LANGUAGE “Plan your speech for the ear!” Essay writing vs public speaking Examples of effective language characteristics

Speeches vs. Essays Compared to essays, speeches use: More familiar words Simpler, more concise grammatical structures More repetition More transitions Simpler organizational structures More informal word choices More concrete words Vivid, detailed, varied language (video example)

Abstract vs. Concrete Language Active person Abstract Athlete Golfer Professional golfer Tiger Woods Concrete

Vividness through Imagery Use language to create clear, detailed, mental images. Not: “The life of a long-haul trucker is rough.” But: “Imagine yourself a long-haul trucker and its the end of a day of the road fighting back through the springs and steering wheel. Your arms throb up to your elbows from hitting 400 miles of highway expansion joints. Your ears ring from the roar of the engine and the rattle of the cab rivets. As you climb into the cramped womb of the sleeper cap, you know it will all start over again tomorrow morning.”

Simile & Metaphor Comparisons between things that are essentially different yet have something in common; similes use “like” or “as.” “Air pollution is eating away at the monuments in Washington, D.C. like a giant Alka-Seltzer tablet.” (Lucas) “America’s cities are the windows through which the world looks at American society.” (Henry Cisneros)

Analogy – Extended Metaphor “The University is becoming a learning factory. Faculty line up on the assembly line to mold the raw materials of their students into prefabricated cogs to fit easily into the machinery of government and industry. And the students speed by on the conveyer belt fueled by their overriding desires for high salaries, CEO-ships, and prestige, rather than learning.”

Parallelism The similar arrangement of a pair or series of related words, phrases, or sentences. “Rich and poor, intelligent and ignorant, wise and foolish, virtuous and vicious, man and woman—it is ever the same, each soul must depend wholly on itself.” (Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1892)

Repetition Reiteration of the same word or set of words at the beginning or end of successive clauses or sentences. “We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail.” (President Bush, September 20, 2001)

Alliteration Repetition of the initial consonant sound of close or adjoining words. “In a nation founded on the promise of human dignity, our colleges, our communities, our country should challenge hatred wherever we find it.” (Lucas)

Antithesis The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas, usually in parallel structure. “Today’s real boarders are not between nations, but between powerful and powerless, free and fettered, privileged and humiliated.” (United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, acceptance speech for 2001 Nobel Peace Prize)

Using Inclusive Language Avoid the generic “he” Avoid the use of “man” when referring to both men and women Avoid stereotyping jobs and social roles by gender Avoid identifying personal traits unrelated to the topic Use names that groups use to identify themselves