How writing improves your speaking
I read my friend and investor Fred Wilson very regularly. He has been writing nearly every day for fourteen years. You can follow him on his blog and also subscribe by email. Fred is one of the most prolific (and excellent) writers in the tech industry I know. Fred is also a fantastic public speaker.
Yesterday he wrote about writing and speaking.
Fred says:
“-writing regularly makes it easier to speak publicly in unscripted situations
-writing forces you to work out your views and articulate them clearly and concisely
-when you are asked a question related to those views, you already worked out the answer.
-if you want to speak publicly a lot, particularly in unscripted situations, I would suggest you write publicly regularly”
I highly recommend Fred’s talk with David Kirkpatrick
I have been enjoying practicing public speaking and writing for many years but never connected them this way. It’s obvious though. It is even more obvious during press interviews.
You have to answer immediately with no time to think. For example, I have never believed much in the importance of Bitcoin. It hit $2,000 a few days ago and I passed on many opportunities to buy at a few hundred dollars. If I know I have to speak about Bitcoin say on radio tomorrow, I will likely start with some research to prepare it today. Writing a post gathering my own thoughts about it is the best way to prepare for the interview. It forces me to not only think about it but also summarize what you have learned. Sharing your work with your readers helps some of them which reinforces your community.
Writing is a great exercise for speaking.
Like this post? Subscribe to my newsletter.
