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    “How to Speak So That People Want to Listen” by Julian Treasures

    Görkem Gümüştekin • public
    • 5 min read
    “How to Speak So That People Want to Listen” by Julian Treasures

    Table of contents

    Treasure provides practical tips for effective communication, emphasizing the importance of clear, authentic speech and engaging vocal delivery to capture and maintain the interest of listeners.

    For Key Ideas, Questions and Quotes from this talk, you can scroll below.

    Julian Treasures gave this speech at the TED Conference. All rights to the speech and the video above belong to TED.

    About Julian Treasures

    Julian Treasure is a sound and communication expert, award-winning author, and five-time TED speaker. (Source: Website)

    Key Ideas From Talk

    During a period when I was researching diction and how to speak better, I came across Julian's TED talk. In the talk, Julian summarizes practical ways to speak, focusing on emotional expression and language. He explains how we often have difficulty listening to others, and suggests that by speaking with certain emotions and purposes, we can be better heard.

    Having an interest in the art of speaking doesn't require speaking in front of crowds. We all communicate with many people daily and strive to make ourselves understood. From this perspective, there's much to learn from Julian's TED talk. Here are the ideas that impressed me:

    1. The importance of conscious speaking: Julian emphasizes that we often neglect the way we speak and how it affects others. Being mindful of our words and delivery can significantly impact how people perceive and respond to us.
    2. The power of using the right voice qualities: Julian discusses four key voice qualities that can enhance our communication: clarity, variety, authenticity, and empathy. Employing these qualities can make our speech more engaging, relatable, and persuasive.
    3. The impact of paying attention to registers: Different situations require different vocal registers—namely, the chest voice, head voice, and falsetto. Being aware of these registers and using them appropriately can convey authority, warmth, and authenticity, fostering better connections with our audience.
    4. The value of using silence effectively: Silence can be a powerful tool in communication. Julian explains that strategic pauses can help us emphasize points, provide clarity, and create anticipation. Embracing silence allows for more impactful and meaningful conversations.
    5. The role of speech habits and filters: Our speech habits and filters, such as gossip, judging, negativity, complaining, and excuses, can hinder effective communication. Julian encourages us to be conscious of these habits and filters and work on replacing them with more positive and constructive patterns.
    6. The importance of practicing and honing our speaking skills: Speaking is a skill that can be improved through practice. Julian suggests exercises to enhance our speaking abilities, including reading aloud, exploring different vocal tones, and seeking feedback from trusted individuals.

    Questions to Ask Ourselves

    Conscious speaking:

    1. Am I mindful of how I speak and the impact it has on others?
    2. Do I take the time to consider my words before speaking, ensuring they convey my intended message effectively?

    Voice qualities:

    1. How can I improve the clarity of my speech to ensure others understand me better?
    2. In what ways can I incorporate more variety in my tone and delivery to keep my audience engaged?
    3. Am I being authentic in my communication, expressing my true thoughts and emotions?
    4. Do I demonstrate empathy in my speech, considering the feelings and perspectives of others?

    Vocal registers:

    1. Am I aware of the different vocal registers and how they can be used to convey different messages?
    2. In what situations should I use my chest voice to project confidence and authority?
    3. How can I utilize my head voice to create a sense of warmth and connection with my audience?
    4. When is it appropriate to employ falsetto for emphasis or to evoke certain emotions?

    Effective use of silence:

    1. Do I embrace strategic pauses in my speech to emphasize important points or provide clarity?
    2. Am I comfortable with moments of silence during conversations, allowing them to create impact and space for reflection?

    Speech habits and filters:

    1. What speech habits or filters do I need to be aware of that may hinder effective communication?
    2. How can I replace negative habits like gossip, judging, complaining, or making excuses with more positive and constructive patterns?

    Practicing and honing speaking skills:

    1. Am I actively seeking opportunities to improve my speaking skills through practice and learning?
    2. Do I engage in exercises like reading aloud or exploring different vocal tones to enhance my speaking abilities?
    3. Do I seek feedback from trusted individuals to identify areas for improvement in my communication?

    Notes From Talk

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    The human voice: It's the instrument we all play. It's the most powerful sound in the world, probably. It's the only one that can start a war or say "I love you."
    ✒️
    What I'd like to suggest, there are a number of habits that we need to move away from. I've assembled for your pleasure here seven deadly sins of speaking. I'm not pretending this is an exhaustive list, but these seven, I think, are pretty large habits that we can all fall into. First, gossip. Speaking ill of somebody who's not present. Not a nice habit, and we know perfectly well the person gossiping, five minutes later, will be gossiping about us. Second, judging. We know people who are like this in conversation, and it's very hard to listen to somebody if you know that you're being judged and found wanting at the same time. Third, negativity. You can fall into this. My mother, in the last years of her life, became very negative, and it's hard to listen. I remember one day, I said to her, "It's October 1 today," and she said, "I know, isn't it dreadful?” It's hard to listen when somebody's that negative. And another form of negativity, complaining. Well, this is the national art of the U.K. It's our national sport. We complain about the weather, sport, about politics, about everything, but actually, complaining is viral misery. It's not spreading sunshine and lightness in the world. We've all met this guy. Maybe we've all been this guy. Some people have a blamethrower. They just pass it on to everybody else and don't take responsibility for their actions, and again, hard to listen to somebody who is being like that. Penultimate, the sixth of the seven, embroidery, exaggeration. It demeans our language, actually, sometimes. For example, if I see something that really is awesome, what do I call it? And then, of course, this exaggeration becomes lying, and we don't want to listen to people we know are lying to us. And finally, dogmatism. The confusion of facts with opinions. When those two things get conflated, you're listening into the wind. You know, somebody is bombarding you with their opinions as if they were true. It's difficult to listen to that.
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    I'd like to suggest that there are four really powerful cornerstones, foundations, that we can stand on if we want our speech to be powerful and to make change in the world. Fortunately, these things spell a word. The word is "hail," and it has a great definition as well. The H, honesty, of course, being true in what you say, being straight and clear. The A is authenticity, just being yourself. A friend of mine described it as standing in your own truth, which I think is a lovely way to put it. The I is integrity, being your word, actually doing what you say, and being somebody people can trust. And the L is love. I don't mean romantic love, but I do mean wishing people well, for two reasons. 

    This talk is a part of following list: "Talks That Changed My Perspective".