But if you are speaking to a group of first- and second-grade teachers, you want to put technical engineering terms into everyday language that your audience is more likely to understand. If you do need to use words your audience may not be familiar with due to the nature of your topic, define those words for your audience.
Understandable: Informative speeches should contain clear, easy-to-understand language. Your goal is to inform your audience, not to confuse them with language they may not understand, so use language you think your audience finds familiar and relatable. Be conversational. As much as possible, use concrete rather than abstract language. Abstract language usually refers to ideas, qualities, or concepts.
Concrete language, in contrast, appeals to our senses by describing things or ideas in vivid, specific language. In this video, communication professor Bruce L. Legal language is a major source of annoying jargon. Professor Joseph Kimble , a noted scholar on legal writing, warns that we should avoid words and formalisms that give legal writing its musty smell.
He includes the following words in his list of examples:. Menu plainlanguage. Why use plain language? If you're not part of that particular group, though, you have no idea what the meaning is. The problem of using slang is covered in Speak for Success Speech Lesson 5.
Buzzwords — Words or phrases that sound important but have become meaningless through repetition. For example, in business "game changer" and "think outside the box" have been used to death.
The problem of buzzwords is covered in Speak for Success Speech Lesson 5. The use of acronyms is covered in Speak for Success Speech Lesson 5. Active listening is covered in Speak for Success Speech Lesson 6. Stance — Presenting and maintaining an appropriate posture to facilitate communication. Maintaining proper stance is covered in Speak for Success Speech Lesson 6. Eye-contact — Looking the person or people you're speaking to in the eye for an appropriate length of time.
Making proper eye contact is covered in Speak for Success Speech Lesson 6. Click on the link for any Speech Lesson above to go to that Speech Lesson. Or use this handy index:. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Obviously, both male and female police officers risk their lives when they put on their badges. In the second half of the twentieth century, as society became more aware of gender bias in language, organizations like the National Council of Teachers of English developed guidelines for nonsexist language.
National Council of Teachers of English Guidelines for gender-fair use of language. The last common area where speakers get into trouble with gender and language has to do with job titles. It is not unusual for people to assume, for example, that doctors are male and nurses are female. Speakers sometimes also use a gender-specific pronoun to refer to an occupation that has both males and females.
Table Ethnic identity A group an individual identifies with based on a common culture that is real or assumed. If you want to be safe, the best thing you can do is ask a couple of people who belong to an ethnic group how they prefer to label themselves. Another area that can cause some problems is referred to as heterosexism. Heterosexism The presumption that everyone in an audience is heterosexual or that opposite-sex relationships are the only norm.
The last category of exclusive versus inclusive language that causes problems for some speakers relates to individuals with physical or mental disabilities. The last category related to using language appropriately simply asks you to use language that is familiar both to yourself and to your audience. If you are not comfortable with the language you are using, then you are going to be more nervous speaking, which will definitely have an impact on how your audience receives your speech.
You may have a hard time speaking genuinely and sincerely if you use unfamiliar language, and this can impair your credibility. Furthermore, you want to make sure that the language you are using is familiar to your audience.
If your audience cannot understand what you are saying, you will not have an effective speech. Previous Section.
Table of Contents. Next Section. Explain what is meant by vivid language. Define inclusive language and explain why using it is important for public speakers. Explain the importance of using familiar language in public speaking. Use Appropriate Language As with anything in life, there are positive and negative ways of using language.
Appropriate for the Speaker One of the first questions to ask yourself is whether the language you plan on using in a speech fits with your own speaking pattern. Appropriate for the Audience The second aspect of appropriateness asks whether the language you are choosing is appropriate for your specific audience. Appropriate for the Context The next question about appropriateness is whether the language you will use is suitable or fitting for the context itself.
Appropriate for the Topic The fourth and final question about the appropriateness of language involves whether the language is appropriate for your specific topic. Use Vivid Language After appropriateness, the second main guideline for using language is to use vivid language. Imagery Imagery The use of language to represent objects, actions, or ideas. Concreteness When we use language that is concrete Language that helps an audience see specific realities or actual instances instead of abstract theories and ideas.
The following are some examples: The thunderous applause was like a party among the gods. After the revelation, she was as angry as a raccoon caught in a cage. Love is like a battlefield. Metaphor The other commonly used form of imagery is the metaphor Figure of speech where a term or phrase is applied to something in a nonliteral way to suggest a resemblance. Upon hearing the charges, the accused clammed up and refused to speak without a lawyer.
Every year a new crop of activists are born.
0コメント