Public Speaking

160 CHAPTER 12^ Choosing Effective Language

Language and Pluralistic Audiences

Students enter classrooms across the country with many types of linguistic diversity:

•   Monolingual (speaking one language only)

•   Bilingual (speaking two languages or dialects)

•   Multilingual or multidialectical (speaking three or more languages or dialects)

Communicating in a linguistically diverse setting is often complicated and

frustrating, but you can plan ways to benefit everyone involved. A few simple strategies

can help you speak more effectively in multicultural settings. Many of these suggestions

are elements of the oral style:

•   As you prepare, try to “hear” the terminology and jargon related to your topic in the

way a nonnative speaker of English might hear it, and make plans to define difficult

words and jargon during your speech.

•   Whenever possible, choose simple words that most people understand, but don’t talk

down to your audience.

•   Identify words that might be confusing and display them on visual aids.

•   Build in repetition and redundancy by saying the same idea in a number of different

ways. This way, if listeners are unclear about a concept the first time around, they

may grasp it when it’s expressed another way.

Listening to a speaker whose first language differs from yours calls for a more-

than-normal effort. These tips can help you listen more effectively:^41

•   Approach the speech with a positive attitude, expecting to understand.

•   Listen all the way through. Make special efforts to keep your mind from wandering

in the middle of the speech. It may help to take notes, and concentrate on the main

points rather than on each specific word.

•   Give appropriate nonverbal feedback to demonstrate your interest, patience, and

support for the speaker.

•   Control your negative emotional responses. Let’s face it, linguistic barriers are chal-

lenging, and it’s easy to get frustrated or bored when faced with language differences.

Many public speaking
settings have both speakers
and listeners who are not
native speakers of the
language they must use
in their speech. In these
situations, remember that
the goal is to communicate
ideas, not every detail.

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