Reading Out Loud

As I have posted before, I work in a call center.  Today one of the callers I spoke with paid me one of the best compliments I have received in a while.  She said right off that I had an excellent phone voice and finished the call by saying that I had missed my calling and that I should be doing voice overs or narrating documentaries.  The irony is that I have actually dreamed about narrating historical documentaries!

In fact, I will tell you just how weird I am; I often read history books out loud, pretending that I am the narrator of a documentary.  Some books, on certain subjects, just seem to call out to be read out loud.  But, if that is not weird enough for you, I have spent hours upon hours in public parks, reading books out loud!  I hope you are not frightened by this startling revelation.

But here is the unexpected part of the story; all of that reading out loud actually prepared me for the job I currently have.

There was a time in my life when I had somehow gotten the notion into my head that I had a communication problem.  I think it was because I left my job with the family business after ten years and started working for other people.  I became rather self conscious about my quiet personality and my occasional stumbling over words.  It got to the point that, when asked in job interviews if I had any weaknesses, I would answer that I had a communication problem.  Hey, I had to be honest!

As long as I believed I had a problem, then, in a way, I did.  In fact, my problem was that I believed I had a problem.  One summer I took a sales job just to prove that I could do it; a low pressure sales approach with a product that all but sold itself.  What I found out was that I do not have a communication problem -- also, stumbling over the occasional word might actually put the customer at ease, thus helping to make the sale!

Those job interviews taught me something else: if don't want the job, a great way to end the interview is to tell them you have a communication problem.  Translation: "I have no self confidence."  Trust me, no hiring manager will give you a second thought after you tell them that.  As a result of this, I was out of work for a number of years; and I had plenty of time to sit in public parks and read out loud.

I read recently a quote from President Thomas S. Monson -- and, yes, I did read it out loud -- on how to improve communication skills:

"1. Improve your vocabulary by keeping a dictionary available when reading or writing.  Check words about which you have a question to see if your understanding of their meaning is the same as the dictionary definition.  The listening vocabulary should be greater than the one you use to speak or write so you can learn on a higher level than that on which you speak or write.

"2. Read aloud (as a drill) when the opportunity to do so presents itself.  This strengthens the voice and makes it more clear.  It helps the reader to enunciate words more clearly, carefully, and naturally.  It helps to prevent speech mannerisms and monotonous patterns because the reader has an opportunity to use other people's word combinations. The reader should also practice voice inflection and develop a wider range of tones to make the voice more interesting."

Another quote from President Monson also applies:

"Reading 'out of the best books' stretches our mental muscles and expands our horizons.  It takes us out of our mundane worlds and lets us travel as far as our imaginations and the picture painting words of the authors can carry us.  Reading keeps us vibrant, it keeps us alive and makes us far more interesting to our marriage mates and our families.  It is also a form of insurance against mental aging.  We are only as old as we think we are.  Some people say that one way to keep alive is to keep interested in many things, and the way to keep interested is to read widely and wisely."

So read, read out loud, read out strong . . . sorry, I had to say it.

Here are some other benefits of reading out loud, according to Stephanie Ciccarelli: doing so "sharpens your focus, increases your vocabulary, results in greater comprehension, gives you an opportunity to play, exercises your body, challenges your use of intonation, and improves listening and reading skills."

When I was still in high school, an older gentleman once saw me reading at a bus stop.  He asked me if I liked to write.  When I said that I did, he said something I have carried with me ever since.  The more we read, the better we will write, and the more we write, the better we will read.  This is absolutely correct.  If you want to improve your ability to communicate, read and write and write and read, and read out loud.


Sources:

Cannegieter, L F. (2011). Teachings of Thomas S. Monson. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book.

Ciccarelli, S. (2008) "7 Way Reading Aloud Improves and Enriches Your Life." Vox Daily, accessed at Voices.com on 5/02/2016.  http://blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/2008/11/7_ways_reading_aloud_improves_your_life.html