Your last words.
Have you thought about them?
The great philosophers used to pose this question to pupilsā¦
They believed that one could reasonably measure a mind by the words a person believed were worth leaving behind.
Great speech, they said, was a reflection of great thought.
How often do we truly consider what we say?
How often do we mindlessly let our mouths run on familiar verbal tracks?
The average English speaker says about 16,340 words a dayā¦.
How many of those words truly matter?
How many of those words uplift or inspire those around you?
Itās a tragedy that we no longer value language like we once did.
Open your ears and listen.Ā
What do you hear?
Our sentences are shoddy, cluttered with āumsā and āuhsā, and we overwork the same stale set of wordsā¦
Not to mention using swear words like a comma.
I was at the gym some weeks ago running the treadmill when I overheard a twenty-something man next to me say on his phone:
āYeah, Iāve been like pissed off at f**king Sarah for f**king months and she keeps saying that Iāve been a total a**hole. Like I literally have been the only one willing to compromise all this time. Itās basically over at this point.ā
His tirade continued for another 10 minutes.
Itās not his fault.
And itās certainly not my intent to pass judgment on his speech or situation.
Heās a symptom of a wider epidemic taking place in Western cultureā¦
Society has created a global tongue of vague and vulgar expressions.
And speaking well?
Itās discouraged.
I mean, there are over 7000 languages in the world and most of us speak garbage.
Perhaps youāve noticed it too?
This skill of speaking greatly seems locked away, reserved for an elite few ā those who know thatĀ good communication is a superpower.
Our exposure to great speech is limited to the occasional movie monologue or sappy quote compilation on TikTokā¦
This has led to conscious, creative speech becoming a bit of a dying starāa white dwarf destined for a black hole.
Itās no surpriseā¦
Most were never really taught how to speak effectively in the real world.
The Greeks used to send their young adults away for 2 years to master speech and rhetoric before taking their place in society.
Why donāt we take speaking well seriously like that anymore?
For one, the power of polished speech has slipped through the cracks of our educational systems.
The Education Reform Act of 1982 dissolved the teaching of rhetoric in public schools leaving it largely accessible to a powerful, privileged few.
Yes, they have a voiceā¦
But so does everyone else.
Secondly, every individual person has a voice that deserves to be heard, even if it now only faintly cries out.
Very few people are being taught how to speak with intention or invention.
Iām not just about the loss of fancy words (youāll soon learn that articulacy is not about big words)ā¦
Iām talking about fading expressiveness, diminishing emotional intelligence, and a narrowing of thought.
Without the beauty of eloquent language, life defaults to a monotonous cycle: eat, sleep, work, repeat.
But with it?
A tree can be arthritic, we can handcuff lightning, and our tongue can become bulletproof.
Our words can be wonderful and wonder-filled if we wish.
Have you noticed more and more articulate speakers surfacing online?
These skilled communicators donāt just talkā¦
They lead, inspire, and transform.
Their ability to clear up confusion and elevate discussions shows how powerful good speaking can be in our information climate.
And this isnāt a new trendā¦
Clear communication has been important for thousands of years.
And great communicators usually emerge when the general population becomes lax with their mental and verbal integrity.
But why do we find certain speakers so captivating?
Itās not just their charismaāitās their ability to retrieve the right words and wield them skillfully.
This skill grabs our attention and holds it.
Think about the recent popularity of online motivational āquoteā compilation videosā¦
Many of these haveĀ 70, 80, even 90 million viewsā¦
Why?
Itās the power of well-crafted words that draws people in.
If you look at comments beneath these videos and those below the popular interviews and podcasts online, youāll find thousands of people reflecting on a time when public figures spoke with freshness and finesseā¦
Comments like,Ā āWhy arenāt we articulate anymore?āĀ
āHow does she speak with such eloquence?ā
Or,Ā āHow do I learn to speak like this man?ā
Whether we realize it or not, thereās a deep reverence for language embedded within culture.
Social media is full of beautifully written quotes overlayed on aesthetic images.
Millions follow accounts that champion great speeches.
Even young people appreciate eloquenceā¦
I asked 500 Gen Z members about the topic of articulationā¦
And many said they follow figureheads online simply because āthey said things so eloquentlyā or āit was how clear the idea was.ā
In todayās world that abounds with information, being clear and articulate is essential.
Unfortunately, our focus is elsewhere.
We pay so much attention to following trends and social protocolsā¦
And no focus is afforded to how we sound.
We dress fashionably and baptize ourselves in fine perfumesā¦
But for words we wear ragged jeans and a dirty t-shirt.
Words too are fashion.
Now, you might say that good communication is about more than just wordsā¦
And youād be right!
It includes qualities like tonality, body language, and even how we use silence.
However, the art of arranging words in articulate and clever ways is almost always overlooked.
Itās what society has ignored and what BetterSpeak will spotlight.
Letās get one thing straight:
There is no shortage of good communications training out there.
Youāll find thousands of speaking programs focused on polishing your stage presence and perfecting your keynote deliveryā¦
And yes, my fellow communication coaches excel at elevating executives, leaders, and coaches to new heightsā¦
But hereās the catchāthe average person isnāt aiming to captivate an auditorium full of people.
The average person faces hundreds of everyday situations that call for just the right wordsā¦
Describing feelings, sharing beliefs, chatting with family, consoling friends, or sharing a visionā
These are the moments that test our speaking skills.
You see, itās the simple conversations that often leave us stumbling for words.
I wanted to offer training that equips you to speak articulately on command.
When you consistently articulate your thoughts clearly, the other qualitiesālike passion, gestures, and tonalityānaturally follow.
If I were to expose you to the most powerful phrases, the most profound speeches, the most persuasive patterns in language, what do you think would happen?
Think about that for a momentā¦
What happens is people begin unconsciously mirroring those patterns in their speechā¦
And they discover untapped language potential in themselves.
Itās not just about removing filler words or calibrating body languageā¦
Itās about fostering a fundamental understanding and fluency with language that elevates every interaction, from the boardroom to the dining room.
It doesnāt matter whether youāre a hedge funder or a hedge trimmerā¦.
Everyone can better their speech.
And any authority I have in this domain doesnāt stem from the fact that I think Iām better than youā¦
But because I was worse than all of you.
BetterSpeak Founder, Your Instructor
HEY, IāMĀ JOSEPH
When I was 15 years old, I had a stroke and lost the ability to speakā¦
Due to aggressively self-adjusting my cervical (neck) vertebrae hundreds of times daily, I had impinged critical nerves and inflamed muscle tissue.
This restricted blood flow to the brain and caused a stroke.
Among other side effects, I experienced some paralysis in my limbs and lost the ability to speak.
To be sealed inside your body, silently struggling to utter just one intelligible word is a trial I pray none of you have to experience.
Through a miraculous series of events, I recovered my motor functions and was able to formulate wordsā¦.
I thought I escaped unscathed, but soon realized I had just begun an intense difficulty with languageā¦Ā
My stroke disrupted my mental sharpness and made it difficult to compose coherent sentences.
This led to acute social anxiety.
I had contributions to conversations, but could never retrieve the right words.
I had disagreements to offer, but my mind wouldnāt agree on the words.
I felt forever behind in conversations and began to dread all interactions.
Two years ago, I embarked upon a quest to achieve what I would callĀ verbal athleticismā¦
This was the ability to be playful, precise, and creative with words.
So, I began feverishly studying language in an attempt to loosen the valve constricting the language flow between mind and mouth.
Very rapidly, I developed a passion for clarity, exactness, and sharp outlinesā¦
My notebook filled with the mad-scientist chick-scratch of graphs and charts detailing the patterns I noticed in conversations and speechesā¦
I would go to sleep listening to the speeches of MLK, JFK, and Reaganā¦
I knew my output would only be as good as my input, so during workouts my ears feasted on theĀ poems of T.S. Elliot, Wilde, and Frost.
What I fell in love with was being able to capture the ordinary with words.
Like Neo choosing the red pill in the Matrix, I began to explore and explain the world in a new wayā¦
My thinking was enriched, my intellectual horizons expanded, and I began to enjoy conversations!
I had many questions on rhetoric and linguistics and managed to have discussions with Professor James Pennebaker from UT, Professor James Engell from Harvard, and rhetoric Professor Steve Llano from St. Johns.
These conversations helped me clarify my research and understand how my personal studies related to the field of linguistics.
Finally, I began conquering my language difficulties.
My confidence with words dissolved the social anxiety and I found frameworks for translating my thoughts into sentences that satisfied me.
I began creating YouTube content on this topic and now overĀ 200,000 peopleĀ enjoy learning about what I was discovering about myself.
Iām ecstatic that so many of you have found my observations worth a view.
Even the fact that youāre reading these words right now means the world.
And Iām far from finished working on myself and for others!
I believe in building products that Make people feel good about themselves.
When you speak better, you feel better.
Thatās the core of my mission with BetterSpeak.
Just as an athlete trains to master the physical skills of their sport, I train individuals in the art of verbal athleticsāa skill set that enables you to bend, twist, and flex words with precision and grace.
Imagine walking into a meeting, brimming with confidence in your ability to articulate your thoughtsā¦
Picture yourself navigating sensitive conversations with easeā¦
Or describing a scene with such exquisite detail that your listeners can see it through your wordsā¦
This level of mastery comes from understanding and practicing the patterns of effective speech.
Like any sport, good speaking is rooted in patterns and practiceā¦
And Iām here to coach you through them.
Think of me as the coach to your inner Mohammad Ali.
While I may not land every punch myself (Iām still a work in progress), I understand what a good blow or block looks like, how it feels, and can describe the technique behind it.
Why am I so passionate about this?
Because I firmly believe that thereās something profoundly remarkable about each individual that deserves to be shared with the world.
Each of you has a rich and dynamic mind thatās waiting to be expressed.
Consider the great artists throughout historyā¦
What if Beethoven had never found his way to a piano?
Or Picasso never picked up a brush?
Michelangelo his chisel?
Just as these iconic figures found their medium to share their genius, I am committed to helping others find their medium through speaking.
From Homer to Hemingway to Lincoln to Churchill to King to Obama, their verbal artistry is why you know them.
I bet thereās even a Churchill quote you can dispense right nowā¦
We remember great words.
And whatās stopping us from creating more of them?
I want to enable more small victories for humanity through the power of articulate speech!
It doesnāt take long to speak well.
I designed the BetterSpeak curriculum to be high-impact.
Meaning itās chock-full of actions that are straightforward yet incredibly effective.
Iāve distilled everything Iāve learned in the realm of articulacy into several essential insights that I call the ā10 Rules of Articulacy.āĀ
Each rule is a stepping stone to mastering how you use language to communicate more effectively.
Hereās a sneak peek at what youāll learn:
Rule 1
Articulacy increases when you consciously select your words.
Learn to choose each word with intention, enhancing the clarity and impact of your message
Rule 2
Effortless articulacy is limited to the size of your surface lexicon.
Weāll expand your vocabulary to make eloquence more accessible.
Rule 3
A better word is just seconds away.
Develop the habit of pausing critically to improve verbal precision.
Rule 4
The longer you engage a thought, the greater depth you achieve with words.
Dive deeper into your ideas to express them more fully.
Rule 5
The quality of your speech is a product of your language environments.
Weāll show you how to immerse yourself in environments that enrich your language skills.
Rule 6
Sentences sound articulate when words flow and fit into eloquent molds.
Master the art of crafting sentences that not only convey meaning but also sound beautiful.
Rule 7
An admission of limitation is often the most articulate answer.
Learn the power of humility in communication.
Rule 8
Silence is the hardest part of speaking articulately.
Discover the strategic use of not speaking in your speaking.
Rule 9
A sentence grows fuller when you strip away empty words.
Weāll teach you to eliminate unnecessary filler to make your speech more powerful.
Rule 10
A few careless words can erode a great many careful ones.
Understand the impact of ending and starting your sentences.
In BetterSpeak, youāll not only learn what these rules mean but also how to integrate them into your daily communication.
That way, they become as natural as breathing.
This program isnāt just about dumping more information on youā¦
We already have plenty of that on the internet.
This program is about implementation.
Itās about making real changes in how you communicate.
And remember, like any great skill or form of athletics, practice is not optional.
So Iāll show you not just what to practice, but how to practice to improve.
Iām not promising an easy path.
But since when has anything truly worthwhile been easy to attain?
What I can promise you is this:
By The End Of The Program:
You will have a system for speaking articulately that you can use to practice, perfect, and use for your lifetime.
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