How To Be More Articulate: 10 Great Ways To Improve Communication Skills

What does it mean to be articulate?

Being articulate means being able to convey a message effectively and in a manner that is easily understood. When someone is articulate, they can choose the right words or phrases and express them in the right way. This helps to excellently get their point across.

Articulateness involves many areas of communication. It can involve grammar, the consideration of circumstances before choosing phrasing and being able to use understandable but impactful wording. An articulate person should be able to use not just words but also voice and tone to communicate effectively.

How to be more articulate

Communication is one of the things people do most in their day-to-day lives. Being an articulate person and an overall great communicator can prove useful at work, in educational settings, in relationships and in many other areas.

Here are some ways to be articulate so you can communicate effectively.

1. Practice your tone and inflection of voice

The way you talk is a key part of articulation. Some may often focus on what they say, but how they say it can make a big difference. It can really change the meaning altogether. As part of becoming more articulate, take a few moments in your day to practice your tone of voice and your inflection.

Practice saying things at different volumes, different pitches and with different emotional tones. For example, choose a phrase and start rehearsing it to yourself surprised, as a question, with a calm demeanor and so on. Get into the habit of being able to control your vocal tone for different scenarios.

2. Read

Reading gives the opportunity to not only gain knowledge but also articulation skills. Reading can help with learning new words, picking up on novel ways to use new or old words and learning phrasing techniques. Reading for knowledge is great but try to read also to learn how a message is delivered by the author. For added practice, maybe try covering a sentence and rewording it yourself.

3. Write

Writing is an excellent way to practice word retrieval, sentence formation and effective message delivery. If you write something with a purpose and you have someone proofread it for you, they can offer you feedback as to how well they liked it and understood your point(s).

Try writing longer rather than shorter content. Longer content about the same topic usually has to be more well connected than written work that goes from topic to topic. When you write more about the same thing, you give your brain the chance to think of ways to connect thoughts and make them more suitable together.

4. Practice speaking

This can help you practice and put your efforts to become more articulate to the test. Practice speaking with someone you trust who can give you honest feedback about how they feel. Let them provide input on your tone, body language, what you said and what they thought overall.

Practice for different situations. For example, if you want to become more articulate for a job interview, have the other person pretend to be an interviewer at a company and ask you interview style questions. Answer those questions coherently.

Remember, this is practice, which means you shouldn’t expect yourself to be perfect. If you are, great, but this is something you should expect to do several times before noticing changes. You can also practice alone and/or in front of a mirror. You don’t absolutely need to have another person with you.

5. Stay calm

Calmness helps keep the mind clear and a clear mind is usually a more effective communicator. Word retrieval is often easier when the mind is clear. Overall, someone who is calm and can keep a relaxed exterior tends to be more articulate simply because they appear more natural.

6. Listen to others speak

Learn from other articulate people and pick up on some of their habits. Watch people give speeches, lectures or any other major speaking event. Try to analyze how they speak, the use of their words and their overall demeanor. Learn and incorporate new techniques into your own strategy.

7. Listen to yourself speak

It’s not just how others sound, it’s also how you sound. Record yourself speaking alone and hear it back. Pay close attention to what you like vs. dislike in the recording. This can help you pinpoint potential areas of improvement which you can address. Judge your speed, tone, pronunciation or anything else.

8. Look up synonyms and definitions of words

There are often many ways to say the same thing. Some are articulate and others not so much. Having a large mental word bank to refer to in the event you need to make a point can be game changer. Take some time to think of phrases you may use and look up synonyms and definitions for words in that phrase. This may inspire you to not only change up your wording but also your phrasing. A solid vocabulary can make you sound like a professional communicator.

9. Enunciate

You should be speaking clearly when trying to sound articulate. The words you say should be clearly pronounced and easily heard. This doesn’t have to mean sounding forced or robotic, but clear. The sounds of the word should be hard to confuse with another word.

Practice enunciating your words. If you pull up synonyms to a word, pronounce the word clearly by yourself so you can get your mouth and tongue in the habit of stressing the right sounds. If you have a habit of slurring your words, this strategy help you as well. Make enunciation a form of exercise so that you can habituate yourself.

10. Speak at a normal speed

Too fast or too slow both have the possibility of making you appear inarticulate. Finding the right speed may be hard for some people. We may form habits in the way we talk but these habits can be changed. Again, one of the keys here is practice.

It might help to either record yourself or have someone listen to you. Whether you need to slow down or speed up, hearing yourself in a recording can help you better understand by how much you need to go in the opposite direction without it becoming too much. Repeatedly practice speaking at this ideal speed.