How Do I Expand My Vocabulary?
Most communicators I coach cite improving their way with words as a core desired goal. Why? Because eloquence helps us stand out, shows agility with different audiences, and that we’re informed, too. But how do we expand our language in ways which connect vs. alienate us from our audience? That’s what we’re unpacking today through five easy coaching steps. A podcast version lives here, if you’d prefer to hear vs. read my ideas.
Step One: Challenge any fear and fixed mindset
Most professionals asking to build their vocabulary already sound articulate, competent, and often in multiple languages. And yet their inner judge tells them they don’t measure up. Challenge any fixed mindset to ensure a love for learning pulls you to action vs. a fear of falling back, not mattering — or whatever fear pushes you. To help get there, consider:
- Noticing the ways you already speak beautifully — right now, without changing a thing.
- Wondering what impact (if any) others around you have on this perceived deficit. If you’re no longer the only genius on a team, or you’ve taken a junior role and frequently interact with the top players, what’s the true fear? Low vocabulary — or something else? Who has scorned your words or what clues exist (if any) you’re falling short?
- Reconsidering what ‘fancy’ or ‘sophisticated’ language means. Perhaps using a common word in an interesting way stands out. E.G. Investors became spooked when stocks sharply dropped vs. investors panicked when… could bring a smile.
Step Two: Determine how you want to sound
If you’re still convinced you want to grow your word bank, then let’s go. But for lasting results, determine how you want to sound to your audience. Bright but humble? Ostentatious and inaccessible? Well-informed but open? Something else? Use meetings where you feel the word choice exceeds your usual scope as a place to learn vs. squirm. Ask yourself:
- What purpose does this language serve? To showcase our learning? Show off? Create formality? Honor tradition? Something else?
- How do audiences seem to respond? (Really notice here signs for comprehension. Avoid letting your Judge assume everyone but you follows.)
- How do I feel as a receiver of this language? Accepted? Alienated? Impressed?
- How much of this language do I want to integrate as part of my own? And in what context?
Step Three: Read with pleasure and to learn
Aside from listening to others, reading beautiful words becomes the next best step to improving our vocabulary. Experts suggest reading frequently, consistently, and through varied means ranging from fiction, non-fiction, news, and anything that interests you. I know this method works.
When I moved to the U.S. as a solo immigrant and after five years working in Japan, I struggled landing my first job in San Francisco. Part of my internal struggle tied to noticing my native English had faltered after years of speaking and reading Japanese. One thing that helped: Reading for pleasure and a pledge to read one book a week, premium business publications daily, while also listening to radio.
Other digital tools expand on reading as a vocabulary-building tool. A cluster of helpful resources follow:
- The online thesaurus and Grammarly provide synonyms for everyday words
- The Merriam Webster word of the day builds momentum and order
- The Merriam Webster vocabulary quiz, via the app, really challenges
Step Four: Keep a Record
I’ve found keeping a word journal (through a Google doc) helps keep track of new or interesting words as does journaling on the Day One app. I choose podcasts where I enjoy listening to the podcaster’s language choice as much as I do their topics and voice and jot down words and phrases which stand out.
My favorite, The Economist Asks podcast, illustrates the power in using an ordinary word in interesting ways (and this aligns with the accessible tone I’m going for.) A small example illustrates. In a recent podcast, the host complimented an expert who believed he’d become too tangential as “brilliant at covering such a broad terrain in so few sentences.” I appreciated “broad terrain” to describe the depth of the topic the man had synthesized. I captured those words in a note via my phone and now use those words as I coach.
To empower you, experts also suggest recording the word within the context. Write a phrase to capture how to use it vs. the definition alone. Then, write frequently — preferably daily — as a way to retain new words. Simple moves like journaling or storing well-written emails can create archives for you to frequently consult.
Step Five: Commit and have fun
By now you may wonder how to find the time for this vital change — and how to get started? Counter those fears by:
- Remembering every meeting and interaction provides fodder for hearing and integrating new words
- Playing Scrabble, doing crosswords, and other word games count! Quizlet offers a digital flashcard system to help practice and retain the words.
- Having fun. One junior leader once felt intimated when leaders used fancy words to describe successes and failures of portfolios. With an intent to learn and enjoy, he replaced feelings of insecurity with a joy for growth and learning, even integrating his own.
With these insights you can grow your vocabulary with ease and flow vs. fear. Before you know it, the ‘way with words’ you admired in others will become something others see in you.
Debbi Gardiner McCullough coaches and trains immigrant leaders to become more confident, concise, and authentic communicators. From Wisconsin, she owns and runs Hanging Rock Coaching and serves as a communication effectiveness fellow coach to leaders all over the globe with BetterUp.