Why Expanding Your Vocabulary Is Important

The words that we use on a daily basis are crucial for communication. Words allow us to understand ourselves and others' perspectives.

Many of us are being misunderstood or misunderstanding simply because of the vocabulary that we use. Being specific with our terms or expressions is important. For example, if we say that we are sad, do we mean that we are disappointed, depressed, mournful, or dismayed.

The more specific we are with our chosen words, the more we are able to express our ideas effectively to other individuals and to ourselves. Also, the greater our vocabulary the greater the impact and influence we can provide within this world because words are extremely powerful. Words can change the way we think of ourselves.  

In contrast, if we use negative or pessimistic words constantly, then this is the reality that we are manifesting. Many individuals don’t realize any form of language and emotional vocabulary is building their mental reality. It is their vocabulary that they use on a daily basis is what creates their life. We need to rewire our brain to replace negative words in a positive and helpful way. For example, instead of saying I had a busy week, you can replace it with I had a productive week or instead of saying I made a mistake replace it with I learned a valuable lesson. 

One of the fastest ways to accelerate your learning on new vocabularies is surrounding yourself with the community that has the same mindset or goal as you because you’ll be actively using words that are relevant to what you will be learning. Also learning in general is great, it creates neuroplasticity which means it allows us to have a greater neural pathways for your thoughts to travel and connections with your brain. Similar to exercising in the gym, the more you exercise the stronger you’ll become.

There are 4 levels of competency that psychologists suggest to understand our abilities or where we are at our current skill.

1. Unconscious Incompetence - this is the stage where you don’t know something that exists. For example, learning new words everyday expands your knowledge and makes it easier to connect with people. Same with speed reading, many people don’t know that it exists.

2. Conscious Incompetence -  You know those people who have extensive vocabularies and have an easy flowing conversation and you are aware of it, but you just don’t know what is their method to become better and you also noticed that they have easy recall with sophisticated words they use. Similar to speed-reading, many individuals know that there are people who can speed read and have a great level of comprehension, but they just have no idea how they do it. 

3. Conscious Competence - This is the stage where you know that you can do it, but it just takes some time and effort to become superior at it. In terms of using uncommon words, you have to pause and think about it because it is difficult. Similar to speed-reading, you have to be vigilant and focus with what you are reading in order to obtain that information you are acquiring.

4. Unconscious Competence - This is the part where you no longer think about the uncommon words that you used in a conversation and it becomes second nature. There is not a whole lot of effort and energy. It’s like driving a car, you don’t think about it so much. When it comes to expanding your vocabularies, you have a better understanding and do not need to look it up what it means. 

This information of stages of competency, we get an idea that there are levels with our skills and this will encourage us to improve to the level we want to thrive.

Jim Kwik who is the author of the book limitless and someone who had given incredible strategies in terms of remembering information have ways to learn it quicker which I had implemented and given me great results.

There are 5 key methods that he used:

1. Space repetition - the idea for this method is you’ll review it one hour later, one day later, one week later, or one month later. Eventually it will become second nature just like the Unconscious Competence in the stages of competency. In the beginning you might have to think and give effort when you first try, but once you become habitual, you no longer put so much attention or energy into it .

2. Deep Immersion - this is a complete involvement of yourself and it may require you to be at the right environment. If you want to learn and expand your vocabularies in English language, you wouldn’t go to a place or country that speaks differently. 

3. You Use It - One of the fastest ways to remember the new vocabulary you have learned is by using it as fast as you can or when you get a chance to share it with others. Active learning is much more effective than passive learning.

4. Look up words - write down the words from a book that you come across that you don’t know or maybe there are some words that other people use that you don’t know. Remember that vocabularies are the building blocks which creates a better comprehension and connection.

5. Fall in love with them - It is so much easier to learn and retain the information if you are loving the process of your journey. Imagine a time when you learn something that you genuinely enjoy and that is beneficial to you. It feels great and much easier to learn. If you want to expand your vocabularies, learn to love them because it is important for connections and for your comprehension

Here are a few tips to take action on to better help vocabulary expansion and memory:

The first key to having an efficient brain is to have healthy nutrition. Eating the right food gives us the nutrients that our brain needs to function properly. If we can minimize the consumption of fast food or high caloric food intake we can have a better life because not only will it give you many complications for your health it also makes you feel terrible and lethargic. 

Second is Self-talk. How do you speak with yourself when no one is around? Do you frequently speak negatively with yourself or you praise yourself and acknowledge your improvements. Positive self-talk allows us to bring out the best of us. 

The third strategy we can implement is physical exercise. There are a myriad of benefits we can get from exercising and not just for physical health, but also for our mental health. 

Lastly is sleep. When we don’t get enough sleep it is hard to focus with the task and our attention span becomes short and it doesn’t allow us to think clearly and creatively.

Remember that your choice in words, your ability to expand beyond your current vocabulary, is directly connected to your ability to become more effective in your communication.