Why GenZ Can't Speak or Think Clearly

Communicating effectively is a challenge for GenZ. We are inundated with information and our language abilities have deteriorated. In this video, I explore some of the common difficulties faced by GenZ and millennials when expressing their thoughts and ideas clearly. By understanding these obstacles, we can work towards improving communication skills and achieving a better clarity of thought. #genz #millennials

[polachekly]

As a Gen Z, I realize that I struggle with this immensely. I believe social media has a big impact in the way we communicate and think nowadays.

I try to read more, write more and overall learn more. After so much time spent on social media, I was never able to form my own opinion on things. Devoting my time into more educational activities instead of social media has been a big help.

[janetmckenzie]

Attention. All of my college classes were lectures, lasting from 55-85 minutes. During freshman year, you eventually could not only follow the lecture, but summarize it on paper at the same time. A well spoken lecture was a thing of beauty— I took a Shakespeare class where the professor would open with a thought, explore and expand, and circle around to the beginning, ending the lecture with a greatly enlarged and nuanced understanding of the beginning point. It was a giant circle, and the end was like watching a plane come in for a landing.

[madirosa]

Having ADHD and being critiqued for my way of expressing myself caused me to turn so much of my thoughts and ideas inward that I now have trouble making sense of them. I’ve realized that the longer you house your thoughts and ideas the more abstract and vague they become. The same thing applies to emotions. It’s hard to identity something you never had the space to express. I never realized how important it is to take up space in the world because if you don’t you can almost feel yourself disappear and everything you think feel and believe disappear

[xMochaPuffx]

Talking to one’s self is HIGHLY UNDERRATED. even if not recorded on video or voiced memo —-just talk to yourself more!!! Have conversations with yourself out loud!! And yes, all these other tips are extremely true and helpful. I’ve gone thru so many similar revelations as you in recent years and it has made me much better at communicating. I only just recently feel completely comfortable and confident in my own thoughts and voice (and I’m 28 now, it’s great that you are already finding these revelations at 21)

[rokozaki]

I think that reading is pivotal to improve the problem that you so perfectly are describing. Adding to this, there are a couple of exercises that I’ve practiced to better my ability. Here’s a short summary.

1. Speak as many words of a category you select as you possibly can in one minute. That can be everything related to “dogs”, “childhood”, “family guy”.

2. Practice speaking as fast on a subject as you possibly can without repeating yourself for one minute. No stops. Just maintain a steady tempo like you’re broadcasting.

3. Do the same as no.2 but without any filler words. No “kinda”, “uhmm!” Etc. i’ve found this to improve my speech the most.

I do this both in english and my native language, and I’ve seen good results in just a couple of weeks. The exercises don’t take up much time per day, you can actually do them in five minutes. Shower is perfect for it.

[berkefeil]

It’s also true that anxiety or the feeling of being socially uncomfortable can have a devastating impact on your ability to think and speak clearly… Goodness, people describe me as a good speaker, until social anxiety gets the better of me, then they find me particularly quiet or flat out just a mess. And with people I’m comfortable with, my baseline vocabulary skyrockets (it seems), while with others, correctly formulating a sentence is a task in itself. Odd how it works isn’t it? Sometimes it’s more about mindset and psychology than it is about your actual/natural clarity of thought and communication skills.

[FreeThePickle]

I think we struggle to communicate because many of our educators discourage open-minded discussions. It makes it easier for them to cram down their own narrative of everything. Debating is extremely uncomfortable when you have to appeal to authority to save your grade. Academics (particularly in universities) have an extreme aversion to disagreement.

[aeugh]

You approached this topic with such compassion. It's easy to look down on people struggling with something you have solutions to (even if you used to or sometimes still struggle with the same thing). There's this comfort in subconsciously/consciously distancing yourself from someone you might deem weaker, less knowledgeable. You managed to get past that and that's respectable af

[TheModernAlchemix]

“We have the information but lack the wisdom”

You have found such a beautiful way of reflecting on something that is causing so much confusion, strife and mob mentality…. I’m subbing ❤

[JoshJustTalks]

“Depression is synonymous to lack of clarity” I never thought of it this way.

[looti]

This topic has been on my mind for a while now. I had no idea if it was generational or just a domain I seemed to struggle in. As I am researching Ph.D. programs to apply to, I feel I cannot convey my ideas verbally, as I can on paper. It makes me a bit anxious about interviews and future presentations I may have to do because when I am trying to convey my ideas verbally, I find myself constantly reaching for words in my head. It's comforting to know I am not the only one struggling, but it is also nothing to be excited about.

[trturedxoul_]

You hit the nail on every single head. Nails I didn’t realize were even sticking out.
Seriously, I wish more people my age (23) and honest more people in general, had this same perspective on everything. Language is so important it’s tied very heavily into our spirituality and psychological understanding of ourselves and the world we live in. The story behind the words, the experience attached to words both personal and shared, they create everything we are. The arts are also a form of language, aiding to communicate what we can’t with words, another layer of expression.
Thank you for posting this stuff for free and for everyone to see.

[himanshuop]

I love the type of long form videos where there is only talking no animation no clickbaits nothing. Feels more connected.

[thealfish]

This is blowing my mind. I'm GenZ (22yo), and I have had these exact struggles and pointed them out to myself. I knew that I wanted to improve in speech articulation because I'd always be so frustrated with myself for not being able to put my point across clearly during my time in college, still even during my graduate program. It has been one of my biggest insecurities when in an intellectual environment or even with people I respect a lot. In written communication, I almost always re-read and spell-check everything I send out, but no one has that opportunity during spoken communication, and yes, I instead ramble on too quickly and end up speaking gibberish because I can't go any deeper than the "me" depth in thought.

Honestly, thank you Joseph. It's relieving to know that other people my age are having the same issue. That point you made about how therapists piece together the thoughts of their patients really interested me, too. They are essentially being a surrogate to that person's clarity. I'm sure actually attending therapy may help the patient improve in being their own sources of clarity.

[xMissPegasusx]

I'm so glad I'm not alone on this 😭 I feel so dumb sometimes and incompetent when it comes to speech. When I was 12, a speech therapist told me that I had the vocabulary of a 30 year old in my native language, now I feel incompetent in both English and my native tongue.
I definitely realized that speaking slowly helps, and I learned to care less if I get interrupted or to directly tell someone that I'm still speakig.
I think the highlight from this video was the output thing. I've tried journaling and it helped, but I think I need to learn journal methods so I can sort out the closet more effectively 😅

[demonderpz]

I have observed this issue as well. It’s important to acknowledge that communicating effectively is a skill that requires practice, a solid vocabulary, and control over your tone and body language to communicate the message you are trying to say. Words actually play less of a role in communication than nonverbal communication does because we are emotional creatures. This means recording yourself, practicing in front of a mirror, and asking your friends for feedback on your audible tone are all extremely useful. As you said, slowing down what you say and willingly pausing to find the words is also just as important, because it communicates that you value the information enough to think through how to say something, and what you want to say. Charisma is usually not something people naturally have, and usually it’s something we have to train

[GodWokeMeUp]

I can definitely see this with my students from different generations. I've taught middle school, highschool, and college. I can see the youth really struggling to communicate their thoughts appropriately and clearly. I say appropriately because it seems like the lack of a filter online is starting to creep into the way the youth thinks they should speak in the physical world. It's incredibly sad to see the huge decline in baseline vocabulary. I do miss having good conversations and not having to figure out what some of the new terms are... I recently moved back to teaching at a trade college and I almost forgot what it was like to have real conversations. I've been surrounded by the youth and I have felt like I have been juggling chainsaws trying to keep their attention as a teacher. It's awful trying to compete with social media. I'm most grateful for my students that are 40 and older... They are so understanding and I love the way they communicate. It's been nice listening to someone tell a story and not hearing, "yaaaas queen slay!" Or some other random saying from the latest tik tok. 😂

[WilliamHearnTOEFL_Tutor]

Hey Joseph, As a tutor of English and a father of five GenZ children, I must say that this is by far the most profound, insightful, and helpful video I've seen in the past 40 years. Yes . . . I'm old, but I know things, and now I understand things better through your explanation. I've just had my 16 year old son sit with me and listen to your oration. He can truly identify with what you said, and it's helping him to rethink his communication skills and improve his self-confidence.

[Kanielwhiskey]

I’ve been trying to speak my mind and been frustrated with my inability to properly do so for quite some time recently.
The truth is that you need to generaly try to talk more. Reading books or learning new words might help but, as you said, we should focus on expressing ourselves more rather than consuming more information.

We tend to listen more than create new ideas and it may lead us to adapt someone elses whole conclusion rather than make our own because we only need some of those points to agree with ours because we can’t fully complete ours. Basically opening a way for some to manipulate, control or influence us (without us noticing)
That’s my opinion.

I’d like to add that I’m very thankful for your video. It brings relief knowing that someone else has the same problem. You described it very well here.

[sandotter]

Thank you so much for making this video!! I've always been struggling with vocalizing my thoughts out loud. It always feels like there's a thick wall of fog in my head and a lot of the time, I think there's something wrong with me. It's really nice to know that I'm not the only one having these issues.

As for GenZ, I think we were born in an era when everything in life has become so convenient and easy that people started to create their own issues, making basic things like communication or relationships a hurdle. We might not have to struggle with famine, pandemic or war as much as our ancestors or recent generations did, but we are facing an internal war within ourselves and in society.