Will Reading Help Me Speak Better?

Will Reading Help Me Speak Better?

 

The answer to this title is, yes.

Reading will help you speak better.

 

And you won’t only speak a bit better.

After a while, you’ll notice significant changes.

 

Not only will you speak better.

But you’ll think better too.

The person who reads is able to think things through.

 

‘Doesn’t everyone think things through?’

Ha! Hell no.

 

Most people don’t think.

They see what others around them are doing, then they adopt the same behaviors.

Thinking things through is a skill set.

 

Just knowing that reading will impact speaking skills is not enough.

We need to intellectually understand why this connection exists in the first place.

When you do a certain act with knowledge and intent, that’s when the act grows in power.

 

Linguistics Formula

 

In linguistics, the following acronym is important.

  • R.L.S.W
    • Reading, listening, speaking, and writing

 

Reading and listening are input activities.

Speaking and writing are output activities.

 

At first, you may separate all the letters.

But that’s not accurate.

In practice, the letters are intertwined.

By working on one letter, you gradually get better at the other letters.

 

Plenty of writers notice this dynamic.

When asking seasoned authors what their advice for upcoming authors is, they say:

‘Read and write a lot.’

 

Why don’t they just say to write a lot?

Why throw reading into the mix?

 

Because whether they are consciously aware or not, they are articulating the linguistics acronym.

The more they read, the more they can spot good writing from clunky writing.

By inputting the correct content, they are able to output better content.

 

The letters in the acronym are not an island of their own.

They are lands within the same country.

 

Reading Improves the Signal

 

Imagine a baby saying:

‘Goo goo gah gah, goo goo gah gah.’

 

Are you thinking much of it?

Not really.

 

But on the flip side, imagine the baby says:

‘Goo goo gah gah, goo goo gah gah… mama dada.’

 

Now there is information.

 

The ‘goo goo gah gah’ is just noise.

But the ‘mama dada’ implies meaning.

 

A great communicator is always trying to improve the meaning and reduce the noise.

 

When a speaker does the opposite, they ramble.

A rambler is someone with a bunch of noise, but little meaning.

 

When someone reads, they enhance the signal.

Turning words into a message in your mind has stunning effects.

This forcefully reduces the noise.

 

The Big Hamburger

 

The problem with a lot of readers is that they bite off more than they can chew.

That’s why they quit.

Reading is a lot like eating a hamburger.

 

There’s this place in Tampa that sells really, really, really big hamburgers.

Even using 2 hands is barely enough to hold it.

 

Free illustrations of Hamburger

 

One time, I went to the burger spot and thought:

‘Should I use a fork and knife to eat this thing?’

 

Then I look around…

Everyone in the restaurant was attempting to eat the burger with their hands.

Many were failing.

But at least they were trying.

 

The competitive side of me got engaged.

‘I can’t possibly use a fork and knife! Fuck it. I’ll use my hands.’

 

I picked up this colossal burger.

Then I nibbled on the edges, the top, and the sides.

Piece by piece, the gargantuan burger began disappearing.

 

Soon, the burger was gone.

 

Afterward, I felt sleepy.

But the feeling of sleepiness couldn’t drown out the feeling of accomplishment.

 

Read between the buns…

Reading between the lines…

That’s how eating should work.

That’s how reading should work too.

 

How to Begin Reading

 

Hopefully, you understand:

  1. The letters in the linguistics acronym are intertwined in practice.
  2. Work on one letter, and you’ll improve the other letters.
  3. Reading helps improve the signal of the mind, which makes it easier to speak the signal of the mind.

 

Keep playing around with this logic.

Articulate it in your own words.

 

The more you can intellectually explain something, the more desire you have to do the act!

 

With that being said, how should someone begin reading?

I have 2 tips:

  1. Start with curiosity.
  2. Work your way up.

 

If you really master 1, then 2 can be ignored.

What does this mean?

 

A few years ago, I discovered Twitter.

I was amazed.

There were people talking about finance, bodybuilding, relationships, and much more.

 

I signed up for the creators’ newsletters.

Mind you…

I wasn’t much of a reader then.

Hadn’t been one since 7 years old.

 

After signing up for their newsletters, I spent the weekend catching up with their material.

Time flew by.

 

After I read the newsletters, I noticed my roommate had a library of books.

I began reading them.

That’s when I was like:

‘Whoa, reading is actually fun. You just need to find the right material!’

 

Finding The Right Reading Material For you

 

From my experience, I didn’t start with books to rediscover a desire for reading.

Instead, I started with tweets and expanded into newsletters.

Then I was able to graduate to books.

 

The lesson is to find something that works for you.

It’s the act of reading that’s very important.

Not always what you read.

 

But I can’t deny that reading a book from beginning to end gives you superpowers over time.

Because you invest in a topic.

You get to learn the crevices of the field.

 

This is a subjective experience.

Factor in curiosity.

Start off light (if needed).

Cultivate a routine that works for your lifestyle.

 

From there, reading won’t be a chore.

Reading will be a habit.

A fun habit at that.

 

If you would like to learn more strategies to improve your speaking skills, be sure to check out my book:

  • Speak Easy: How to be Articulate, Assertive, and Audacious Around People.

In this book, I break down topics on:

  • The linguistics acronym.
  • Creating an articulation chamber.
  • Creating content with purpose.
  • Gradually improving the signal and reducing the noise.
  • Building an empire with the strategic use of words.

And much more!

GRAB SPEAK EASY HERE
Ebook
Paperback/Kindle
Audiobook

 

– ArmaniTalks 🎙️🔥

 

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