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Public Speaking: Why Using
the Right Word is Not Always the Right Thing to do
by Philip Yaffe
Mark Twain famously said:
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the
difference between lightning and a lightning bug." Of course he was
absolutely right -- and partially wrong.
As every professional writer knows, choosing exactly the right words to
convey their meaning is crucial, because words are all they have. Anything
less than "les mots justes", as they say in French, will weaken the
message. Therefore, it is worth the time and effort to find les mots
justes. Indeed, the commitment to do so is one of the key factors that
distinguish professional writers from amateurs. On the other hand,
searching out les mots justes in public speaking can be seriously
counterproductive.
This caveat of course does
not refer to "formal" public speaking, where the speech is written out in
advance. Rather, it refers to "informal" public speaking. This means any
time you may be called upon to say something, such as in a committee
meeting, a seminar, a training session, etc., with little or no
preparation.
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We all know people who seem able to speak fluently and persuasively about
virtually any subject on a moment's notice. Likewise, we all
know people who constantly trip over their tongues and appear bewildered
even when speaking about subjects they know very well.
What makes the difference? I believe it is an unnecessary and fruitless
search for les mots justes. I became aware of this phenomenon at a recent
meeting of my Brussels (Belgium) chapter of Toastmasters International.
Founded in the USA in the 1920s, Toastmasters is a worldwide club of
people in all walks of life dedicated to helping each other improve their
speaking skills (www.toastmasters.org).
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A key role at Toastmaster
meetings is attributed to the "ah counter". Throughout the session, he or
she makes note of all the "ums", "ahs", "you know's", and other
distracting hesitations people rely on when speaking. At a recent meeting
of the Dutch-English club (most clubs in Belgium are bilingual), one
participant was particularly faulty in this respect. After the meeting I
asked him why he had found expressing himself so difficult.
A native Dutch speaker, he
had given a speech in English. He replied, "I am unsure of my English, so
I was always looking for just the right words." In other words les mots
justes. This sounds like a credible explanation, except it is invalid.
Although using the right word is critical in writing, it is much less so
in speaking. While closely related, writing and speaking are distinct
disciplines.
Writing and speaking benefit from precise information (les mots justes)
for the same two reasons.
1. Confidence. The more you seem to know about your subject, the more
people will have confidence in what you say. Using precise information
generates confidence.
2. Consistency. Precise information does not permit unpredictable
misinterpretations. The more precise information you use, the more easily
your audience can follow what you are saying, without their attention
being distracted trying to figure out what you really mean.
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On the other hand,
readers and listeners differ in how they process
precise information. With a printed text, if people don't
understand something, they have the luxury of reading it again. However,
if they hear something they don't understand, it's there, then it's gone.
End of story.
This is not a bad thing, because it means that listeners are less critical
than readers. They are looking to take away broad general ideas. Details
in the speech serve to define and defend these general ideas. They are not
to be memorized for later examination.
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Listeners also more
easily accept the validity of a general statement with less supporting
information than they would require in a text. Thus, while a bit of
imprecision may cause a momentary blip in the listener's attention, it
will quickly disappear because neither the speaker nor the listener is in
a position to dwell on it.
In short, while using
exactly the right word is always recommended, in speaking you shouldn't
become obsessive about it. For any subject, there are usually several ways
of saying the same thing. If you are always looking for the "best way"
(assuming there is one), then you will invariably find yourself inserting
"ums", "ahs", "you know's", and other distracting interjections. In the
vast majority of cases, sacrificing fluency while searching for les mots
justes just isn't worth it. So go with what you have.
If something comes out of your mouth that you think you could have said
better, simply start your next sentence with, "To be more precise . . .
.", then say it better. This technique will not only keep your speech
fluent, it will make you appear to be master of your subject, not its
apprentice. What could be better than that?
Contributing Writer:
Philip Yaffe
is a former reporter/feature writer with The Wall Street Journal and a
marketing communication consultant. He currently teaches a course in good
writing and good speaking in Brussels, Belgium. His recently published
book In the “I” of the Storm: the Simple Secrets of Writing & Speaking
(Almost) like a Professional is available from Story Publishers in Ghent,
Belgium (storypublishers.be) and Amazon (amazon.com).
For further information, contact: Philip Yaffe Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32
(0)2 660 0405
Email: phil.yaffe@yahoo.com, phil.yaffe@gmail.com
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