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Ask HN: Exercises to think, then speak, more clearly?

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Re: Ask HN: Exercises to think, then speak, more clearly?

#101

Post by noufalibrahim »

MaxDPS wrote: post #98
noufalibrahim wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember once I had to give a talk on "my favourite wonder of the seven wonders of the world." I wasn't sure what the 7 wonders were so I gave a talk on the commonality between them being human will and it's ability to overcome obstacles to create enduring monuments. It was well received and I took home a prize.

That’s awesome. I have a slightly similar story. Some class in college had us do debates taking a side on some legislation that was being discussed in congress. I had just given my argument and the other side came up to ask me questions (like a cross examination). One of the questions ended up being what I’d consider a gotcha question (though really I should have known the answer). They asked me what the bills name s…

That's a solid recovery. I don't think I'd have thought of that but when you're in the spotlight, the brain can find ways out that were previously invisible. :)

Re: Ask HN: Exercises to think, then speak, more clearly?

#102

Post by idk1 »

marc1970 wrote: post #91
idk1 wrote: post #54

I think I'm accidentally good at this by having speech therapy in school a million years ago because I spoke way to fast as a child. Also they gave me a starter book on rhetoric which helped a lot. Key things I'd say are: - Prep what you're going to say in your mind before you say it. - Where to load infomation in a sentance and then paragraphs is crucial. Like if it's a joke keep the key piece of info at the end, th…

> Where to load infomation in a sentance and then paragraphs is crucial. Like if it's a joke keep the key piece of info at the end, that is like how jokes work. If it's a story, pepper info throughout to keep interest. If it's work and you're trying to communicate big ideas, cover key topics at the start and build on them. Do you have any books or articles on this topic? I feel like this skill is missing from my comm…

I'm afraid I do not.

Re: Ask HN: Exercises to think, then speak, more clearly?

#103

Post by jimkleiber »

I found the problem with most tools to build these skills is that they're either books (very low touch) or 1-on-1 (very high touch) with not much in the middle. Over the years, I've come up with three types of tools to help me and others get better at communicating:

1) Journaling app

2) Live role-playing of conflict scenarios

3) Audio reflection/communication drills

The app is currently defunct, but its basic format was just answering "How do I feel?" and "What's happening?" in the moment, practicing getting better at articulating to ourselves how we actually feel, being really honest.

I haven't run many live workshops lately, but the idea is to role-play a particular conflict you're struggling with and practice responding to it in real-time.

I'm currently testing a web platform for the audio drills, which are mostly a series of questions helping us practice responding to questions/prompts quickly, and in a way where we don't have an audience.

If you're curious about any of those, you can find my contact info in my profile, I'd love to chat more about them in general, I really geek out over creating such tools to improve communication.

Re: Ask HN: Exercises to think, then speak, more clearly?

#106

Post by michepriest »

ramblerman wrote: post #97
michepriest wrote: post #96

Don’t think about what you want to say. When you think about what you want to say, you stop listening. Instead listen openly, mirror to get more information on anything you’re unclear about. People love being mirrored (repeat the last thing they said but as a question- Chris Voss writes about this in ‘Never Split the Difference’). Get enough information until you understand the gist of what the speaker is trying to s…

While good advice for persuading someone 1-1, and I also highly recommend Chris Voss. I'm not quite sure that's what OP asked here. How do you formulate an interesting, and compelling argument to captivate an audience on the spot. That's quite a different feat than charming one individual by letting them do most of the talking, and prodding with good (mirrored) questions.

They asked for exercises to think and speak more clearly. Getting regular, focused experience on listening can help with this
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