How to learn to formulate thoughts better in conversation?

How to learn to formulate thoughts better in conversation? It seems to me that I did it better before, but now I noticed that things are only getting worse. And it's not just parasitic words. It's just hard to make the speech coherent. As if there is not enough vocabulary. But I used to read a lot before, and even now the text is my job. Can you give a couple of tips? Maybe there are some that I can apply today to speak a little better tomorrow? Thanks!

Anonymously

Hello! I have been teaching speech technique for many years and from my own experience I can say that one problem always leads to another. If you feel that you cannot correctly formulate your thoughts and your speech has become less coherent, then use the following recommendations.

Learn to breathe properly

Anxiety and self-doubt can often be the cause of your incoherent speech. Correct breathing allows you to relax and reduce the level of accumulated stress. Therefore, I always start my classes with his staging.

Your task is to learn how to breathe with the lower body. With correct inhalation, the upper abdomen should protrude slightly forward, and on exhalation, the diaphragm should contract (the stomach goes deeper, as if tending to the spine). Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. The exhalation should be amplitude, sonorous and always twice as long as the inhalation.

I recommend trying this exercise. Lie with your back on a relatively hard surface. Put one hand on the area of the diaphragm (its conditional border can be drawn along the lower edge of the ribs), and the other on the chest. Watch which one rises as you inhale. Your task is to lift the one that lies on your stomach.

Next, roll over, lie on your stomach and put your hands under your head. While inhaling, try to push off your ribs from the surface on which you lie. There will be a feeling that the lower body is inflating like a balloon. Do this exercise for 5-10 minutes a day to build a new breathing habit.

Develop speech intelligence

Here is one simple but effective exercise for developing speech intelligence. This is exactly what can help you structure your thoughts and learn how to express them correctly.

Pick any word - the first thing that comes to your mind. For example, "sea". And try to use it in different contexts: “Your eyes are as blue as the sea”, “On this score I have a sea of ideas”, “I am not the sea, I don’t care”. Then pick any other word and try the same.

Take 2-3 words every day, and after 3-4 weeks you will feel that your speech has become much more confident, concise and harmonious.

Read aloud

Do this as often as possible. You can also record what you read on a voice recorder and listen. And also try listening to an excerpt from an audiobook you like and repeat the text. Record your speech on a voice recorder and play with intonation.

Try to imitate your favorite reader. There is nothing wrong with copying the presentation of one of the masters of speech art you like. You will still have time to develop your own style of speech, but for now you need to learn how to feel the text.

Understand the essence of the text

When you see a sentence, analyze which word in this context is the key one that carries the maximum meaning. And while reading, try to pause before this word. It will give an opportunity to focus on it, highlight it.

Remember: the main task of a speaker, storyteller, orator or announcer is to convey the mood. And for this you simply have to understand the text. Your task is to plunge headlong into the material, to feel it, to live it.

Develop your acting skills

In the technique of speech, there are elements of acting. Play around with a specific word. Suppose this is the word "love". Say it first with a cheerful intonation, and then as if you are upset about something. Next, add aggression or pretend that you are up to something.

This can be turned into a game and involve family or friends. You draw out random words in turn, and the presenter determines the pitch and says what it should be - but only to the speaker. Your task is to pronounce the word so that those present understand what mood you are trying to convey.

Speech staging implies work not only on speech intelligence, but also on your body and mind. It is necessary to do a huge number of different exercises to improve well-being, increase self-confidence, pump the speech apparatus, breath, intonation and orthoepy.

This is a lot of complex work, so I recommend contacting speech trainers directly or their blogs, books and video tutorials. And remember, if you really want to get things done, you need to practice systematically. These exercises should become part of your daily routine and become a part of your life.