This is a perhaps a bit of a strange thread, but I'd be interested to see what you think.
It was going to be a private message to Kolawski, but I decided to open it up.

Some of you have talked about elegance and grace.

I wonder whether you have thought about becoming super elegant while talking - can this be part of game, or is it an unnecessary distraction?

For me, this is something I will work on, regardless of game. It is an important skill in life, and one which can rapidly make you rapidly stand out.

Essentially, it is about becoming more eloquent, more articulate, and perhaps a bit of a wordsmith.

It’s not very common, and not something I have. Oscar Wilde was apparently very very charming. This is because he had a sharp mind, and was able to use words incredibly well.

Some examples I recommend:

Shakespeare - for the incredible richness of language (Romeo and Juliet; Hamlet...)

Faust Part One – incredible poetic rhyming work – very dark

Oscar Wilde – The Picture of Dorian Grey; The importance of Being Ernest – fast-moving, witty, and very sharp.

(film) Glengarry Glenross – hilarious film about Sales – rich and fast-moving crude dialogue

I’m not aware of anything that helps develop this stuff (like self help), but if I find anything useful I’ll pass it on.

Also in terms of the actual sound of speech. The BBC presenters usually sound incredible – they have worked on their voice (on the radio, they also fluctuate their pitch more).

Cheers

Anthony

Antony

As i have the word grace tatoo'd on my arm (and means alot too me) i dont think this is an odd post at all . In fact the reason i orginally posted the whole idea abotu grace is because it;s so important .

Im sure K will go into in more depth but i would just say , in field 90 % of the time a girl doesn't want super elegance as this can come across overbearing . Be graceful and elegant in how you act and respond but dont go up and put yourself into a well spoken , well written , articulated mindset as in a club or bar as a first impression your going to come across as arrogant and maybe even boring ...

This is not to say dont rock the intellectual-ness as ive seen K rock it very well with the ladies on many occasion but watch him when he's out . He shows he is graceful and articulate but doesn't push it upon people .

Definatly be graceful in all that you do when your out as this shows you are cool , collected and totally in control of everything around you , but dont force it and try to be More than people expect .

Let your vibe and fun attitude do the talking , not your vocabulary and knowledge of facts

Never put form before function.

The most important thing in any attempt at communication is to be understood.

If anything, I go in the opposite direction. I demonstrate my intelligence in the most crude way possible. One of my lecturers described me like this: Intellectually I am armed with the most beautiful samurai sword and am a highly trained ninja assassin of knowledge. However, I rarely, if ever, do any fancy moves. Instead I tend to flip the sword around and bludgeon my opponents into submission or death with the blunt handle end.

It's not pretty, but it gets the job done, fast. Plus, it amuses me.

I don't use 10 long words, where one short word will do the same job.

I think this is how I can say dead clever shit, and therefore impress upon people my genius, without losing their interest and attention.

My method despite being brutish and crude is still gracefull. Like Bruce Lee's Jeet Kun Do. He appreciated what Sun Tzu taught 'There is no such thing as skillful prolonging'. When victory presents itself take it, don't embellish with anything that is unnecessary. Why do a whole bunch of spinny kicks when you can just punch the guy in the throat and it's all over. Check the first fight the main character has in Ong Bak. Crude and brutal yet elegant.

This matches my own personality. Like a swimming pool that is paddling pool shallow in some parts and ocean deep in others.

It shouldn't be the same for you. This is just me.

Oscar Wilde, Will Self etc. don't appeal to me. It's contrived, takes great effort, is purposely elitist and detracts from the content. Often the meaning is lost in all the unnecessary pomp.

In terms of wordplay I prefer Paul Merton or Armando Iannucci. They mess about with language to achieve something comic, at the same time they demonstrate free-flowing genius. Yet never come across as elitist or exclusive. In our game it is the same. We need to be inclusive.

You can show grace through eloquence, without contrived decoration of your sentence structure or word choice.

Have the ability to be eloquent in your arsenal, I do myself. Just consider how much to use and when very carefully. I love my organic smoked paprika. I wouldn't want to be served a bowlful, nor would I want even a sprinkle on my trifle. A little on my fish fingers though is an absolute pleasure.


Peace

Haha and there you have it

For instance , K can talk on about the philosophical nature of a north african pummel toad , make it sound like liquid gold ... and then end it with

'Peace out muthafukers'

Cool – I hear what you are saying about being over the top - especially about people that come across as trying to sound intelligent (is this is me please let me know!!).

Massive fan of Iannucci's The Thick of It - incredible dialogue.

Humility – this is hugely important to me. Sometimes conflicts with the idea of being confident, or ‘alpha’.

I’ll see where this stuff takes me – I expect brutal feedback!!

If you guys want to learn how to speak with ease, charm and eloquence you should watch alan Wickers world... its a bbc program from the 60's but its been re run on the bbc recently. I really want to be able to talk like him, he is amazing!