Transcript Talking and eloquence are not the same: to speak, and to

Talking and eloquence are
not the same: to speak, and
to speak well, are two
things. A fool may talk, but
a wise man speaks.
-Ben Johnson, British Poet
Speaking with Style
• How something is said is just as
important as what is said.
• Consider this:
– “Eighty-seven years ago…”
OR
– “Four score and seven years ago…”
-Abraham Lincoln
– “We really are totally committed…”
OR
– “We pledge our lives, our fortunes,
and our sacred honor…” –Thomas
Jefferson
• Four Elements to style: Clarity,
Economy, Grace, Tone
Clarity
• Requires clear,
UNDERSTANDABLE words
(vocabulary) in a clear,
UNDERSTANDABLE order
(syntax).
Clarity
4 Areas of Caution!
• Running On
– Unclear: In a series of little pits
impressed into the disc are all the
sounds of a song and the disc is read
by lasers which shine on the pits and
then the music is the result of the disc
player which translates the pits into
sound and the sound is very good.
– Clear: All the sounds in a song are
recorded as little pits in the disc itself.
As the disc spins, the lasers in the disc
player “read” the little pits,
translating each pit into a digital
language made up of zeros and ones.
The player then reads this code. The
result is clear, sharp, undistorted
sound.
• Jargon—Specialized language
– Example: URL, driver, Java, hypertext, and WYSIWYG
• Denotation vs. Connotation
Horse Latitudes
By Jim Morrison
When the still sea conspires an armor
And her sullen and aborted
Currents breed tiny monsters,
True sailing is dead.
Awkward instant
And the first animal is jettisoned,
Legs furiously pumping
Their stiff green gallop,
And heads bob up
Poise
Delicate
Pause
Consent
In mute nostril agony
Carefully refined
And sealed over.
• Euphemism—replacing negative
terms with positive words
– Lay-off’s vs. Downsizing vs. RightSizing
– Used car vs. Previously Owned vs.
Pre-Driven
– Concentration Camp vs. Death Camp
– Shell Shock vs. Battle Fatigue
Economy
• Less is More!
• "The guy over there at Pease - a woman actually - she said
something about a country-western song about the train, a
light at the end of the tunnel... I only hope it's not a train
coming the other way. Well, I said to her, well, I'm a country
music fan. I love it, always have. Doesn't fit the mold of some
of the columnists, I might add, but nevertheless - of what they
think I ought to fit in, but I love it. You should have been with
me at the c.m.a. awards at Nashville. But nevertheless, I said
to them there's another one that the Nitty Ditty Nitty Gritty
Great Bird - and it says if you want to see a rainbow you've
got to stand a little rain. We've had a little rain. New
Hampshire has had too much rain. A lot of families are
hurting”
OR
• “It’s true the economy has suffered somewhat and a lot of
families are hurting, but better times are coming. They say if
you want to see a rainbow, you’ve got to stand a little rain.
We’ve had the rain; now we’re ready for the rainbow.”
• In today’s modern society, the student of
high-school age must add additional
courses to their schedules if they are are
going to be fully prepared in a complete
way for a successful career.
OR
• Today’s high-school students must take
more courses to prepare for successful
careers.
• Twice as long and saying the same thing
Grace
• Grace—stating your ideas in an appealing,
skillful manner
– “During the last four years, our country has been
through good times and bad times. We are the most
important nation on earth. Our economy is stronger
than anyone else’s. Our families are stronger than
they were. The schools are better. We’ve made a lot of
progress in improving the environment. Some of our
problems have really been difficult, but we are now
beginning to solve them. For example, crime is down
and more people have jobs. Fewer people are on
welfare.”
– “In these four years, we have been touched by
tragedy, exhilarated by challenge, strengthened by
achievement. America stands alone as the world's
indispensable nation. Once again, our economy is the
strongest on Earth. Once again, we are building
stronger families, thriving communities, better
educational opportunities, a cleaner environment.
Problems that once seemed destined to deepen now
bend to our efforts: our streets are safer and record
numbers of our fellow citizens have moved from
welfare to work.” –Bill Clinton
• Stylistic Devices: Parallelism, Antithesis,
Rhetorical Question, Interrupting for
emphasis, Repetition (alliteration, assonance,
consonance), Inversion, Allusion, Metaphor
and Simile, Irony, Hyperbole
– Assignment: Look up each of these terms (be sure to
maintain the context of this class—speech). What do
they mean? Write it down. Due Wednesday. You
must use at least one device in your Policy speech.
Tone
• The speaker’s attitude toward a
subject