With so much going on around the world, it’s probably high time we juggled many issues troubling us. And what a better way to start with than sharing our ideas, concerns, conflicts and ideologies through words and verbal communication.
One simple reason is that we humans are born with the gift to develop and master our verbal intelligence; to put it simply, the “words” and combination of words to utter and express our emotions, preferences and propositions either at the workplace or in any other social context.
Verbal power is the power of knowledge, the power of persuasion, the power to inspire and the power to control and lead. We need to feed our brain continuously with words and be bold enough to use them without being afraid of making mistakes. As Napoleon said “We rule men with words”.
Let’s look at some tips that can build your confidence and empower your ability not only to learn new vocabulary but also to feel self-assured to use it in all sorts of conversations.
• Listen, listen and Listen. The best way to open up a world of new phrases and expressions is to listen to podcasts, ted talks, your colleague speaking in English, your language coach, the news or the latest series on Netflix. Active listening is an important skill. Focus on what the person is saying and not on what you will or would say next.
• Mimic the best and the most appealing speakers you listen to. Observe and study them noting the most interesting words or idioms they use as well as the way they deliver them. Their intonation, pace and clarity. Repeat them out loud so you can clearly listen to yourselves. Try to project them to your workplace whenever possible. Visualize talking to an audience by repeating the same expressions.
• Read aloud. You are more likely to remember something if you read it out loud. Speaking and hearing yourself speak helps the brain store the information so that it becomes long-term memory. In other words be actively involved. Read short sentences, longer paragraphs or whole pages. Read your emails before you press send.
• Look out for unknown words. Most people find it quite disturbing when they come across context with unfamiliar expressions so they try to avoid them. Do exactly the opposite. Immerse into the context by making notes or simply by looking them up. After a point you will most sure realize how many recurring words finally make sense. Do it with enthusiasm and zest! And remember you don’t need to spend hours; just a few minutes per day, week or month?
• Learn from your mistakes. You may mistakenly think that if you misuse a word or phrase while talking, this will show to others that you are slow or unintelligent or a weak speaker of English. Hiding in the safety of words you already know will not take you far. Play with the words, embrace your mistakes because next time you will get better and more accurate.
• Locate the root of the word. Words are not meaningless, abstract and cold things. On the contrary they are emotional, meaningful and much alive. They can take various forms and they have their own origins. Through time and continuous transformations, words take various forms to adapt to current affairs.
Take for example the word “Invest”. The financial meaning descends from Latin but entered English via Italian (investire) in 17th century. The notion was “clothing” money in a new form. That use was attached to the English “invest” to refer to a commitment of money to earn a return.
Apparently it’s not easy either to trace down or have the time to search the roots of the words. But as long as you do it you are about to enter a fascinating world.
• Write down simple sentences using the new amazing word you’ve just come across. I know it sounds painful and time consuming but think… What if you wrote one sentence with a new expression or word every day for a whole month? At the end of the month you would become more intellectual regarding your verbal intelligence, more sophisticated and above all more confident.
Developing your verbal intelligence will definitely make you a more successful conservationist and a more powerful and adept speaker. Is it better to be lost for words or to be equipped with words? If the obvious answer is the second then consider applying any of the above strategies. As long as you do it systematically and consistently it will definitely pay off. It’s a matter of habit and a matter of style!
Also available in podcast.
Sources: “The power of Verbal Intelligence” by Tony Buzan