- 28 Sep, 2022
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Speaking with Intent
You may find that you have the ability to hold a conversation with people, whether it’s one person or a large group, but your confidence is lacking and you don’t always feel fully in control of vocalising your thoughts and feelings. This is not an uncommon feeling to experience. Every time we open our mouths, there’s a reason for it. So that’s exactly what we want to be able to communicate with others.
How to empower through speech
Speaking with intent and using clear diction isn’t just speaking clearly, it is articulating the sounds in each word clearly. It is the difference between ‘kinda’ and the actual true and correct ‘kind of’. Dunno – Don’t know. Gunna – going to. Wanna – want to, and so on. It’s the difference between unprofessional and professional speech. It is important if you want to sound like you know what you are talking about, even if you don’t. It adds credibility and authority to your communications especially if you’re not 100% confident. In speech terms it’s called lazy, you can’t be bothered opening your mouth wide enough to get the end of words and explosive consonants (T, D) out clearly because it does take just that little bit more of an effort.
Strong speech for life
It could be the difference between being the stand out in an interview, or when you are asking for a pay rise if a promotion is up. Consider your competition — what have they got to offer that you don’t? If you feel you are on par with them, then what are you going to have to stand out from the others?
Being able to articulate yourself professionally and rationally (especially during highly stressful times) is one of the top emotional intelligence competencies. In the past, a lot of the emphasis when evaluating potential performance has been on intellectual capacity, now research has indicated that EI is what differentiates the outstanding performers from the rest.
Need help with your communication?
Is that you? Do you feel at the top of your game in terms of speech and communication? If you feel you could do with some tidying up of your diction, and speech in general there are a few simple exercises you can do to help with clear diction.
I’ve tailored training sessions specifically for those who are able to get the words out but they fall a little flat when it comes to their intent and the power they hold. There are free resources on the home page of Say It Clearly Courses website www.sayitclearly.thinkific.com. Or! You could also book a time to talk and receive a free analysis of what you should focus on to improve.