Developing skills of power language

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Developing skills of power language

• From Communication Applications

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Power Language

• Language is POWER.
• What does this statement mean?
• What might power language be?

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Power Language

• Power language displays
• Clarity
• Courtesy and tact
• Ownership of thoughts and feelings
• Inclusion of others
• Vividness and imagery
• Appropriate usage

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Clarity

• HOW Speech is precise, clearly organized, and
  grammatical. Speech is easy to understand.
• EFFECT An idea is well-developed and
  comprehensible. Understanding may be enhanced.

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Courtesy and Tact

• HOW Speaker listens empathically, negotiates
  with respect, disagrees without being
  disagreeable, and focuses discussions on issues
  rather than on people.

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Courtesy and Tact

• EFFECT Showing respect and consideration to
  others promotes positive relationships. Speaker
  is considered a real pro in social and
  professional interactions.

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Ownership of Thoughts and Feelings

• HOW Speaker takes responsibility for thoughts
  and feelings. Speaker uses I messages to
  express opinions, ideas, and feelings I was
  bored rather than That was boring.

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Ownership of Thoughts and Feelings

• EFFECT When the speaker is seen as responsible,
  self-confident, and non-judgmental, clarity and
  understanding are promoted. Speaker is viewed as
  someone who gets things done rather than a
  blamer.

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Inclusion of Others

• HOW Speaker listens empathically and
  personalizes speech with direct references to
  others What do you think about this issue?
  Id really like to hear your opinion.

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Inclusion of Others

• EFFECT Including others helps establish a common
  ground and paves the way for cooperation and
  understanding. Speaker is seen as open-minded and
  interested in others.

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Vividness and Imagery

• HOW Speaker expresses ordinary ideas in new and
  imaginative ways. Imagery is used to help people
  visualize complex ideas.
• EFFECT Speech is interesting and memorable.
  People look forward to hearing what the speaker
  has to say.

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Appropriate Usage

• HOW Speaker uses a level of language that is
  appropriate for the specific context.
• EFFECT Speaker is often viewed as reasonable,
  thoughtful, and possessive of a strong command of
  the language. Others trust him or her to
  communicate appropriately.

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Which is most important?

• Order the six characteristics of power language
  according to importance, in your opinion.
• Clarity
• Courtesy and tact
• Ownership of thoughts and feelings
• Inclusion of others
• Vividness and imagery
• Appropriate usage

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Levels of Usage

• Speech is like clothing. Different levels of
  formality are appropriate for different
  occasions.
• Story time My mothers first summer job
• The context determines the standards!

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Levels of Usage

• Classifications of levels of usage
• Formal
• Technical
• Informal
• Standard
• Ungrammatical

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Levels of Usage

• Formal language is language that conforms to a
  highly structured set of rules.
• When is formal language appropriate?
• Parliamentary procedure (government meetings and
  sessions, some social clubs)
• Legal proceedings
• Many religious services

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Levels of Usage

• Technical language is language associated with a
  particular profession, activity, or field of
  study.
• Also called jargon.
• What are some fields that have technical
  language?
• Medicine
• Law
• Finance
• Technology

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Levels of Usage

• Technical language is language associated with a
  particular profession, activity, or field of
  study.
• Also called jargon.
• What are some fields that have technical
  language?
• Medicine
• Law
• Finance
• Technology

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Levels of Usage

• When is technical language appropriate?
• When is technical language inappropriate?

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Levels of Usage

• Standard language is the language used by the
  majority of knowledgeable communicators within a
  specific language.
• Referred to as correct speech.
• How is standard language determined?

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Levels of Usage

• When is standard language appropriate?
• When is standard language inappropriate?

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Levels of Usage

• Informal language is the type of language most
  often used in casual situations and close
  interpersonal relationships.
• Types of informal language
• Colloquialisms
• Slang

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Levels of Usage

• Colloquialisms are terms associated with a
  specific regional culture.
• Colloquialisms dont translate well into new
  cultures.
• Colloquialisms can cause speakers to sound
  uneducated in formal speaking situations.

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Levels of Usage

• Slang can be described as temporary language
  because it is typically used for only a brief
  period of time by a limited group of people.
• Slang changes quickly because it stems from
  popular culture.
• Slang can date you or eventually limit your
  ability to express yourself.

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Levels of Usage

• Ungrammatical language is language that does not
  use expected standards of grammar or mechanics.
• When is ungrammatical language appropriate?

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Levels of Usage

• Guidelines for power language
• Use standard language in most situations, limit
  informal language to casual settings, and
  eliminate ungrammatical language from your speech.

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Functions of Oral Language

• The five functions of oral language
• Expressing and responding to feelings
• Giving and seeking information
• Controlling or persuading
• Participating in social rituals
• Creating and imagining

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Functions of Oral Language

• The ability to express and respond to feelings
  empowers speakers to interact with others in a
  healthy way.
• When expressing feelings or responding to others
  feelings, it is best to use I statements rather
  than you statements.
• Roommate drama

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Functions of Oral Language

• The ability to give and seek information empowers
  speakers to operate in professional and social
  contexts effectively.
• Cryptic boss miscommunication

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Functions of Oral Language

• The ability to control and persuade empowers
  speakers to influence others.
• It takes competent communication skills and
  knowledge to get others to achieve the results
  you want while still preserving the
  relationship.

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Functions of Oral Language

• The ability to participate in social rituals
  empowers speakers to live within society.
• A social ritual is a communication situation that
  is frequently repeated in daily social
  interaction.
• Examples
• Greeting
• Introducing
• Giving compliments

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Functions of Oral Language

• The ability to create and imagine empowers
  speakers to find new solutions and generate new
  ideas.
• It takes skill to communicate a brand new idea,
  or an idea that is new to your receiver.

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Language to Avoid

• Users of power language avoid language that is
• Sexist
• Racist
• Profane or obscene
• Judgmental
• Accusatory
• Assumptive
• Absolute

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Sexist Language

• DESCRIPTION Sexist language implies that
  something is more suited to a specific gender. It
  groups men or women into a category and
  perpetuates gender-based stereotypes.

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Sexist Language

• ALTERNATIVE Replace gender-related terms with
  general terms. Examples of sexist/nonsexist
  language
• Mankind/humankind
• Chairman/chair
• Masculine pronouns/plural pronouns, he or she,
  avoid them altogether

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Racist

• DESCRIPTION Racist language applies labels or
  behavioral characteristics to an entire race of
  individuals. It is the language of prejudice and
  stereotypes and is extremely offensive.

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Racist

• ALTERNATIVE Racist language is never
  appropriate. Use personal names and descriptions
  that do not refer to ethnic identity.
• Examples
• Derogatory terms.
• Calling attention to a persons race when it
  isnt necessary.

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Profane or Obscene

• DESCRIPTION Profane language is vulgar,
  irreverent, or abusive language that can be
  considered offensive in social and professional
  contexts. Dependence on profanity or obscenity
  can damage a speakers credibility.

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Profane or Obscene

• ALTERNATIVE This type of language is never
  appropriate. Learn to express and assume
  ownership for feelings. Say, I am angry or I
  am frustrated when these feelings arrive.

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Judgmental

• DESCRIPTION Judgmental language implies an
  inappropriate evaluation or critique of someone
  or something. Qualitative words such as good,
  bad, worthwhile, or worthless may imply that you
  are sitting in judgment of someone or their
  behavior. Why questions can be seen as defensive.

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Judgmental

• ALTERNATIVE Try to assume ownership of your
  remarks and use descriptive, supportive words
  that give information in an objective way. For
  example, instead of saying, That was a good
  introduction, the critic would say, Your
  introduction caught my attention.

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Accusatory

• DESCRIPTION Using you messages improperly can
  make a speaker sound bossy or judgmental. The
  listener may feel as if he or she is being
  accused or attacked.

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Accusatory

• ALTERNATIVE Instead of saying sentences like,
  You need to clean this up, try saying, I feel
  like the house is messy right now.

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Assumptive

• DESCRIPTION Assumptive language implies that
  everyone shares your views, opinions, or
  concerns. Overusing words such as everyone and
  forms of the verb to be can trigger the response,
  No, I dont and quickly put listeners on the
  defensive.

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Assumptive

• ALTERNATIVE Try using qualifiers such as may be,
  can be, or appears to be.
• Story time Statistics Department Drama

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Absolute

• DESCRIPTION Absolutes assume that there are no
  exceptions. Absolute language is risky for two
  reasons few things stay the same forever, and
  there are exceptions to every rule.

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Absolute

• ALTERNATIVE Avoid words such as every, always,
  never, or will. Instead, use less rigid terms
  such as most, usually, seldom, or may.

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Avoiding Powerless Language

• Powerless language is vague and accomplishes
  little.
• A filler is a word or phrase used to cover up
  hesitancy in speech
• Um
• Uh
• You know
• totally
• Story time Coach history teacher

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Avoiding Powerless Language

• A tag is a statement or question added to the end
  of a statement to invite approval or cooperation
  from others.
• Tags can convey lack of confidence.
• Dont you think?
• Right?

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Avoiding Powerless Language

• Vague wording communicates little.
• Overuse of the pronouns they and it can make
  communication impersonal, abstract, and without
  detail.

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Practice Avoiding Fillers and Tags

• In your assigned group, brainstorm a list of
  questions about a topic with which you are all
  familiar.
• Have one group member ask another a question from
  the list.
• The second person must give a thirty-second
  response without the words uh, like, you
  know, or other fillers or tags.
• A third group member should time and tally the
  number of tags or fillers.