Which Words?
The Nuts and Bolts of Presenting with Eloquence
Eloquence is lean. But, I didn’t know that when I started speaking seven years ago. I used weighty language for the wrong reasons. In retrospect, I can see innocence in the mistake. I was a woman and often younger than my clients. My expertise had been acquired through an eclectic route and bore no degrees or designations to fortify surety in myself. So I used three-dollar words to sound credible, content-ful and smart. The more nervous I got, the more tiles disappeared from my scrabble bag.
A breakthrough came while a consultant was preparing me for a radio interview on parenting, the topic of which was to be a concept I call "The Trophy Child". In our practice session, I kept saying the problem of using our children to gain status was systemic, and she kept saying the word systemic was inaccessible and preventing me from connecting with the audience. She was right and this “a-ha” lead to the development of a mental filter. A little bell began to go off when the wrong motive was behind a lavish word. Now I work to make impact without pomp. I have found simplicity and brevity are harder.
The tendency to be verbose can come from other roots. Many industry and business experts are so familiar with their own jargon, they cannot see how thick and impenetrable it is to the listener. Professorial trivia buffs have trouble with arcane references that create separation and leave folks behind.
Does this mean that we should shy away from using colorful or interesting words? Au contraire! But, we must be sure our selections are mindful, and strive to elevate the message, not ourselves.
Step One is external. We must have truth reflected back at us, as in a mirror. If you aspire to be a great presenter, seek feedback through video, coaching, honest words of colleagues, and evaluations. Now take these numerous and thorough assessments and see how they reflect your eloquence. Are you hearing “great stories”, ”articulate” or “really kept my attention?” How many said “seemed a bit long” or “couldn’t quite follow.”
Step Two is internal. Usually a critical mass of data is building around us to help reveal blind spots, and if we are quiet we will begin to notice themes in our own professional flaws. Become a watcher to your own play and try to listen to yourself while you speak. This will take some time, but soon you will actually be pulled out of your own speaker trance when your words sound over-the-top or flat and dull. You will notice when you drone on during your A to a short Q. Speaking of Q’s…asking yourself reflection questions can help. “Am I saying exactly what I mean?” “Do I take note of under-used gems of language when I hear them?” “How would my favorite author have written my opening story?”
Step three is eternal. As our careers progress our word choice becomes more perfect and more natural. Eventually we move from Thermometer to Thermostat. A thermometer constantly checks to see what the room feels like. A thermostat hovers at the right mark by making constant adjustments automatically.
Welcome to 2007. “Punked” is a verb and Beevis and Butt-Head have become classics. We need every well-spoken syllable we can find. So don’t give up the fight. Carrying the torch of moving and relevant language is, as it always has been, up to us; the speakers, the writers and the occasional odd guy on a box in a public square.
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