Greetings
and Salutations my fellow students!
This is the Smart Speak Student and
today I am going to help you with your speaking and writing skills. Our Smart Speak Spotlight today is focused on
the ‘economy of words’. No, this is not
a lesson on money, but more of a lesson on our word choices. When it comes to speaking and writing, get to
the point! There is no need to ‘beat
around the bush’, especially when your grade is on the line. Use word choices that let you get your point
across in a way that is educated AND fits your personality. Here are some tricks of the speaking trade
that can come in handy:
ü Plan it out: Make a battle plan on how your speech or
essay is going to flow. This is called
your outline. The more you plan ahead,
the better prepared you are.
ü Use connotative
meanings: Textbook definitions and
examples are BORING. When you can,
explain your points by relating your experiences with it. This will not only make it easier to
understand, but will also keep your audience (ie. your peers) paying attention.
ü Practice: Mom was right with this one, as practice does
make perfect. Having several drafts of
your essay makes the final one perfect.
Practicing your speech out loud does the same thing.
ü Avoid filler
words: I like to call this a case of the
Ums or Ers or Uhs, whatever filler word you personally choose. People use these in speeches as a way to
think real quick about what you are about to say, but you come off sounding
like you don’t know WHAT you are saying.
Do yourself a favor and when practicing, have someone keep a tally of
how many times you use these words. When
you become aware of how many times you use them, then you make it a point in
your brain to not.
I
hope these tips lead you down the path to a better grade. Just always be on the
word watch and make sure that you are getting to the point. For more information, please feel free to
tweet me at Giggle@People or blog me @Fun with MissV on blogger.
Happy
speaking!
#homework
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