Public Speaking

Use Language Effectively (^157)
day and night, sickness and health, seasonal changes, natural phenomena, and family
relationships. These form the basis for our most fundamental archetypal symbols.^32
We refer to the dawn of civilization and to sunset years, to a cancer that destroys our
economy and to a healthy marriage. Other common comparisons relate to cultural
modes of transportation (the ship of state) to sports (the game of life), and, as the culture
changes, to electronic technology (experiencing static, feeling wired).
Personification means giving human characteristics to nonhuman entities such
as animals, countries, natural objects and processes, and social processes. Chief Seattle
used personification in an 1853 speech, given before the governor of the Washington
Territory:^33
Yonder sky that has wept tears of compassion upon my people for centuries untold,
and which to us appears changeless and eternal, may change.
Use Appropriate Forms
Generally, language in public settings is more formal, with fewer slang expressions,
compared to private settings; however, your audience and the situation should have the
final influence over your linguistic choices. For example, the language in a lecture differs
from the language in a eulogy. Similarly, you’d use different words and different levels of
formality when speaking to teenagers gathered in a park than when addressing members
of an alumni association at a formal banquet, even for the same topic.
Use of dialect can be appropriate for some speakers, but not for others. An African
American, for instance, might use African American English (AAE) when it’s expected
and appropriate; however, a Euro-American or an Asian American who used AAE, even
in the same setting, would almost certainly be out of line.
Choose Powerful Language^34
Powerful language is straightforward, direct, and to the point without a lot of hesitations.
You want your audience to think you are sure of yourself and sure of your information!
However, powerless language can give the impression that you lack confidence in
archetypal symbol
recurring metaphor and
simile that arises from
shared human and natural
experiences
personification giving
human characteristics to
nonhuman entities
Archetypal symbols—such
as natural phenomena,
journeys, sickness and
health, and parents and
children—are widely used
as metaphors by people
all over the globe Chief
Seattle referred to prairies,
storms, rain, and seas in his
speeches.
© kavram/Shutterstock.com
Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.