The Power of Writing Before You Speak

A couple of months ago, I was speaking at a conference when it came time for the Q&A. Several people raised their hands, and one question after another came out. Interestingly, every question that was asked was something I had already written about in a blog post, sometimes many years earlier. Because I had already put my thoughts on paper, my answers were more thoughtful, more structured, and more relevant.

After that experience, it made me reflect on something that feels obvious but is rarely said: the more you write, the better you speak.

Writing forces you to slow down and think. When you write an idea, you have to work through the pros and cons, document the anecdotes, and clarify the lessons. That effort crystallizes your thinking and refines your word choice. Writing is one of the best mental exercises for improving how you think, which directly improves how you speak.

There is also a powerful bonus. Writing captures your ideas for posterity and helps you retain them far longer than simply thinking or hearing them.

My advice to entrepreneurs is simple: start writing. It does not have to be perfect. It does not have to be groundbreaking. It just has to be done. The more you write, the sharper your thinking becomes, and the stronger your speaking becomes. Writing and speaking reinforce each other, and entrepreneurs should invest in both.