The Importance of Language

The Importance of Language

Why is Language Important in Your Speech?

Language is important in your speech because at the most fundamental level, this is how your audience will understand what you're saying. From the actual words that come out of your mouth to the points and topics you articulate, language is the vehicle that helps your audience understand and agree with your statement or argument.

Your Choice of Words

What you actually choose to say in your speech—every single word—must be carefully selected. Is each individual word the best word you can use to convey your message or meaning? Is your phrasing easy to understand? Are you using descriptive language? Do you connect similar thoughts for your audience? Have you included points of contrast to illustrate broader points?

These are all important questions to consider as you begin to select each and every word that makes it into your speech. Even more important are the words you choose to leave out: consider too, what you aren't saying.

And How You Say Them

It's also not just a matter of the words you say, but how you say them. From using gesture, force, and directness, to the actual pitch, tone and inflection of your voice, it's important to consider the complete package that you're delivering to your audience. Speech contains nonverbal elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality, rate, pitch, volume, and speaking style, as well as prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation, and stress. These elements should be just as carefully crafted and practiced as the words used to compose your speech.

What's the Takeaway Message?

At the end of the speech, ask yourself: what do you want your audience to walk away feeling? What do you want them to remember? Is there a particular call-to-action you want them to perform? Or, do you want a particular point to resonate with them for a significant period of time? By thinking about the end result—that is, what happens once you finish speaking—you can choose the words you'll need to use and just how to use them for your audience.