Practice to become a faster talker?

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Hello,

I am a bit of a slow talker. A lot of times I will very quickly have an intuitive idea in my mind about what I want to say, but for some reason it takes me a while to find words to say it. Sometimes this results in my getting left behind in conversation. Other times I will speak before I have found the right words, and what I say will not be exactly what I meant, or only part of what I meant, or so cryptically worded that people are likely to take it wrong.

So how can I practice in order to become better at putting things into words quickly, so that people don't lose interest while waiting for me to find the right words, and so that I can keep up with the conversation? Would appreciate any suggestions.

I had this problem as well, when I was talking in a group of people. I solved it by practicing. Talking to other people just for the sake of practice.

I bet talking to other people is the best way to practice. Will have to try this out.

Toastmasters

Forensics debate

Speech therapy

Auctioneer

Practice singing the Modern Major General's song as fast as you can.

I have to practice to become a SLOWER talker LOL

I think that talking slowly is a good habit. It gives my brain some time to catch up with my mouth so I don't say so many truly stupid things.

Edit: that's post 500 and I've just become a veteran... woohoo!

Congrats!

I had my car serviced today. The cashier gave her name to the customer before me, so ended my transaction by mentioning her name.

Thanks... I'm weirdly pleased about it.

I don't have tips for talking faster. I have two very slow talkers in the house and I just wait. Just want to mention this: Don't worry too much about saying the right things or feeling stupid. Most people are not good listeners and would not notice. In today's world people just text anyway. It might be more useful to train your fingers to be faster.

Congrats! Maybe I will just have to stop trying to talk fast and accept my slow talking habits. I definitely say many fewer truly stupid things when I talk at my normal slow pace.

This sounds like good advice. I think if I learn auctioneering I might go to far and overwhelm people with my fast talking!

I don't know if my fingers are fast, but they are definitely more accurate at getting my message across. What bothers me as much as people losing interest is when I find creative new ways to unintentionally offend people. Your advice seems very sound, thank you.

This is such an interesting statement. I can interpret it so many different ways. Did she mention her name to you so you wouldn't feel slighted? Or did she wait until the end of your transaction so she didn't mention her name at two instances too close together in time? Maybe my difficulty interpreting this is revealing the source of some of my conversational difficulties...

Is this perhaps a cultural thing, since I see that your location is NYC? Or do you talk fast even by NYC standards?