Blog Tip 24. Say it Out Loud
Sometimes I think a lot clearer and come up with better content when I say it out loud before I write it. I wrote about this briefly in Tip 3 but I realized after writing that just how useful the technique has been for me over the years and decided that it deserves a post of it’s own.
As I mentioned in Tip 3, this is a technique I quite often use in my public speaking. If I’ve got a topic but don’t know how to say it I find verbalizing it (usually to myself) can be a brilliant way of bringing clarity and to explore the different options that might come.
As I speak I usually have a whiteboard that I scribble on to record where my one sided conversation leads me. When I use this technique I often pretend that I’m speaking to another person, trying to explain the topic that I’m exploring.
It took me a while to get used to the idea of talking to myself (they say it’s the first sign of madness don’t they?) but once I got over the fear of someone walking in I got used to it and quite enjoy the process. I find I’m often at my most creative in these times and it can lead me to some surprising results.
Of course you don’t have to do it to an empty room – you can find a real person to have a two sided conversation with – just make sure you take a pen and paper and take a few notes along the way.
You might even like to try recording yourself in these times – it could turn into a podcast if you find you’ve got a knack for it.
Read the rest of the Battling Bloggers Block series
Good point. Talking yourself through a problem is a great way of focusing your thoughts and not letting them roam. I hold conversations with myself all day long.
By the way, I wonder sometimes about your sanity too…but sense you question it, it means you aren’t. ;)
Take care.
Chitika Audits Kinda Shitika
I’ve hung back from experimenting with Chitika, the hip new contextual advertising program, so this info is all second hand, but a lot of people are reporting heavy earnings cuts over the past few days, as Chitica has begun auditing revenue: Jensense …
Sorry, trackbacked the wrong post above.
Good tip about verbalizing your posts, though. You could even try recording brainstorming sessions with friends or business partners (with they’re permission, of course), getting it transcribed, then mining that for posts.
Different than what you’re talking about, but could help generate some new blogging content if you’re stuck.
I have been using adsense referrals for a month and have not received any click throughs. But, I figure it will take time. And even if it does not, at least I am providing the option to my readers.