On Monday, I talked about
decluttering your communication by taking out the unnecessary words and phrases. Today I'd like to talk about Cluttered Communication or Cluttered Speech. While searching the web last week, I found an
article about cluttered speech on a website devoted primarily to stammering.
The article talks mostly about the author's experience with both stammering and cluttering which had made it even more difficult for him to hold a conversation with people. The side bar defined cluttering:
"What is cluttering? Cluttering is defined as a communication disorder characterised by a rapid rate of speech that may come out too fast without proper pronunciation and be somewhat erratic. Cluttered thoughts can make it difficult to express yourself clearly.
Speech can become unintelligible. Phrase patterns can be uneven, some of the phrases or sentences can become interlaced with different sounds, and the context may be difficult to understand. People who clutter may sound as though they are drunk. Their speech can be slurred and they may find it difficult to respond easily to people's comments.
Sometimes the speaker is unaware that their speech is disfluent at all; others are aware but seem unable to do anything about it. Many people wrongfully categorize clutterers with stammerers. Although this is incorrect, there are similarities."
Cluttered communication affects more than just those who stutter or stammer. For many, it's simply become a habit to speak so quickly and/or slur their words such that their listeners find it difficult to understand them. In my research of gifted children, I came across some information that suggested that highly intelligent people tend to speak very quickly. I've written many times about the pace of conversation so I'll just give you a few tips here to help if this is an issue for you.
1. Intentionally slow down your rate of speech
2. Make an effort not to cut off the ends of words as you speak.
3. Make a recording of your normal rate of speech and when you try to slow it down and enunciate more clearly. Then play it back so you can hear your progress.
It may take some practice, but you can train yourself to speak a bit slower and more clearly so that it becomes second nature.
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