How to talk without stuttering. Smoothness of speech

Has it ever happened to you that you know exactly what you want to say, but you still stumble? This usually happens when you least expect it. It's not like you suddenly forgot an entire sentence. More likely, some temporary error in your operating system. As Jonathan Preston, an associate professor of communication sciences at Syracuse University, says, the fact is that your brain coordinates the movements of your lips, tongue and ligaments at the same time as it works to choose words. And sometimes it works faster than your speech apparatus. So when you try to speed up your speech, you stumble. The nervous system also sometimes interferes with speaking.

If you're worried about how you sound and look, especially if you're speaking in front of large audiences, your brain has to cope with this problem as well. This leads to more stuttering. But you can pull yourself together and avoid this problem. You'll just have to practice a little.

Do not rush

Speak the words clearly

As Preston notes, some people find it helpful to change their speech style or volume. “When you speak in a way you're not used to, you shift your focus from what you're saying to how you're saying it, and that can help you stutter less,” he says. Just don't take it to the point of absurdity. All your words should be understandable to your listeners. Speak slowly and deliberately. Make sure your thoughts don't run ahead of your voice.

Remember that you are the one who worries the most

Oratory arose long before the era of the development of the computer industry and the invention of the steam engine. It was created as an element of influencing other people and still enjoys great success and continued popularity in this area. If you are going to achieve some success as a public speaker, it is very important to be able to clearly and concisely convey information to your audience. That is, speak quickly and without hesitation.

Instructions

Learn tongue twisters

And don’t just teach them, but repeat them constantly. Day and night, before a date and while taking a shower. In general, train your voice and diction in any free time. Do you think that tongue twisters are of no use? Completely in vain! And constant pronunciation not only helps you learn how to pronounce complex phrases correctly, but also regulates your breathing during a conversation and trains the strength of your voice. All great orators, generals and famous politicians devoted a large amount of time to pronouncing tongue twisters. Don't worry, you're in good company.

Watch your breath

Very often, people begin to choke in the middle of their speech, get excited and, as a result, cannot clearly connect two words. To prevent this from happening, exercise regularly at home. Find a long phrase in the book and try to say it out loud. The moment your breathing begins to falter, notice what exactly you are doing wrong. Some people instinctively tend to say everything in one breath, without pausing or taking extra breaths. As a result, they simply do not have enough air. To prevent this from happening, train yourself to inhale and exhale evenly throughout your speech. Believe me, having learned this once, you will do it mechanically all the time.

Famous speakers do not have excessively loud voices, but those around them can hear them perfectly due to the correct timbre and good diction. A voice that is too loud or too quiet causes irritation and is not conducive to long-term attention, so do not try to speak too loudly or too quietly. Remember that speech should flow freely, without bumping into any obstacles. If you control your breathing and have no difficulty pronouncing complex phrases, you need to speak clearly and calmly. Overly emotional speech in a raised voice is perceived negatively by listeners, and many simply will not take quiet, confidential statements seriously.

note

The problem of many speakers, oddly enough, is not a lack of memory or charisma, but a simple dry throat. Make sure you always have a glass of water next to you. There's nothing worse than having a coughing fit or choking on a hoarse voice during an important speech.

Helpful advice

If you are going to speak in front of an audience, be sure to take your speech with you. You may know it by heart, but looking at the text to check with it or just make sure that everything is going as it should is a very effective measure of calm.

SMOOTHNESS OF SPEECH

There is such a quality of speech - smoothness. It is reflected in some speech details (or rather, in their absence). Just as a polished board is different from a rough board, a smooth board is free from nicks, burrs and other unnecessary details.

A common problem is rough speech. About this in the next letter:

Hello!
Recently I was on a TV show. When I saw myself on TV, I was horrified, because... I discovered many problems in my speech that I didn’t know about before: uh, I kind of... stammered, twitched, scratched my nose (although it didn’t itch). To be honest, it was disgusting to watch. In this regard, I have a question for you: how to rid your speech of such shortcomings? It was a pleasure to listen and watch. Thank you in advance for your response!
Nick.

Among the speech roughnesses one can also count unnecessary movements - the so-called. fine motor skills: regular scratching of turnips, straightening hair unnecessarily, twitching various parts of the body, pinching mustaches or other objects. As well as distracting stomping and shuffling of feet, chewing a tie, a wild expression on the face and others.

If the spoken speech is written down literally, it might look like this:

“Uh-uh, that means, gentlemen, ha- I want to say... to express confidence that... that we, so to speak, mmm, we can achieve... achieve success in our... in our business. Here. Uh-uh, I can assure you that, as luck would have it, we can handle this matter, in short...”.

As you can see, speech burrs or, as people say, jambs are highlighted in red. They should be eradicated, because they hurt the ears of attentive listeners. If they occur occasionally, it doesn’t matter, these are pennies, not rubles. But when they stick out through the word, it is no longer speech, but a brush.

The speaker, like a theater actor, has only one attempt and does not have takes in stock like film actors. And also, the speaker does not have as much time to think about his speech as the authors of edited texts. The speaker always works live. Therefore, live speech, unlike literary works or filmed reprises, usually suffers from a lack of smoothness.

It's rare to hear smooth speech that shines like a polished piece of literature. Not every person speaks as if he writes. And an experienced speaker, no, no, will blurt out: “in the end, I'm a goat... I'm a man, not a goat."

If you often have to speak publicly, answer questions from journalists, hold meetings, or you are trying to become an announcer, talk show host, want to broadcast a weather forecast to the whole country, be an ordinary party leader, director of an enterprise, or simply a successful person - then you should strive to speak smooth. For smooth speech caresses the ear, captivates listeners and is a ticket into their souls.

Smooth speech is evidence of a high degree of oratorical training. Speech without unnecessary details looks brilliant and sounds impressive.

What do you need to do to learn to speak smoothly? Just two things.

First, you need to hear your speech as you deliver it. Thanks to such self-control, you can effectively deal with speech impediments. Many people do not hear themselves when they speak. They make useless sounds in the intervals between words (e-cough, mm, b-e-e), which they do not notice. And since you don’t notice any mistakes, it seems like they don’t exist. As a result, you continue to moo and bleat.

Video recording helps you learn to notice your own speech nuances (both advantages and disadvantages). Watching yourself speak on tape allows you to make many useful discoveries (which is why videotaping speeches is an important part of learning in our public speaking and communication courses).

Before polishing your speech in exercises, you need to learn to watch your every word and movement, notice every little thing. The ability to control the numerous details of your speech is an indicator of oratory skill. It is necessary to speak with the “controller on”: when uttering your thoughts, you need to be not only a speaker, but also a listener to yourself and be aware of what is happening with every element of your speech.

And secondly, you need to exercise. Just as skilled boxers, violinists or jugglers train regularly to improve their skills and maintain their form, a speaker must talk, talk and talk to improve his speech. Strive to speak correctly, clearly, without hesitation or unnecessary sounds. One of the most fruitful exercises for constantly improving speech and making it smooth is regular reading aloud. But more on that another time.

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Reading is the most important process of processing and perceiving graphic information, learning which begins from an early age.

The quality of mastery of this skill largely determines a person’s future success in studies, creativity, and even in everyday matters. We will look at not only how to learn to read quickly, but also how to capture the most important information in the text. The quality and speed of future intellectual work directly depends on the latter.

Why is it so important to be able to read quickly?

Before mastering the art of quick and thoughtful reading, it makes sense to think about whether you need it?

If not, check out the article for general development and... read anyway! Just choose those authors who really interest you and lift your spirits. Enriching the brain with new information is also an important task that keeps the intellect in good shape.

Maybe after a couple of years you will want to achieve something. Then you will have all the original data at your disposal. Namely, a more or less trained brain. It has been proven that even reading fiction makes him tense.

If you are a goal-oriented person and want to become the best in a field that requires serious intellectual work, this article is for you (it will tell you in detail how to read quickly and remember).

A reading person - what is he like?

We live in the information age, in which the speed of acquiring new knowledge plays a decisive role. A person who can quickly perceive a large amount of information:

• Self-assured.
• Has adequate self-esteem.
• Achieves a lot in life.

How to learn to read quickly?

Let's immediately move on to the rules that are applicable in practice. Learning to read specific text quickly? Then let's go:

• Read only useful books. For example, if you want to become a successful businessman, study the autobiographies of talented entrepreneurs. You will find the story of Steve Jobs useful, which tells about the difficult fate of a man who made a breakthrough in the field of information technology (by the way, he was not very disciplined and was a rebel in his youth. However, this did not prevent the implementation of his ideas). It also makes sense to read Adam Smith, namely his work “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.” It talks in detail about how the capitalist system functions, what its main problem is, and crises of overproduction have already been predicted.
• Choose books written in interesting and lively language.
• Before reading the paper volume, flip through it and read the table of contents. This way you will be guided through the main sections of the book.
• Read the work quickly twice. Even if you do not understand some detail, do not focus on it: your task is to grasp the main idea.
• Study the book in a comfortable environment for you. This means a quiet place where no one can distract you.
• Do not read unnecessary books: they fill your memory with unnecessary information.

High-quality perception of information is the key to success

In this section we will tell you how to read quickly and remember useful information. That is, how to understand the essence of the material studied. This is the purpose of reading - to learn to extract the most important information from the text. Well, then apply it in practice, if possible...

Scientists have proven that a text read is remembered well when a person follows five simple rules:

1. Shares the material you read with friends. When a person retells the plot of a book in his own words, the probability of storing new information in memory is close to 100%.
2. Makes notes as you read. They should reflect the key points of the book.
3. Knows exactly the best time for your brain to work. It has been proven that most people perceive information well in the morning and afternoon. For other people (a minority), it’s the other way around: they learn information only in the evening or at night.
4. Doesn't say what he reads out loud - this reduces concentration.
5. He is focused only on reading a book: not a single external event can distract his attention from this most important matter.

By following these simple rules, an individual begins to read faster and learns to remember important information. It’s just great if these five points become the habit of a purposeful person.

In the next chapter we will tell you how to learn to read aloud quickly.

Is public speaking necessary today?

The ancient Greeks knew about the importance of beautiful and quick speech out loud. The philosophers and thinkers for whom Ancient Greece was famous had excellent oratory skills. That is why their valuable thoughts and ideas were easily perceived by ordinary people.

Is it important for a modern person to be able to read aloud quickly and without hesitation? The answer will definitely be yes.

And this applies not only to actors, philologists and scientists. Even an ordinary economist will find this skill useful in life. If only because upon graduation, each student defends his thesis in front of a large audience. And in future work, the ability to speak quickly and beautifully can become a decisive skill: often an individual’s advancement up the career ladder depends on a well-delivered speech.

Now you know why this skill is so important. Next, we will tell you how you can quickly read aloud.

It is best to learn this from a competent teacher. However, no one has canceled independent education either. If you choose the second path, your helpers will be:

• audio courses;
• spelling dictionary (in it you can find the correct stress for any dubious word);
• interesting audiobooks and TV shows (it is advisable to choose those in which people with philological or acting education participate);
• Dictaphone - it’s very fun to listen to your speech in a recording and find mistakes;
• Constant practice is what determines further success in this direction.

Speed ​​reading - what is it?

So, what does this interesting two-root word mean? Speed ​​reading is a person’s ability to quickly read a text and navigate it 100%. It sounds, of course, strong... and not very believable for an ordinary person who remembers how much time it took at school to study a complex paragraph in history. Of course, if an individual turned out to be inquisitive, he certainly knew the material well. But quality study of 10-15 pages of text sometimes took more than one hour of time...

Historical figures showing phenomenal results in speed reading

We will try to convince the reader that it is quite possible to read a book thoughtfully in one day. In any case, history knows individuals capable of doing this. Who are these amazing people?

• Lenin - read at a speed of 2500 words per minute! He was a unique person in every way; and such individuals are characterized by outstanding intellectual abilities.
• Napoleon.
• Pushkin.
• Kennedy.

The list can be continued for quite a long time... What contributes to such phenomenal results in speed reading? Two aspects are a person’s devotion to an idea (this applies to politicians. Lenin is the most striking example) and the natural desire to create something new (this applies to creative people).

Specific speed reading techniques

Still, we are writing an article not about outstanding people, but about how an ordinary person can learn to read quickly. Next, scientific methods will be presented.

• First, the book is read from beginning to end; then - from the end to the beginning. The essence of the method is to gradually increase reading speed.
• Reading diagonally. This method involves studying information obliquely and quickly flipping through pages. Effective when working with works of art. Lenin especially loved this method.
• Driving your finger from the bottom of the line. This method, known to every person since childhood, is effective. Conducted research proves this.
• Appropriation technique. Means identifying and remembering key words.
• Empathy technique. It consists of visualizing the main character or the events occurring in the book from the reader’s perspective. This technique is effective when reading fiction.
• "Assault Method" It was and is used by intelligence officers from various countries. It involves the rapid assimilation of a certain amount of information by a specially trained person.

Quick reading for children

Intelligence should be developed from a young age, that is, during the active growth of a person. During this period, the child’s brain is 100% ready to assimilate new information. And in later life, all the skills acquired at school (including the ability to read quickly) will play into the hands of an already mature person.

In the previous sections, we looked at how to learn to read quickly for adults. Next, we will talk about speed reading techniques for children. Namely, how to read very quickly.

First, let's talk about a not very pleasant (but quite common aspect in our time) - the reasons for slow reading in childhood. Then - about how to teach a schoolchild to read quickly.

Reasons for Slow Reading

• Low vocabulary. It is replenished by reading new books, learning new things and communicating with people.
• Poor concentration on the text.
• Weak articulatory apparatus. This problem can be eliminated with special exercises presented in children's manuals.
• Untrained memory. Develops by constantly reading interesting texts and performing semantic exercises for them.
• The content of the book is too complex. Not every student is able to comprehend the intricate plot of a literary work. An important aspect here is the parent’s knowledge of the characteristics of their child. Then there will be no problem choosing a book for your child.
• Returning to the same word or phrase (usually complex). The child does not understand its meaning and therefore re-reads it again. Of course, this reduces reading speed. It’s great if the child doesn’t hesitate to ask the meaning of an unclear word. And the parent, in turn, is able to play the role of an explanatory dictionary - that is, explain with his fingers what this or that word or phraseological unit means.

How to increase a child’s reading speed (or how to teach them to read quickly) will be discussed below.

To do this, the parent will need:

• Interesting and short text. It is advisable that it is suitable for the age of the child.
• Timer.

Record the time before you start reading (for example, 1 minute). After the specified time, stop your enthusiastic child and count all the words you read.

Then repeat this operation for the second circle and so on. If everything goes correctly, then with each new time the passage of text read will become larger. This indicates that the child’s reading speed is increasing.

This section answers the question of how to learn to read very quickly.

How to teach a child to comprehend information?

As mentioned earlier, not only speed is important in reading, but also the quality of perception of new information. It’s great if a person acquires the habit of meaningful reading from childhood.

Meaningful reading techniques for children

• Highlighting basic information. After reading a certain passage of text, ask your child to tell you in a nutshell what the meaning of what he read is. If difficulties arise, repeat the exercise again.

• Role reading. Texts that contain dialogues between two characters are suitable. Invite your child to read the direct speech of the character he liked best. You voice his opponent's remarks.
• Reading funny tongue twisters. You can remember the ones you read as a child. The most important thing is that they are interesting for the child. For example: “Sasha walked along the highway and sucked dryers.” This technique also answers the question of how to learn to read aloud quickly.
• "Schulte Table". It is a lined square designed for 25-30 cells. A number from 1 to 30 is written in each cell. The child is asked to silently find the numbers as they increase. This exercise improves the volume of operational vision.
• Regularity of classes. One of the most important points. No matter how simple or complex speed reading techniques a child learns, the only benefit will come from regular practice.
• Don't forget to praise the child. At the end of the lesson, you need to tell the child that he is making progress, and all the acquired skills will greatly help him in later life.

One of the most important school skills is reading quickly. We discussed above how to quickly read and understand the essence of the material studied.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the gift of eloquence, but this does not mean that this skill cannot be developed in oneself. We all know that you can listen to a person who can speak beautifully for hours! And yet, it should be taken into account that there are a considerable number of different nuances that are important to take into account when developing the skill of rich conversational speech.

1. The art of speaking culturally, brightly and convincingly

Such words seriously pollute our speech, but not everyone understands this. Some people even deliberately insert various slang expressions into conversations, believing that they add color to the dialogue, but in reality it often sounds inappropriate, and sometimes even repulsive.

3. Learn to express your thoughts correctly

To learn how to express your thoughts beautifully, it will not hurt to acquire the ability to listen carefully to those speakers whose speech you like. Also, don’t forget about such a useful skill as reading. Choose books that will help you tune your brain in the right direction. In addition, these can be a variety of textbooks, as well as scientific articles.

Reading out loud can also be no less effective, because this is how you will learn to practice diction. Opt for classic works of art by famous writers - as a rule, they are distinguished by their richness of speech.

4. Developing beautiful speech

Most of us speak quite normally in normal situations, however, when some kind of stressful situation arises, many lose confidence, as if “losing the gift of speech.” When you develop competent and beautiful speech, you will stop getting lost in any situations. How to do it?

You probably know that there are people who are able to talk interestingly about any, even the most unremarkable, subject. An example is Anton Chekhov and his story “The Ashtray”. Alas, nature has not endowed everyone with the talents of a famous writer, but almost all of us can still learn to express thoughts beautifully.

If your line of work involves writing texts, public speaking, and the like, then a rich vocabulary will form on its own over time. It is more difficult for people who do not work in the humanitarian field - they have to put in a little more effort. Listening to the radio, reading books, watching good films and documentaries can help. It is important to pay attention not only to what information is conveyed to you, but also to how exactly the phrases are constructed.

Read a short story and try to retell it. Record your retelling on a voice recorder, listen to it and determine whether your speech sounds beautiful or whether there are some shortcomings. Such training out loud is very important, because it will gradually form melodic speech and enrich you with a stock of new interesting expressions.

A game like this is also useful for developing beautiful speech. Pay attention to some ordinary object - a notepad, a frying pan, a table, etc. For a minute or two, try to write a story about this subject in literary language, without obvious hesitations.

5. Learning to control your speech

The ability to keep your speech under control will make any person stand out from the crowd. It is not surprising that people with such talent at one time turned out to be leaders of nations, whom thousands of people were ready to follow, listening to every word of their leader. Most likely, training will take you some time, but it’s worth it - this is the only way you will not only have full control of your own speech apparatus, but will intuitively learn to feel how best to address a particular person, what words are best to choose, and so on. You will also be able not to get lost even in the most unexpected situations, maintaining composure.

Lessons on correct speech - rhetoric exercises

It is important to breathe correctly when speaking

Surely, while listening to the smooth speech of an announcer or some charismatic presenter, you caught yourself thinking that you yourself would like to be able to speak like that. Of course, this can be achieved if you develop your speaking technique. However, first of all, for this you should learn to breathe correctly - deeply, calmly and imperceptibly.

Please note that speech breathing is different from normal breathing. This is a controlled process. As you know, diaphragmatic-costal breathing is considered the most convenient for speech. In this case, inhalation and exhalation are performed using the diaphragm and intercostal muscles. The most capacious part of the lungs (lower) comes into activity. In this case, the shoulders and upper chest remain practically motionless.

You can learn to control your breathing on your own. Place your palm between your stomach and chest - on the diaphragm area. When you inhale, the abdominal wall will rise slightly and the lower part of the chest will expand. Exhalation will be accompanied by contraction of the abdominal and chest muscles. When speaking, the inhalation should be light and short, but the exhalation should be smooth and long (the ratio is approximately one to ten).

When the process of speech occurs, the importance of exhalation increases to a large extent. Before speaking, you should take a quick and deep breath, which is taken both through your nose and mouth. Meanwhile, during speech exhalation, only the mouth is involved.

Correct speech breathing can be called the basis for a beautiful sounding voice. If you breathe incorrectly, this will lead to instability of your voice.

Speak confidently, clearly and clearly

When speaking, try to avoid muttering - speak clearly, distinctly and confidently. Practice reading books out loud - do it slowly and with expression, sometimes speed it up, but continue to speak with expression. Gradually, you will develop the skill of speaking this way in everyday life.

You need to constantly train your gestures and facial expressions

Gesticulation and facial expressions can be called non-verbal means of speech, which should also be trained. Try speaking in front of a camera or mirror to see if you are gesturing too much and “out of line.” At times, this can greatly distract the interlocutor from the topic of conversation. It is also important to observe your facial expressions - both an indifferent facial expression and excessive expression of emotions are unacceptable. In the second case, it may simply look ugly.

Your gestures and facial expressions should look harmonious, smooth and natural, and only sometimes emphasize the meaning of what was said. It is important that the listener still focuses on the meaning of the text, but not on your face or hands.

Is it possible to deliver your speech yourself?

Of course, you can start staging your own speech yourself - it will definitely bear fruit. What tips can you use in this situation?

The ability to express one's thoughts correctly is not innate. We acquire this skill - some manage to do it earlier, others later. If you want to correctly express your thoughts in a conversation with your interlocutor, then keeping a diary or simply writing short stories would be a good practice. Once you start spending some time formulating your thought and transferring it onto paper, over time you will transfer this skill into everyday life - the necessary phrases will quickly form into more correct sentences. Also for this skill it would also be good to listen to audio books or read literature.

Read books to increase your vocabulary

Of course, reading fiction will help you improve the quality of your speech. Give preference to Russian classics. If you devote some time every day to reading classical literature, then gradually you will form the habit of speaking in a similar way.

Attend Russian language courses and lessons

Some believe that learning the Russian language occurs only at school, and if you have not acquired the necessary skills there, then in adulthood you will have to take up self-study. In fact, this is not true at all! When you go to the Internet, you will find that there are now many trainings and courses on the Russian language for adults. Such classes are held in almost every city. You can also study online. Having studied information on this issue on the Internet, you will find that if you wish, you can discover great prospects for learning the Russian language.