Thursday, February 2, 2012

You're mumbling again

I've heard that line a lot in life.  "You're mumbling, I can't understand you."  "What was that?"  "Can you repeat yourself please?"  I am a mumbler.  It's not always and it is mostly around people I am comfortable with.  I've been on stage, I've given presentations, I've lead meetings, all without a problem.  But if I'm on the couch next to you, I might as well be 100 miles away.  As I said, it's not always.  So when I do mumble, it tends to irritate those closest to me.  And it can be irritating to have that told to you often.  But beware if you try to tell a non-mumbler that they are mumbling.  They will vehemently disagree and tell you to clean your ears.  I have been told that more than once in my life and by much more than one person.  I do appreciate them sticking with me though and I try to correct myself when I know I'm doing it.  And since my mumbles have kicked into high gear lately, I thought I would dedicate a post to the opposite.  So today, we will be speaking clearly.  I enjoy the second quote for how it can be transferred to a speaker.

“Speak clearly, if you speak at all; carve every word before you let it fall.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes

“Those who write clearly have readers, those who write obscurely have commentators.” - Albert Camus
  

Do you speak clearly or are you a mumbler? Or perhaps I should ask, do you have readers or commentators?

No comments:

Post a Comment