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In this post I am going to give you everyday tips on how to sound smart and not just to sound smart but to actually be smart. I am not about faking the funk and if you are going to present yourself a certain way then why not be that way for real. But don’t worry I am not going to tell you to go do something unrealistic because I believe everyday people, no matter who you are, can learn to sound smart.
There are several reasons why you may want to sound smart. You may want to sound smart for work or just because you need to learn how to correctly speak the English language without the use of improper words and Ebonics. Or maybe someone has told you that you sound “ghetto.” But before you go off, I am not judging you. But I know how it goes when you sound a certain way.
So maybe you are tired of hearing that. Truth be told, there are times where I can speak really improperly and use a lot of Ebonics and improper words, mostly when I am around my girlfriends just joking around. But most times, I choose to sound smart. So no matter why you want to learn how to to sound smart, it is always good to have the option of doing so when you want to.
Sad to say that so many people get judged off the way that they speak. You can have something really articulate to say but if people think you sound ignorant, then often times what you have to say will be ignored. Now if by chance you just stumbled on this blog just because you have nothing better to do I want to give you the benefits of what sounding smart will get you.
- It could land you a job in an interview. (True story, I once got a call back the next day after an interview because they were impressed at how well I spoke).
- People will think you are smart. You can be a high school drop out but if you open your mouth and know how to articulate yourself correctly people will think you are smart.
- It makes you stand out on a date. If you want to impress a guy, then actually learn to sound smart and have something of substance to say. You will learn that the caliber of men that you date will change and be better. Like attracts like, you will attract the same type of person you are. I once was speaking to a man at a bar for about 15 minutes and he invited me out on a date just for the “intellectual conversation.”
- It gives you a level of class and sophistication.
- You are less likely to fall into the “ghetto, country, or ignorant” category. I am not saying it is true but most people assume that when you do not sound smart or don’t articulate yourself correctly then that must mean you are not smart.
- If you sound smart on your job then it will give you more opportunities. Once again true story, when I worked for the state I was volunteered to give a presentation in front of a group of people as a new employee. When I asked why, they simply said because you speak well. That was the only criteria apparently.
Now that we have some reasons on why you want to sound smart I am going to give you six ways on how to do it. Now let’s get into it shall we. But first don’t forget to watch my video on how to be on your grown woman status, where being articulate and sounding smart is one of the ways to act like a grown woman. And don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking here.
1. How To Sound Smart ~ Read Books.
I do not mean read erotica or some type of urban fiction that does not use proper grammar because that will not teach you anything. I mean an actual book that is intellectual in nature. And even if you do not want to read, then you can just listen on audible. The point is that you when you read or hear the words that are being spoken you will learn how to articulate yourself in the same way as these books.
Secondly, apart of sounding smart is not just about sounding like a book but to actually knowing what you are talking about and getting educated on a subject matter that will make you sound smart. There is nothing worse then hearing someone use a bunch of big words they memorized from the dictionary, and when you talk to them more about a certain subject matter they have no idea what you are talking about because they just memorized a bunch of big words.
How To Sound Smart And How to do this as a daily task:
Before you go to bed at night or even in the morning you can take about 30 minutes to an hour to read one of these books. If you really pressed for time one of the things that I like to do is to turn on my echo (which you can click my affiliate link here to get one) and listen to one of my books on audible while I sit and do my makeup. This is probably the easiest thing you can do in regards to learning to sound smart. I mean think about it, how do children learn to speak? They learn by hearing the people around them speaking. So if you are able to read or to even listen to these books you will absorb the information
2. How To Sound Smart ~ Read Magazines, News Papers and Other Smart People Publications
As I said before it is not enough to just learn some big words and think you are going to in front of a bunch of smart people and sound smart yourself. NO! Sounding smart goes well beyond that in the sense that you actually need to know what you are talking about.
The great thing about reading certain publications that are geared toward intellectual people is that they talk about current events. If you wanted to start a conversation with someone and they wanted to talk to you about the recent political debate a book is not going to do that for you. But a reputable publication on politics will.
How To Sound Smart & How to do this as a daily task
Try reading the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, and FORBES. I can’t say it enough, you need to feed your brain. Think about it, when have you ever seen someone sound ignorant and read the Harvard Business Review. It typically does not happen.
That is because reading about intellectual things allow you to speak about intellectually about situations that are going on in the world. Don’t be one of those people just saying any and everything because you think that doing so will make you sound smart.
Be one of those people who can speak articulately about a particular subject matter because you know about it, not because you are just making stuff up. You can get a subscription services to magazine in either paper or print. And like the book, make time to read something every day so you know what is going on in the world around you.
3. How To Sound Smart ~ Hang Around Smart People.
Have you ever heard of the phrase that birds of a feather flock together. When you hang around some really smart people it ups your smartness automatically, and just by being around them you will actually learn some of their habits. If some of their habits include sounding articulate well then there you go you will learn to sound articulate.
When I worked at a job in which I would have to regularly interact with political people, I listened to them speak AND they all sounded very smart. It automatically made me more aware of how I spoke. I could not be that one person sounding ignorant in a room full of smart people. Once I started hanging around them more I was able to pick up on some of their habits and to also start to imitate them thus improving my own speech game and I too started sounding smarter.
How To Sound Smart & How to do this as a daily task
If you do not have any smart friends then it can be hard to start hanging out with ones everyday, but here are some tips that will get you started. Go to Meetups that have smart people in them. They can include the professional women’s meet up, the career and business meetup, or an art meetup. Depending on where you live you can find a meetup almost everyday to go to if that is what you want.
Also go to places in which smart people hangout such as seminars, country clubs, book stores, or community meetings in your areas focused on politics etc. You can check out my blog here on how to meet new people if you do not know where to start. You can make it apart of your everyday routine to go out and find friends that you can actually learn from and those you aspire to be like. Also check out my video on where to meet good quality men that will teach you how to navigate some of these places.
4. How To Sound Smart ~ Watch the News
And I mean like real news, do not watch some weird bias news that is not really news at all like TMZ or something. And do not watch the news where they are just taking about murders and kidnapping; watch the news that will actually teach you about real issues going on. Such as politics, what is going on in the government, or other countries. If you want to sound smart all you have to say is
“Did you hear about what happened in China the other week and how their president did xy and z.” If you are able to bring up worldly events and are able to speak about them from an informed perspective, you are automatically going to sound smart. Remember the key here is to be informed. Don’t watch some conspiratorial theory news on YouTube with no real merit and start speaking about how the world is flat and how we never landed on the moon. You will sound ignorant and not smart. Watch reputable news.
How To Sound Smart & How to do this as a daily task
Just turn on the TV, Facebook, or YouTube and watch actual news sources that give you a versatile point of view so that you can speak about a subject matter from all angles. CNN is good, The Daily Show is informative and entertaining. For YouTube shows consider The Young Turks, GoogleTalks, or Big Think just to name a few.
5. How To Sound Smart ~ Podcast
Podcast are something you can listen to on your way to work or even while you exercise. At this point there is probably a reoccurring theme with all of the tips that I am giving you and that is that you need to get the information in your head somehow someway because taking in smart information will help you release smart information.
Yes I am teaching you how to sound smart but you will sound smart because you are smart and the way to get smart is to feed your brain on a wide array of issues and articulate yourself on those issues. Now when it comes to Podcast as with all the other tips pick ones that teach you something. PS you can listen to my podcast here that is full of self improvement advice.
How To Sound Smart ~ How to do this as a daily task
Once again this is easy, you can listen to a Podcast anywhere you have your phone and some downtime. I recommend having a few that you love so that you can listen to one a day or once every other day as most podcast do not come out with a show every single day. Your podcast list should be something versatile that will teach you on a wide range of topics. Some of the Podcast I suggest are:
- Ted Talks
- The Knowledge Project
- How To Be Awesome At Your Job
- The Investors Podcast
- NPR
- And my podcast Sophie-sticated Mom
6. How To Sound Smart ~ Look Smart
I know that this tips seems so random but hear me out really quick on why I feel that looking smart will also help you sound smart. When you feel confident on the outside, it gives you more confidence in the way you speak. I mean think about it, if I was wearing a nice business outfit and I was dressed like I owned a million dollar company, without me saying a word my look adds to my perceived smartness.
On the other hand if I was walking around looking busted, even if I knew how to sound smart it takes away from my perceived smartness. So if you want to know how to talk smart then dress the part. You can check out my free year long capsule wardrobe ebook that will give you classy, sophiesticated, and affordable outfit options all year round and for all occations (click here to download free).
I know you may be saying that this sounds like a lot of work. Perhaps you thought my tips were just going to be how to “pretend” to sound smart. But no, my tips are how to actually sound smart and how to be smart and if you put all of these daily tips into use, I promise you that you will be speaking eloquently and articulately in no time. If you know someone who needs some help in sounding smart then share this post with them.
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