1. Verbal Communication and Language

2. What is Language?
Language is the system of verbal (spoken or written) or gestural symbols (non-verbal/sign language) a community uses to communicate and is central to the speechmaking process.

3. Language is Ambiguous Thought (reference):
Memory that audience member have with an object, concept, or event
Referent:
Object, concept or event a symbol represents
Symbol:
Word or phrase spoken

4. The bottom line of the triangle is broken because the is not necessarily a connection between a symbol and a referent because the words we use to name things are human inventions. Remember there is concrete language (tangible objects) and abstract language (concepts)
i.e. Freedom
People in different cultures have different life experiences and thus name and define the world differently

5. Ambiguous Language: Idioms
An idiom is a fixed, distinctive expression whose meaning is not indicated by its individual words
It was over my head

6. Language and Public Speaking
Compared to written language, spoken language is
more interactive
More causal
More repetitive
Redundancy: repeating yourself
Strategically repetitive: telling your audience what your are going to say, tell them the information, and then remind them what you said

7. Imagery and Rhythm Imagery Rhythm Similes (as or like) Metaphors
Personification
Parallelism (identical structure)
Repetition
Alliteration (beginning sounds)
Antithesis (opposites)

8. Keep It Simple
As we give a speech, we want to keep our message and language simple enough so an audience will understand our message the first time they hear it.
Don’t “dumb it down”
Define terminology before using it in your speech

9. Propaganda
There are 5 propaganda techniques that are generally used in advertising.
Bandwagon
Testimonial
Transfer
Repetition
Emotional