updated
Doc’s Answer
Diogenes the art of communication is not a skill that everyone is born with, but you can learn. Here are four ways to improve your communication skills.
NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
We all know that the majority of what we say is not communicated verbally -- it’s communicated through physical cues like our body language and our facial expressions. Studies show that 55% of communication is body language, 38% is the tone of voice and only 7% is the actual words spoken. It’s incredibly important to pay attention to nonverbal communication if you want to become a better communicator. Avoid sitting with your arms crossed, slouching or fidgeting and try to maintain a good amount of eye contact when speaking with others. When you master these tips for nonverbal communication, you’ll appear more open and your conversations will be more enjoyable for both parties, even if they don’t consciously realize it.
SEE IT FOR YOURSELF
A great way to improve your communication skills is to see and hear for yourself how you actually communicate. You can do this by recording yourself talk. For example, record one of your company meetings where effective communication is important. In fact, studies have shown that many employees leave meetings without knowing what they’re supposed to do next, so it’s the perfect opportunity to improve and implement your new communication skills. When you listen or watch yourself back, you’ll be able to easily determine the areas where you’re lacking in communication. Study how you give instructions; were they easy to understand? Listen to how you answered questions; were you listening attentively and did you provide a clear answer or meaningful advice? Just like professional athletes, watching your performance back will allow you to see and hear your mistakes and improve upon them next time.
LISTEN... CAN YOU HEAR IT?
You’ll never be an expert communicator if you’re always talking and never listening. Being an active listener is one of the best ways to encourage open communication with your employees. When your employees know that you’re really listening to them, they won’t hesitate to come to you again when they need to talk about an issue. Focus on truly listening to the other person in a conversation, instead of thinking about what you’re going to say next. Ask follow-up questions to show that you’re paying attention. When you practice these active listening skills often, listening, along with better communication, will begin to come naturally.
DO YOUR EXERCISES
A fun and effective way to improve your own communication skills, as well as the skills of your employees, is to participate in group communication exercises. Communicating is not just about saying the right thing and you can’t follow a script. Real communication is all about improvisation. Participating in group communication exercises will not only help you become a better communicator, it will also help you and your team work together more effectively. You can find a ton of team communication exercises online, such as repeating or following exercises, but you can also stick with a classic game of charades or even play board games like Settlers of Catan where communication and negotiation skills come into play. Whatever type of communication exercise you choose to do, play often and you’ll start to see a difference.
Diogenes great communication will not only help you become a better leader for your company but a better leader in all aspects of life. Whether you’re holding a company meeting, giving a keynote presentation, networking at a conference or maintaining your relationships with clients and customers, spend some time each day practicing your communication skills and all of your conversations will come out on top.
Hope this as Helpful Diogenes
NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
We all know that the majority of what we say is not communicated verbally -- it’s communicated through physical cues like our body language and our facial expressions. Studies show that 55% of communication is body language, 38% is the tone of voice and only 7% is the actual words spoken. It’s incredibly important to pay attention to nonverbal communication if you want to become a better communicator. Avoid sitting with your arms crossed, slouching or fidgeting and try to maintain a good amount of eye contact when speaking with others. When you master these tips for nonverbal communication, you’ll appear more open and your conversations will be more enjoyable for both parties, even if they don’t consciously realize it.
SEE IT FOR YOURSELF
A great way to improve your communication skills is to see and hear for yourself how you actually communicate. You can do this by recording yourself talk. For example, record one of your company meetings where effective communication is important. In fact, studies have shown that many employees leave meetings without knowing what they’re supposed to do next, so it’s the perfect opportunity to improve and implement your new communication skills. When you listen or watch yourself back, you’ll be able to easily determine the areas where you’re lacking in communication. Study how you give instructions; were they easy to understand? Listen to how you answered questions; were you listening attentively and did you provide a clear answer or meaningful advice? Just like professional athletes, watching your performance back will allow you to see and hear your mistakes and improve upon them next time.
LISTEN... CAN YOU HEAR IT?
You’ll never be an expert communicator if you’re always talking and never listening. Being an active listener is one of the best ways to encourage open communication with your employees. When your employees know that you’re really listening to them, they won’t hesitate to come to you again when they need to talk about an issue. Focus on truly listening to the other person in a conversation, instead of thinking about what you’re going to say next. Ask follow-up questions to show that you’re paying attention. When you practice these active listening skills often, listening, along with better communication, will begin to come naturally.
DO YOUR EXERCISES
A fun and effective way to improve your own communication skills, as well as the skills of your employees, is to participate in group communication exercises. Communicating is not just about saying the right thing and you can’t follow a script. Real communication is all about improvisation. Participating in group communication exercises will not only help you become a better communicator, it will also help you and your team work together more effectively. You can find a ton of team communication exercises online, such as repeating or following exercises, but you can also stick with a classic game of charades or even play board games like Settlers of Catan where communication and negotiation skills come into play. Whatever type of communication exercise you choose to do, play often and you’ll start to see a difference.
Diogenes great communication will not only help you become a better leader for your company but a better leader in all aspects of life. Whether you’re holding a company meeting, giving a keynote presentation, networking at a conference or maintaining your relationships with clients and customers, spend some time each day practicing your communication skills and all of your conversations will come out on top.
Hope this as Helpful Diogenes
Thank you Mr. Frick! It's helpful to know that I can practice even by doing something as simple as playing board games, and I will try to record myself.
Diogenes
Your welcome Diogenes. The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.
Doc Frick
Thank you for your support Diogenes. “At the end of the day it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished… it’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back.” – Denzel Washington
Doc Frick
Updated
Timara’s Answer
Join a local or virtual Toastmasters group. You'll be able to practice your communication and leadership skills in a safe environment that provides immediate feedback. You'll work through pathways tailored to develop specific skills.
Thank you Timara!
Diogenes
Updated
Jose’s Answer
Be prepared but you've already been given that advice which is good to listen to. Practice before hand what you are going to say is an old expression and it makes sense. As you hear your voice it will come to mind words to use and or omit as well as use of voice inflection and tone. You may find the need to emphasize somewhere or tail off in other places. This leads into the next point of being a good story teller. I think story telling is a magnificent form of communication especially since in earliest human history it was the only form of passing on information. Make sure to produce imagery in the minds of your listeners: embellish, be descriptive. Don't be afraid when you make a mistake, we are basically all the same when it comes to making a gaff in front of others and so if you can handle it naturally and with humor it tends to create endearment. Also as I just mentioned have a sense of humor but let it be organic not necessarily manufactured. Humor and story telling cut tension and create connection with the audience, as well as spark the imagination. Lastly, pay attention to body language as well as use your own body language to keep attention as well as create pathos. As you have already been advised genuinely listen to what people have to say. Good luck in your endeavors!
Thank you Joe!
Diogenes
Updated
Nikita’s Answer
Hey there,
Below are some ways that you can follow to improve your speaking,
1. To start with write down some content and try speaking it to yourself. While doing this make sure you:
-- are stressing the right words. It's always good to stress the important words in your sentence. This conveys the message better to the audience.
-- are not stuttering with the words. Sometimes it happens that we are sure a particular word is pronounced. The more you read/speak, you will get familiarized with various words and their pronunciations.
2. Recording the way you speak also helps. That way you can identify for yourself where you might want to improve.
3. Talking in front of a camera or a mirror helps in assessing the body language while speaking. You can try that too.
4. You can also take some courses on it. There are good courses out there. Here are a couple of links,
- https://www.edx.org/learn/public-speaking
- https://www.coursera.org/courses?query=public%20speaking
I hope this helps you. :-)
Below are some ways that you can follow to improve your speaking,
1. To start with write down some content and try speaking it to yourself. While doing this make sure you:
-- are stressing the right words. It's always good to stress the important words in your sentence. This conveys the message better to the audience.
-- are not stuttering with the words. Sometimes it happens that we are sure a particular word is pronounced. The more you read/speak, you will get familiarized with various words and their pronunciations.
2. Recording the way you speak also helps. That way you can identify for yourself where you might want to improve.
3. Talking in front of a camera or a mirror helps in assessing the body language while speaking. You can try that too.
4. You can also take some courses on it. There are good courses out there. Here are a couple of links,
- https://www.edx.org/learn/public-speaking
- https://www.coursera.org/courses?query=public%20speaking
I hope this helps you. :-)
Thank you Nikita! :)
Diogenes
Updated
Hamish’s Answer
Hi Diogenes,
Speaking only about speaking, not presenting.
Record yourself (audio only) reading things / books that are not familiar to you. For example old English texts or medical texts, stuff that is difficult.
Just 15 mins everyday of recording. Then listen to it.
Do the same thing the following week, the same part of the same texts. record and listen.
On the third week, work on flow etc.
Keep reading and speaking and recording and reviewing texts that are difficult, its a skill to have really great speaking abilities.
Step 2, do the same but work on visual / presenting. Copy the best. Film your self doing a copy of TED talks. Then do it again sitting down. Then do it again standing on one leg. Then do it again with your hands on your head.
Rowan Atkinson used to stand in front of the mirror for hours practicing facial movements, its hard and boring, but its a skill
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowan_Atkinson
Valentino Rossi has fallen off of his bike many times. Its hard and exciting, but its a skill
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentino_Rossi
Speaking only about speaking, not presenting.
Record yourself (audio only) reading things / books that are not familiar to you. For example old English texts or medical texts, stuff that is difficult.
Just 15 mins everyday of recording. Then listen to it.
Do the same thing the following week, the same part of the same texts. record and listen.
On the third week, work on flow etc.
Keep reading and speaking and recording and reviewing texts that are difficult, its a skill to have really great speaking abilities.
Step 2, do the same but work on visual / presenting. Copy the best. Film your self doing a copy of TED talks. Then do it again sitting down. Then do it again standing on one leg. Then do it again with your hands on your head.
Rowan Atkinson used to stand in front of the mirror for hours practicing facial movements, its hard and boring, but its a skill
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowan_Atkinson
Valentino Rossi has fallen off of his bike many times. Its hard and exciting, but its a skill
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentino_Rossi
Thank you Hamish!
Diogenes
Updated
Gloria’s Answer
Hi Diogenes,
You have gotten a lot of great advice here. There are a variety of ways to improve your speaking abilities. Whatever you do, make sure that you accept and incorporate feedback that is authentic to who you are. You do not have to do everything that someone wants. You have to find your own voice. There are some techniques that you really want to consider: rate of speech, speaking at a level your audience can understand, the power of body language. However, how you use those things should come from a place that is you. You also need to consider why you want to improve your speaking skills.
I have two challenges when I speak. I often speak too much, I am more often too direct, and lastly, I am affected by some tones of speaking in a negative way.
- The first can be controlled by thinking about what the audience already knows. I often overcommunicate when I do not know the audience and unintentionally insult or bore an audience. Therefore, before I speak in front of a group, I learn as much about the group as I can so I can meet them where they are and then take them where I want to go.
- The second, being too direct, is harder for me. As a teacher, I had to learn how to respond to the same question ten times when a student didn't quite get it. Instead of thinking that they cannot learn something, I had to figure out a different way to convey my message so that they could understand.
- The last one is the hardest to write about it since it is something experienced. I think about this type of talking as cheerleading or sales type pitches, where everything is upbeat, exciting, and just perfect! Most of my speaking is either teaching or conveying information in meetings. Sometimes my message isn't pleasant, such as the Unconscious Bias Training that I do. I have to make sure that my tone reflects the tone of the subject.
Gloria
Whatever techniques you use, make sure that they work for you. Test them. Find comfort with them. If they do not work for you or make you too uncomfortable, avoid them.
You have gotten a lot of great advice here. There are a variety of ways to improve your speaking abilities. Whatever you do, make sure that you accept and incorporate feedback that is authentic to who you are. You do not have to do everything that someone wants. You have to find your own voice. There are some techniques that you really want to consider: rate of speech, speaking at a level your audience can understand, the power of body language. However, how you use those things should come from a place that is you. You also need to consider why you want to improve your speaking skills.
I have two challenges when I speak. I often speak too much, I am more often too direct, and lastly, I am affected by some tones of speaking in a negative way.
- The first can be controlled by thinking about what the audience already knows. I often overcommunicate when I do not know the audience and unintentionally insult or bore an audience. Therefore, before I speak in front of a group, I learn as much about the group as I can so I can meet them where they are and then take them where I want to go.
- The second, being too direct, is harder for me. As a teacher, I had to learn how to respond to the same question ten times when a student didn't quite get it. Instead of thinking that they cannot learn something, I had to figure out a different way to convey my message so that they could understand.
- The last one is the hardest to write about it since it is something experienced. I think about this type of talking as cheerleading or sales type pitches, where everything is upbeat, exciting, and just perfect! Most of my speaking is either teaching or conveying information in meetings. Sometimes my message isn't pleasant, such as the Unconscious Bias Training that I do. I have to make sure that my tone reflects the tone of the subject.
Gloria
Whatever techniques you use, make sure that they work for you. Test them. Find comfort with them. If they do not work for you or make you too uncomfortable, avoid them.
Updated
Ben’s Answer
Some ways to improve your speaking abilities are:
-Preparation! Just a little bit of prep beforehand will really help your confidence. Before the meeting, think about about what you're going to say. Jot down some notes that you can quickly glance at while to speaking to help stay on track. Also, think about what questions you're likely to receive, and mentally prepare how you could respond.
-Seek opportunities! It's all about repetition. The more opportunities you have, the more comfortable you'll become. Offer to help present in a meeting. If your school offers a public speaking class, enroll - it is one of the best investments you make in yourself. Or join a local Toastmasters club - another great way to get practice in a relaxed, no pressure environment.
-Seek feedback! After the meeting, casually ask a co-worker how you think it went. The good? The bad? Always seeking feedback will help reinforce the things you're doing right, and help you work on improving others.
-Preparation! Just a little bit of prep beforehand will really help your confidence. Before the meeting, think about about what you're going to say. Jot down some notes that you can quickly glance at while to speaking to help stay on track. Also, think about what questions you're likely to receive, and mentally prepare how you could respond.
-Seek opportunities! It's all about repetition. The more opportunities you have, the more comfortable you'll become. Offer to help present in a meeting. If your school offers a public speaking class, enroll - it is one of the best investments you make in yourself. Or join a local Toastmasters club - another great way to get practice in a relaxed, no pressure environment.
-Seek feedback! After the meeting, casually ask a co-worker how you think it went. The good? The bad? Always seeking feedback will help reinforce the things you're doing right, and help you work on improving others.