CMU School of Drama


Monday, September 08, 2008

Expand Your Verbal Intelligence

Stepcase Lifehack: "The most common method of thinking in the Western world is verbal thinking. Although we have a range of intelligences including numerical, musical, spatial, emotional, verbal and kinaesthetic intelligences, it is verbal intelligence that we depend on most. We tend to think and express ourselves in words."

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

How interesting! I have always been a fan of words. Reading, writing, and spelling are areas in which I excelled throughout school and continue to work on when I have time. I hate that my life schedule leaves me so little time for extracurricular reading. When I do have time to read, I try to choose my books carefully--something I know will be both challenging and enjoyable. I love buying books at second-hand stores and have an extensive collection of old and new classics that I hope to read some day when I have time. I think reading is such an important skill. Words are such a powerful tool, possibly the most powerful we have. They have the potential to do both great harm and incredible good.

Isabella said...

I was very surprised to realize that what is said in this article is very true. Once we believe we have reached an acceptable vocabulary and appropriate reading skills fro the environment that we interact in on a daily basis, we do tend to give less importance to developing these skills. It is true that it is very hard to find time to read, especially when it comes to reading novels or poems, but considering that speech is such an important part of our lives and says so much about ourselves, not reading often enough is doing ourselves a great disservice.

Derek said...

Yeah, I wish I had more time to read, but it doesn't seem to fit, and when it comes to free time, sleeping just seems more useful in the moment. Also I know a bunch of people who wish they could work and read faster, but its an up hill battle, so we just go about our work.

Anonymous said...

I guess I'm one of the few people who despite the "wester" way of thinking don't think in terms of works. Most of my thoughts tend to be more visual then sentences in my head. This tend to really be hassle given that I have an incredibly hard time remember names but can recognize people I met years ago and only briefly since stuff like occurrences tend to get played back in my head more like movies then streams of words. I guess thats why I was drawn to the tech aspect of theater, its nothing but visual.

Sam Thompson said...

Mr. Sloane is exactly right in saying that our verbal intelligence is very important and influential in our lives, and his suggestions for its expansion are very helpful. I have definitely experienced the benefits of reading firsthand. From the time I was 4 years old on, I was raised without a television in the house, and thus I was encouraged to find other things to do with my time. As a result, I read and read and read. I think that all the reading I did when I was young, and still do today, contribute a great deal to the state of my vocabulary. I still read a lot for pleasure, even when I don't have much time for it. How do I fit it in? Every night, no matter what, I read a little bit before I go to bed. Not only does it help me get through that good book or article, but it also helps to clear my mind and fall asleep easier. Try it!

Anonymous said...

Agree Sam and Daniella, on reading as a extracurricular activity. Nothing like reading a really good classic that you just fall into, then coming to school the next day and speaking like a proper Englishman from the 17th century. But seriously basic communication requires us to be able to explain our idea's/concepts/what have you in a timely and concise manner. When your out there in the working world, being able to summarize a task in a few sentences to someone in a concise and understandable manner is a huge feather in your cap.

AShotInTheArm said...

We first need to slow down our intake of new information. Various ideas, opinions and arguments are flying at us at an incredible pace nowadays, and normally from very different sources. When you're able to organize all of this and filter our the true garbage, then I think you're able to find the value in reading. It's unfortunate that people blame their lack of reading on a busy schedule or exhaustion.

MichaelSimmons said...

While it is true that a good vocabulary and communication skills is important in whatever field a person chooses to make their profession, I think too much emphasis is put on language and sciences in our culture. Throughout the nation our schools are throwing out art, music and theatre programs in favor of increased focus on english and science. However numerous studies have shown that students who spend their entire lives in music classes or art classes have much higher IQs and communicative skills. So, rather than increasing your vocabulary, maybe this article should be asking people to go out and watch a movie, go to an art gallery, or learn an instrument. We've been reading and using dictionaries all our lives.