A POCKET GUIDE TO PUBLIC SPEAKING 3 rd Edition Section 16

1. A POCKET GUIDE TO PUBLIC SPEAKING3rd EditionSection 16 Using Language to Style the Speech

2. Using Language in Speechwriting • Language allows the audience to visualize an image or imagine a scene. • Style involves your word choices that help speakers achieve their speech purpose. • Rhetorical devices are the techniques of language usage that are one component of style. • Speeches are written for the ear, not to be read, so most speakers have to hear their drafts to know what changes to make.

3. Tips for Effective Speechwriting • Use familiar words, not jargon and idioms. • Write easy-to-follow sentences. • Use straightforward syntax (subject-verb-object agreement). • Use repetition frequently. • Take the time to make transitions between points. • Have a clear organizational pattern to your speech. • Be prepared to adjust the speech content during delivery as you receive audience feedback.

4. Strive for Simplicity • Avoid using jargon of a specialized profession. • When choosing between two synonyms, choose the simpler word. Essay writing, not speechwriting, requires a larger vocabulary. • If you really want to use a term unfamiliar to your audience, define it as you’re speaking. • Be concise; use fewer words rather than more words to share your idea.

5. Meaning is in the Word Choice • Denotation: The objective meaning of a word; the standard dictionary definition • Connotation: The subjective meaning of a word; what a word suggests because of feelings or associations it evokes

6. Transition Words and Phrases • Transition words and phrases help the audience follow your line of reasoning. • Enumeration is a type of signpost that numbers the points, steps, or subsequent ideas.

7. Repetition • Repeating important ideas infuses your speech with rhythm. • Repetition aids in retention. Listeners retain information that they receive more than once. • Anaphora is when a speaker repeats a word or phrase at the beginning of successive sentences. • Repeating same sounds, usually hard consonants, in words or syllables in the same sentence is called alliteration.

8. Unbiased Language • Biased language makes stereotypes about a group’s demographic characteristics. Speakers should avoid negative references to age, race, or religious beliefs. • Some speakers use sexist pronouns by using the “he” pronoun inappropriately. • Be careful in how you refer to persons with disabilities (PWD); remembering the order of terms in this phrase often helps the speaker remember to speak of them with dignity.

9. Establish Common Ground • Concrete language is specific, tangible, and definite. Listeners will try to think of a concrete word to replace abstract terms that speakers use. • Use colloquial expressions that are shared within the cultural background of your audience. • Select words that are descriptive.

10. Figures of Speech • Analogies, Metaphors, and Similes • Personification • Understatement • Irony • Allusion • Hyperbole • Onomatopoeia

11. Analogies, Metaphors, & Similes • Analogies are extended metaphors or similes that compare an unfamiliar concept with something more familiar. • Avoid using metaphors that are clichéd, or so overused that they are boring to your audience. • Similes differ from metaphors by making a comparison using the words “like” or “as”.

12. Speech Example In his “I have a dream” speech given in Washington, D.C. in 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. used the metaphor of a “bad check” and then extended the metaphor making references to the “bank of justice.” You can view the televised recording of his speech at: www.americanrhetoric.com as well as hear other examples of King’s excellent speaking style.

13. Personification & Onomatopoeia • Personification is when you endow inanimate objects or animals with human qualities. An example would be, “My cell phone is my best friend.” • Creating a word that imitates a natural sound is called onomatopoeia. An example would be, “They buzzed around her like bees.”

14. Other Figures of Speech • Irony uses humor, satire, or sarcasm to suggest a meaning other than what is actually being suggested. • Similarly, an understatement draws attention to an idea by minimizing its importance. In contrast, a hyperbole makes an obvious exaggeration to make a point. • Making a vague or indirect reference to people, historical events, or concepts, known as an allusion, gives deeper meaning to the statement.

15. Parallelism – a Rhetorical Device • Parallel word construction refers to the arrangement of words, phrases, or sentences in similar grammatical form. • Important points are emphasized as the repeated sentence structure creates a rhythm. • Setting off opposite ideas using parallelism is called antithesis. • Speakers often make use of three parallel elements or triads.