Thread by @ArmaniTalks

Ideas seem great in your mind

But when you are forced to communicate it, that's when things get sloppy

Just being a good thinker won't cut it anymore

You have to finish the job by being a clear speaker/writer

Otherwise, you're just a player good at practice. Not the game

If you are a poor communicator, then understand it's never too late

You just need to take this part of your life seriously

And it begins with a decision

A lot of people that you think are great communicators now once were not like that.

They had to work at it.

Sloppiness, that was polished overtime.

Never over night

Times are changing.

What worked back then won't necessarily work now.

So rather than chasing the latest fad..

Think evergreen.

What will last for another 10 lifetimes?

There's plenty of things out there that are evergreen skills.

Emotional resilience.
Clarity in thinking
Ability to build rapport.

And guess what?

All those skills are included in the umbrella of communication

'What's the first step in improving bro?'

Well, I'm assuming you made the decision.

Once you have committed, you have to be a little bit more specific.

No need to over do it.

But just try to lock in a little

Just saying 'I wanna improve my communication'

Is like a basketball player going to a coach and being like 'I want to be a better player.'

The coach will be like...which part?

-Dribbling
-Rebounding
-Shooting
-Defense etc

What do you wanna get better at?

Same thing with communication.

There are layers:

-Speaking
-Writing
-Rapport building
-Active listening
-Creativity

etc

You may already be a great writer.

But you struggle with speaking.

In that case, you know what to give more attention too

This gives your brain some clarity

And if you think you are bad at everything, then don't fear yet.

Simply admitting you are open to improvement is a big step in the right direction.

Fear can be destructive.

Fear can be constructive.

I began taking my communication seriously when I had a little fear in me.

'Whatchu mean?'

I took pride in being an engineer who knew a lot.

I knew my systems in an out.

But by the time the Project manager asked me to explain the system to her, I got stuck.

I was overly technical & was boring with the delivery

Soon, I noticed the competent charismatic person seizing the opportunity.

He realized that great ideas don't mean shit if you can't express it.

Otherwise, you are just a practice player.

No disrespect

Seeing this individual who had less knowledge gaining the promotions taught me a big life lesson.

The ability to think & communicate is key.

One without the other will have you being the guy who goes to the gym, but never works out legs

You want fear to motivate you, not self destruct you.

Because just how fear can spark change, it also causes a crippling feeling

A lot of bright thinkers struggle to express themselves because they feel fear

You're the smartest kid on the block....until you are scared.

Being scared can fragment your thinking.

And fragmented thinking leads to choppy words.

'Why do people feel fear when expressing themselves?'

Because the ego.

The ego always needs an enemy. And it can sneak into a LOT of our moves without our awareness.

The ego is the main cause of fear

Great thinkers can often over analyze when they under express.

The overanalyzing mind breaks down things. This gives more fuel to the ego.

Now the great thinker THINKS all the spotlight is on them when they speak

The 'spotlight effect' is when you think there is a figurative spotlight on you.

It's the main reason for social anxiety.

But the 'spotlight effect' is created by the untamed ego.

It will be killed via the tamed ego

'So the ego plays a big role in the world of communication, huh?'

Yes.

If you are someone who is controlled by their ego & self-importance, you WILL struggle.

There is a time and place

An untamed ego has you:

Over analyzing
Never listening
Cutting people off
Getting enraged by harmless jokes

Etc

'How do I fix this?'

You invest in your communication.

The more that you learn the art of communicating, the more that you learn your internal world.

The REAL parts of it.

A strong understanding of the internal world, melts the ego.

When you gain self awareness, you gain perspective.

Rather than just seeing the pixel (untamed ego) you see the entire picture (empathy).

When we think communication, we think us communicating with the external world first.

But that is incorrect.

The better the dialogue with yourself, the better the dialogue with others.

Start in & everything else will spill out

5 Stages of Communication

1. Communication with self= Self Awareness
2. Communication with other=Conversation
3. Communication in group
4. 1 to many = Public speaking
5. Communication + Technology = Media

Rather than confusing yourself ...

Begin with 1.

Communication with self.

If you have no clue where to begin....begin with 1.

You'll save years of time

Use your technology, don't let your technology use you.

You're reading this on twitter.

Learn to write tweets.

A tweet is a frozen thought.

Every tweet that you write, the clearer your mind becomes.

-Get in the habit of fitting your thoughts into the characters provided.

-Get in the habit of writing threads.

This combo is deadly

Start a YouTube channel.

You can make it private if you feel very self-conscious.

Record a minimum of 1 video a week.

NO PLANNING.

Just get a topic, get freestyle it.

Challenge yourself

Get comfortable seeing yourself on camera.

Hearing your voice.

Observing your mannerisms.

Do it for yourself, not for others.

Leaders of the past would have killed for access to a YouTube channel.

So LEVERAGE it

A podcast be started with a mic & Audacity.

'That's it?'

That's it.

Create audio journals by expressing yourself.

The words create sentences.

The sentences create stories.

The stories create episodes

And if you can't do that, then just get a journal & write by hand.

A notepad & pen is information technology as well.

We didn't always have the ink built into the pen.

You gotta notice these things so you don't let opportunities slip by you

Being a good thinker alone won't cut it anymore champ.

You are not fighting any 'cause' by being awkward.

Fear is simply holding you back.

My twitter, youtube, podcast, journal suggestions are cheap as fuck.

So the ball is on your court

The beauty about becoming a better communicator is that you gain control over your thoughts.

'Doesn't everyone have control over their thoughts?'

Nah

Control is earned.

Most people just think whatever thought their mind gives them.

That doesn't sound like a free person to me

Communication is the gateway towards greatness.

Sh...don't tell anyone though.

Just kidding. Let em know.

When you invest in your communication via simplicity, you rewire your perception

You begin to see more opportunities that were covering your vision before

1. Pick a channel.
2. Express authentic thoughts without judgment.
3. Don't plan, just GO.
(Planning too much makes you over analyze).

That's it. Add more later

The greatest skills you were never taught

Take matters into your own hands.

Only you're responsible for how well you can communicate.

-Internally, via the return word & spoken word

Let's get it.

Dominate practice

And do even better at the game.

The practice will soon become trained instincts.

That's you taking control over your destiny.

For more practical communication insights, subscribe to my YouTube channel

youtube.com/channel/UCom1I…