 When you were a kid you remember saying sticks and stones may break my bones, but words may never harm me Have you ever come across a bigger lie than that in your lifetime? Of course words can harm you there've been plenty of times that being hit with a stick would have hurt way less than some Of the things that people have said to me On the flip side words can do a tremendous amount of good in the world as mother Teresa said Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless As a public speaker your use of language is of critical importance in this video We'll discuss how speakers can use language appropriately and effectively to maximize the impact of their speech. Let's get started Let's start by talking about using language appropriately First a speaker should be sure that they're using the right words Nothing will shake an audience's confidence in you faster than what we call malapropisms, which basically means using a word Incorrectly be sure that your language is accurate and that you will only use a word when you are sure of its meaning Next think of the audience when choosing your words If you're talking about concepts related to money an audience of first graders will likely require a different language than a group of adults Likewise if you're talking about apps for a smartphone Tech-savvy teenagers might require language and explanation different than a group of senior citizens Finally using language appropriately means being respectful of the power of language and using your words ethically This means avoiding hate language and sexist language and using words and expressions that are culturally sensitive Generally speaking the best language policy is to keep it clean In addition to using language appropriately a public speaker should strive to use language effectively One powerful tool for speakers is to create imagery using language In his famous 1987 speech at the Berlin Wall Ronald Reagan planted an image of the wall coming down in the mind of his audience Standing at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin Reagan said General secretary Gorbachev if you seek peace if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe if You seek liberalization Come here to this gate Mr. Gorbachev Open this gate Mr. Gorbachev Teared down this wall as you can hear in the response It had an immediate impact on the audience did it bring an image to your mind of someone standing at the wall and taking it down piece by piece You can use language just as effectively to create imagery in your own speeches For example, how would you describe this scene to an audience? You could be very technical and straightforward Imagine a river running through a big canyon Or you could try to imprint the image in their mind using exciting and descriptive language that puts them in that place at that moment Picture an enormous canyon with rock cut at every angle and depth Made of stone of every earthen color imaginable all shades of brown faded yellow and deep burnt orange a Mighty river courses through it on a path that it has meticulously created over hundreds and maybe even thousands of years Made small in appearance only by comparison to the incredible size of the canyon You get the idea a Speaker can also use figures of speech to add some poetic quality to their presentation Some common figures of speech include simile metaphor Alliteration antithesis and parallel word structure. Let's take a look at some examples of each of these linguistic devices Similes and metaphors both compare two things that are seemingly different for the sake of contrast The difference in the two is that simile does so using the words like or as While metaphor does not Noting that being famous on Instagram is like being rich in monopoly would be an example of simile as it uses Like to create that comparison on the other hand actor William H. Macy's comment I love metaphor the way some people love junk food Establishes the comparison without using like or as in the sentence and is therefore an illustration of metaphor Alliteration is another example of how a speaker can engage their audience by using language Alliteration is the repetition of words with the same initial sound For example in a speech on dress shoes You might encourage the audience to consider color cost and comfort in making their selection Antithesis rearranges the wording of a statement to create contrasting ideas The most famous example of antithesis is from John F. Kennedy's inaugural address when he said Ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country Note how he used many of the same words, but espoused two very different ideas Finally a speaker can use parallel word structure to enhance their presentation through the rhythm of language Did you know that in his famous? I have a dream speech? Martin Luther King jr. Used that phrase. I have a dream at the start of six consecutive paragraphs He also used the word dream twice in the paragraph immediately preceding that section of the speech This allowed him to create a rhythm and press the point home with the audience These figures of speech can be used separately or in combination to pull an audience in and drive your ideas deeper into the minds of the listeners It's also important that a speaker understand that all words have two kinds of meaning Denotative and connotative meaning Denotative meaning refers to the literal or dictionary definition of a word The connotative meaning of a word is figurative and varies from person to person Take the word baseball for instance We can all likely agree that baseball is a ball used in a particular sport and must meet specific size and weight specifications Baseball could also refer to a sport that involves nine players in the field one at bat three strikes four balls and so forth These are denotative meanings that do not depend on the feelings or interests of the person hearing the word If we were to ask ten people what they think of when they hear the word baseball, however We would likely get varying responses Some people connect baseball with a particular team Others might respond with something to do with their kids in the amount of time they spend at baseball games Some would say boring while others respond Exciting the word baseball has a slightly different meaning for each of us. This is known as the connotative meaning It's important to recognize that every word has both a denotative and connotative meaning a Speaker cannot use a word and expect a universally positive or negative response from the audience Speakers have a lot of tools at their disposal research planning Presentational aids and audience analysis just to name a few Using language appropriately and effectively ranks right up at the top of that list Language carries great power and if we've learned nothing else from spider-man's uncle Ben It's that with great power comes great responsibility We hope that you will wield your superpower wisely and well Whatever a spider can spins a web any size can't you see