6 Important Ways to Be More Articulate and Make Yourself Heard

These days, it can feel like a challenge to really make yourself heard.

People are constantly distracted and so in their own heads that effective communication is about more than simply saying precisely what you mean. The understanding becomes just as important as the intent, if not more so. Being more articulate can help, and the better you learn to communicate what you mean to your intended audience, the more benefits you'll see in both your personal and professional lives. Relationships improve, confidence rises and your career ambitions become more and more real the better you can assert yourself with your words. Below, we have a few key points on the matter to get you started.

Boost Your Vocabulary

Saying exactly what you mean and speaking eloquently starts with having a strong vocabulary. The cleverest sounding people are the ones who always choose the right words, conveying a clear and concise understanding of the subject matter and the language around it, so don't be afraid to pick up new words wherever you can. When you're reading, make a list of unfamiliar words to look up later. Explore thesauruses for your most commonly words, and then learn the nuances behind the different synonyms. Every new word is like a brick you can use to build future sentences, so collect them from wherever you can.

 

Know Your Audience

Knowing your audience is critical when you want to be heard and understood. You wouldn't talk the same way to kindergartners and a group of college grads, just as you'd speak differently to experts in a specific field compared to people who are newly being introduced to the subject. Learn to tailor your language based on the level of assumed knowledge they have to make yourself as understandable as possible. Super technical language can be great for pros, but might as well be another language to a general audience. Work on building up ideas and slowly introducing these concepts, so you can fully articulate yourself later.

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Also read about: 8 Tips to Communicate More Assertively and Get What You Want Out of Life

Speak Clearly

It doesn't matter how thoughtful or insightful your ideas are if people can't understand what you're saying, so make an effort to speak as clearly as you can. Good enunciation can make you appear more confident and charismatic, while on the other hand, mumbling, muttering or speaking with vocal fry gives off the impression of being nervous or unsure of yourself. Anxious speakers also tend to talk quickly, so make an effort to slow down, put clear pauses between words and sentences and to pronounce every word to ensure you're heard.

 

Structure Your Ideas in an Orderly Fashion

It doesn't matter how good you are at storytelling—if you don't set things up properly, your audience will get lost. We can't count the number of times people have started telling us about something, but without the proper context, we didn't properly absorb their words. The key is structure and order, beginning with an introduction. When you're talking about something new, segue organically into the topic and make that subject matter clear, before you start diving into the next details. Also, try pausing between ideas to give people some time to think about them. Not only does this also project confidence, but it gives you time to organize your thoughts before continuing.

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Also read about: 6 Fool-Proof Ways to Start a Conversation With Your Crush on Instagram

 

Practice Putting Ideas Into Words

Strong communication gets easier and easier with practice, so instead of waiting for the next time you need to express yourself, create those opportunities on a regular basis. Writing exercises can be particularly helpful, so pick a topic and take a stab at summarizing existing paragraphs (or even ideas straight out of your head) with a word limit and a focus on conveying your message in as few succinct words as possible. Once you've done this a few times, put yourself to the test by performing this exercise aloud. You might even want to record yourself to learn more about your speaking strengths, as well as where you could use some improvement.

 

Challenge Yourself to Speak Without Filler Words

When most people speak, they have a natural inclination to fill up quiet moments with filler words. When they're deciding what to say next, they add unnecessary "like"s and "um"s and "you know"s, which can convey uncertainty and don't sound very academic, especially in a professional setting. Remember that it's okay to have a silence there instead, and in that, in fact, pausing to think can come off as thoughtful and even wizened. Practice speaking aloud on any topic and try to go for a few minutes without uttering these filler words. When you catch one on your tongue, take a moment to pause and regroup. Before long, you'll have successfully weeded them from your vocabulary entirely.

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Curious about other ways to sound more confident? Click HERE to discover some phrases you should avoid.