Right word in the right place

Hi All,

In the dim, distant past, as a school student, the highlight of the year was those long, lazy summer holidays. I am talking about those days, when your holidays were not expected to be filled with classes in handwriting improvement, or Vedic Maths or cookery, as the poor kids are subjected to these days. I was one of those fortunate few who had very little to do during the holidays except play games all day, or indulge in the favorite pastime of reading. When I say all day, I mean ALL day. There were days when friends would gather right after a hurried breakfast and go home at sunset, with a short hurried lunch break.

But the days I most cherish are the days spent reading books. I think reading might be too mild a word here, the word should be 'lost'. I was lost in books. Today, all that reading has helped me a lot.

How?

By helping me find the words to express my thoughts and ideas precisely and easily.

In my programs on communication, one of the skills that I emphasise is the need to build and maintain a good vocabulary. What is a good vocabulary, you ask?

A good vocabulary differs from person to person. What is a good vocabulary for a teacher is not the same for a manager, or as sales person. It is what you do that largely dicates what you say.
Therefore, it must follow that the words you need would depend upon your area of work, your role, the industry you are in etc, etc.. etc.

The only way to improve your vocabulary is to read widely. Widely meaning reading about different topics, points of view or styles of writing.

Yep.. this too falls in the category of easier said than done. Very true.

I thought about it a lot and have come up with a quick and easy reading list which can work for most people.

At the very least, it is a starting point and solves the dilemma of deciding what to read.

1. Newspapers: Read one everyday, preferably something that has local news. However, if there is scope for improvement in your English language skills then choose an English language newspaper. Next, read at least 2 foreign newspapers weekly - one American and another European. You can read online versions for free.
2. Read at least 2 general interest magazines or blogs 3-4 times a week. My choice is a magazine called 'The Economist' and I follow http://www.slate.com/ Yes, CNN does count!
3. Books: Fiction is fine. And it does not have to be Shakespeare or Dickens.
Here are some of my all time favorites:
Any books by Arthur Hailey. I think Hailey is a good way to start, especially the early books like Money Changers or Airport. They are light and thought they are works of fiction, we get an in depth look at different industries.
If you like courtroom drama, some classics are books by Erle Stanley Gardner, or you could not go wrong with a modern day legal drama by John Grisham.
I like to throw in a few biographies once in a while. Why don't you try at least two or three in a year? Choose biographies of people you admire, to start with. Jack Welch, Bill Gates... take your pick.

Your reading should be around 4-5 hours per week.. bare minimum. It would be very easy to reach this if you choose topics that you like.

As you read, engage with the material. Ask basic questions as you go along, try to find why a particular character was presented in that way, understand what was the perspective of the story teller etc. Look for clues that point to twists in the story. As a reader, you will get more out of the time spent when you keep your mind active while reading.

Keep this up faithfully and in six months I guarantee that you will see a significant improvement in your vocabulary.

See you soon!

Keep those comments coming, if you would like, you can always email it to allverbal@gmail.com

Gayatri