Self-Talk Makes You Smarter, Not Crazy.
You probably think that someone who speaks to themselves out loud is a little “out of their minds”, but in fact they can understand something. Self-talk is a great way to better understand what you are learning.
But this type of self-talk isn’t about the weather with another, more interesting split personality. No, as Ulrich Boeser, author of Study Better , explains in the Harvard Business Review , this is not so much “self-talk” as “self-evident”. For example, talk about everything you have learned as if you were teaching someone else. We know teaching others is a great way to firmly grasp a subject , but why not focus on your favorite student: yourself?
Why does this type of monologue help? Bozer says it slows you down so you build your thoughts more consciously. Reflecting in this way allows you to reinforce what you have learned and gain more from the shared experience. Questions such as “What confuses me?” and “Do I really know this?” help too. And talking to yourself allows you to ask, “Why?” and answer it as best you can without letting your mind wander. The very fact of the conversation keeps you focused. If you can verbally answer your own difficult questions, you know you know what you need to know, do you understand?
Summaries are also a powerful teaching tool , especially when you do it orally. It can improve your reading comprehension and empowers you to make important connections that you may not have seen before. After a lesson, lecture, meeting, or reading session, try explaining to yourself out loud what you just learned. It will be a little silly at first, but you will overcome it when you reap the benefits.