Page 309 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

276 Part 3 Putting Theory Into Practice

head of an academic department is referred to as a chairman, a member of the
U.S. House of Representatives is called a Congressman, and a fl ight attendant on
an airplane is known as a stewardess, it is clear which roles are held to be “male”
and which ones “female.” An effective public speaker avoids sexist language.
One of the easiest ways to unintentionally convey sexism is to use singu-
lar pronouns in the masculine form. For years, speakers and writers excluded
women from their examples involving a single person, saying such things as

“If a person is strong, he will stand up for himself.”
“When someone believes something, he shouldn’t be afraid to say so.”
“An individual should keep his promise.”

If we have no other choice in constructing examples to illustrate our speech, we
can do one of two things with regard to singular pronouns. First, we can say “he
or she” in conjunction with a singular verb. Second, we can use “she” in some
cases and “he” in others. Yet both of these alternatives are awkward, and neither
is likely to please everyone in our audience. Thus, we suggest a third alternative:
Use plural nouns and pronouns when constructing examples to make the speech
more vivid, involving, and inclusive. Instead of saying, “If a person is strong, he
will stand up for himself,” say, “Strong people stand up for themselves.” Instead
of saying, “When someone believes something, he shouldn’t be afraid to say so,”
try, “When people believe something, they shouldn’t be afraid to say so.” And
instead of saying, “An individual should keep his promise,” simply say, “People
should keep their promises.”

Summary

Although words alone can’t break our bones, words are powerful symbols and
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should be treated as such. In recognition of this fact, keep the following in mind
To evaluate your understand- as you construct your speeches:
ing of this chapter, visit our
Online Learning Center Web • Language is symbolic and infl uences the process of perception.
site for quizzes and other
chapter study aids.
• Language refl ects the multiracial, multiethnic, multicultural audience of
today.
• Effective language is inclusive rather than marginalizing or totalizing.
• Effective language enhances your audience’s perception of your credibility.

• Effective language connects with the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic styles
of processing information present in your audience.

• Effective language takes advantage of devices such as metaphor, simile, al-
literation, parallel structure, and repetition.

• Effective language avoids unfair stereotypes and the use of words that per-
petuate sexism.