Whether
you give presentations to large audiences or simply answer the
question, "How are you?" with a single word, you have the opportunity to
be a memorable speaker.
Words have power - if you choose the right ones. Here are two ways to do that.
First,
consider the power of the simple adjective. For example, most of the
country today is experiencing record low temperatures. Some might
describe the temperature as "cold", but a more powerful way would be to
use words such as below-freezing, frigid or numbingly cold. You could
use many more options, found at http://thesaurus.com/browse/cold.
Try an experiment. Think of some synonyms for "good", such as fabulous, fantastic, excellent, and wonderful. Use
one of them enthusiastically when someone asks you how you are, instead
of saying the boring "good". Watch the other person's reaction of surprise, which
may be non-verbal. Keep using that synonym all day, and try another one the next day.
Second, write down
words you hear and read that seem powerful to you. They may be short or
long, but often they are not commonly heard. That's why we notice them. Try using a few of them
yourself. Often the sports headlines in newspapers have powerful words, or you can use an online thesaurus.
Business Speech Improvement (www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com)
provides customized training in many aspects of communication,
including public speaking. Both coaching and an economical e-book, Public Speaking - You Can Do It! are
available. Public Speaking - You Can Do It! includes 15 pages of easy, practical strategies, including the use of more powerful vocabulary, for delivering better presentations.
