Walk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis presents elephant journal live.

In today’s elephant journal Facebook live stream, Waylon talks about communicating—speaking and writing—mindfully.

When we are truly confident, grounded, uplifted, we communicate well. But anytime we are feeling insecure, angry, or frustrated, we don’t tend to communicate confidently or clearly, which can cause conflict and frustration for ourselves and others.

Here are six points of mindful speech we can come back to when we notice this happening:

1. Speak slowly and deliberately.

Pausing takes relaxation.

2. Annunciate clearly.

Trungpa Rinpoche suggests practicing with the following:

The British monarch has nothing to say. The English language is splendid. We thoroughly serve and subjugate. Mother will be pleased. The oak tree sits on the pond with lots of birds on it.

3. Listen to yourself.

Try singing in the shower and listening to the echo, or reading some poetry aloud to yourself.

4. Listen to others.

There are two kinds of confidence: one is extraverted, powerful, bragging. But the open, gentle kind of confidence is about being open and listening. Remember that listening is a part of mindful communication—it’s two way.

5. Regard silence as a part of speech.

If we don’t know what to say, we don’t need to say anything. Skip the”umms” and “ahhs.”

6. Speak simply.

Be concise, stay away from overly flowery language. (This goes for writing, too.)

 

Waylon on writing:

Write when you are inspired. Write what you know, what you delight in.

Be natural, be genuine, let it flow.

Don’t force it.

(And don’t worry too much about your grammar.)

 

Bonus book recommendation: True Perception. The Path of Dharma Art

Join us on Facebook every Monday through Friday at 11 am MST on Facebook.com/elephantjournal.

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Editor: Renée Picard