Transcript A Speaker’s guidebook 4th ed

A SPEAKER’S GUIDEBOOK
4TH EDITION
CHAPTER 16
Using Language to Style the Speech
Using Language in Speechwriting
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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.
Tips for Effective Speechwriting
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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.
Strive for Simplicity
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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.
Question
Which of the following is not true about writing your
speech with simplicity?
A. Use jargon to prove your intelligence.
B. Use as few words as possible.
C. Define words that may be unfamiliar.
D. Use smaller words rather than larger
words.
E. Maintain subject-verb-object agreement.
Transition Words and Phrases
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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.
Repetition
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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.
Unbiased Language
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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.
Establish Common Ground
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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.
Figures of Speech
Analogies, Metaphors, and Similes
 Personification
 Understatement
 Irony
 Allusion
 Hyperbole
 Onomatopoeia
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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”.
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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.
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.”
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Other Figures of Speech
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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.
Question
In the film The Joy Luck Club based on the novel by the same
name by Amy Tan, one of the characters cooks and serves her
best dish to her guests. She then criticizes it in front of them to
appear modest. This is an example of:
A. A simile
B. An analogy
C. An understatement
D. An anaphora
E. A hyperbole
Parallelism – a Rhetorical Device
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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.
Question
The quote by Abraham Lincoln “… of the people, by
the people, and for the people” is an example of:
A. Alliteration
B. An antithesis
C. Hedges
D. A Hyperbole
E. A Triad
Chapter 16 Key Terms for Review
style
rhetorical device
jargon
contractions
biased language
colloquial expression
sexist pronoun
persons with disabilities (PWD)
cultural intelligence
concrete language
abstract language
figures of speech
simile
metaphor
cliché
mixed metaphor
analogy
personification
understatement
irony
allusion
hyperbole
onomatopoeia
malapropism
denotative meaning
connotative meaning
active voice
hedges
tag questions
anaphora
alliteration
hackneyed
parallelism
antithesis
triad