The fastest way to ruin your life:
Not learning how to talk to people.
All my life I have found ways to avoid it.
As a kid, I stayed quiet to avoid being picked on.
As a teenager, I let my success in sports speak for me.
As a young adult, I got a job as an engineer to play to my strengths.
Now, in my late 20’s, it’s my biggest regret.
I am quiet, inarticulate, and boring.
Is it too late for me to get better?
I made it my goal to find out.
Here’s what I did:
Research. I picked up four books and watched three videos.
Plan. I want to get better at articulation and general small talk.
Practice. I will be doing exercises and preparing for conversation.
Daily To Do List:
Articulation
Vocal warm up exercises
Tongue Twisters
Recite 60 seconds of my favorite speech
Small Talk
Fill out conversation résumé
Homework for Life
Record myself speaking into camera for 10 minutes
My biggest fear isn’t starting a conversation - it’s running out of things to say.
A conversation résumé and homework for life help solve this problem.
The conversation résumé is a brief list of your best stories, accomplishments, experiences, and viewpoints. It allows you to keep your best bits ready to go.
When people ask what you’ve been up to, they don’t want to hear “Work.”
Homework for life: I write down the most story-worthy moment of every day, and over time, I’ll build up a bank of stories that I can share with others.
Become the type of person you would like to talk to.
I’ll report back in a few weeks with insights that I gain from this process.
Thanks for reading!
Logan Leiter