Freshen Your Spoken Language!

Human beings tend to be awfully habit-bound with their use of words. Most often they merely spout cliches picked up in their communities or workplaces. They engage in "corporate speak," "academic speak" and various forms of shop talk.

They use the same old words and phrases as others in their groups, which is a way to signal solidarity, that they belong. And that's a plus.

But when they over-use worn-out language, they have less communicative impact.

I recommend that we all "freshen" our language as a regular practice. The fresher language does not have to be high-falutin' with lots of syllables, and it does not have to be drawn from foreign languages or arcane subjects. But it should be distinctive and not the common language of the herd. It should be creative and not merely a copy.

Why change?

Not only does fresh language have more impact, it also indicates a certain thoughtfulness on the part of the speaker. When you are selective with language, doing so indicates you have given some care to how you express yourself.

When you regularly use old and predictable language, it becomes a kind of baggage that prevents your personality from stretching and expanding. As Aristotle (384-322 BC) wrote, "Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a particular way." However, when you express ourselves in fresh language, you expand your sense of self and your consciousness.

Sometimes you need fresh language because your old words have acquired a lot of excess semantic freight and may lack precision. Mark Twain nailed this issue when he wrote: "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug."

How to increase your fresh words and phrases

1. Spend more time with people who are good models with rich vocabulary. If they use a word you don't understand, you can often figure it out from the context of their other words. (Or you can occasionally ask them.)

2. Read widely. Browse some different magazines at your library. Read both fiction and non-fiction books and at least one good newspaper.

3. Listen to audio books while driving. If you borrow these from the public library, there is no cost, and a vast variety is usually available. If you don't have much time to read, you can listen to books in an audio format. (Recently, I enjoyed listening to Robert Fulghum's audiobook, What On Earth Have I Done? Lots of colorful language in stories delivered by the author in a conversational style.)

4. Get some vocabulary flash cards and make a game of learning some new words. You can skip over those you already know and use. Think of it: Five minutes can yield a harvest of 2 or 3 new words. If you add even 10 words a week (and use them), you'll have over 500 new words in a year.

5. You can even coin new words or phrases. For example, I recently coined the term "nudge networking" for increasing contact at business mixers, and some years ago when I was presenting seminars on retirement planning, I used the term "pro-tirement" to suggest forward rather than backward movement. That term always stirred up curiosity and questions.

As a kind of serious spoof, each year a group of faculty at Lake Superior State University in Sault St. Marie, MI publishes a list of overused words they want to banish.

Here are some examples of words and phrases they'd like to banish in 2009: "Wall Street to Main Street"; carbon footprint; going green; bailout; maverick; game changer; "not so much."

You get the idea. So cull out the cliches and stir in some fresh language.

Loren Ekroth © 2008, All rights reserved

Loren Ekroth, Ph.D. is a specialist in human communication and a national expert on conversation for business and social life. His articles and programs strengthen critical communication skills for business and professional people. Contact Loren at Loren@conversation-matters.com. Check out a wealth of valuable resources and articles at http://www.conversation-matters.com and subscribe to his weekly free Better Conversations ezine (which also entitles you to two very informative reports).

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My Top 10 Peeves in Spoken Communication
Trim the Trite Talk! -- by Loren Ekroth
Words Have No Meaning Until You Give it to Them