Chapter Overview

Because language has great power, the words that you use in a speech should be chosen with care and sensitivity. Always use language that is appropriate for your particular audience and occasion, avoiding words that might be over the heads of the listeners or that might offend any member of the audience.

To use words accurately, you must be sensitive to both denotation, which is a word's dictionary definition, and connotation, which is the emotional significance of the word.

Be careful to use correct grammar. In business and professional life today, "bad" English causes many listeners to lower their estimate of a speaker's intelligence and credibility.

You can achieve clarity in your language by choosing words that are simple, concrete, and precise. Beware of two types of doublespeak: euphemisms, which try to sugarcoat the unpleasant taste of reality, and inflated language, which exaggerates the importance of a person or thing. Don't use jargon, the specialized language of a group or profession, unless all listeners are certain to know the meanings of the words used.

You can achieve vividness by creating word images, such as metaphors and similes, and by using rhythmic techniques, such as parallel structure and repetition.

Oral language and written language are similar in many ways, but there are two significant differences: (1) Oral language requires more elaboration than written language, and (2) oral language requires more repetition of key ideas than written language.