Power of Words

Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity

Yehuda Berg

While I am away in vacation, we decided to join the Toastmasters Bootcamp where I will meet some old friends and make new ones :) and this evening during a conversation about the education path and the development I received while I was active this article started to take form.

Back in the days of college Cialdini was one of my favorite authors, and a lot of authors had an influence on my art of writing better speeches - since the undeniable power of words made me always look at different forms to express one simple idea.

For me public speaking was not only about confidence, although it supported me greatly to overcome anxiety. Public speaking was also about influence - the awareness of how my choice of words can change the energy of somebody, and sometimes even a belief, a feeling or a decision. I always gave a piece of my soul in each speech and that was the space where the creation process started then, and starts now while I write this piece. If you are a member of a public speaking club like Toastmasters - this insight might be of some interest. Once you become aware of the power of the words and you allow yourself to care about your listeners it will shift the way you write speeches from self-expression to audience impact.

We say in training that is about the participants, in public speaking is about the listener, not about the Speaker. I still have the notes from Cialdini’s book Influence - people rarely make decisions through deep analysis, they rely on mental shortcuts, and those shortcuts can be predictable. In coaching together with my clients work the awareness on this. But about that in another article.

If you are writing a speech don’t ask ”what do I want to say?”, start asking ”what will my audience respond to automatically?” - yes, it means you need to know who is your listener, and to what is receptive cause adding your authenticity on top of knowing what they need from you they will be more receptive. Use relatable stories, acknowledge shared struggles and speak as part of the group, not as an outsider. A speech that feels familiar lowers resistance and bring closeness and once these two show up learning begins - for you as speaker and for your audience.

Conflict does wonders for your public speaking writing. In rhetoric (again in the college - I am quite nostalgic these days) we learn that a good argument will not win you conflicts but it will turn the tables on how healthy that conflict can be - a good rhetoric can guide choices. And if you use the rhetoric of a argument to write a speech you can do the following: future-focused language, give them the answer of ”what we can do next”, invite cooperation in your development.

For example, instead of saying, “We are bad at giving feedback,” shift to, “Here is how we can give better feedback next time.”

This small shift matters! It moves the audience from judgment to action.

Keep your message simple and automatic - we are experiencing crazy time where a lot of the adult trained their brain to have ADHD so repetition and consistency are your friends, so write with this in mind. A good speech has one central idea, not three, not five. Give them the ideas early in the beginning of the speech, repeat it in different ways, use stories and example on how to.

Complex speeches feel impressive to the speaker.
Simple speeches are remembered by the audience.

Public speaking clubs reward clarity. Judges and listeners respond better when they can summarize your speech in one sentence, so if you feel you want to be part of the computational area of Toastmasters maybe have this in mind together with the Juror Ballot.

Words do more than describe, they create! Words are not neutral, they shape emotional and mental outcomes for ourselves and for others so hold the power with respect and ethics.

Positive words open people up.
Negative words create resistance.

This is not me telling you that you should avoid difficult topics, it means that you should choose your language with care. Words can bless or burden - it is your choice how you want the audience to feel while listening to your speech. Your vocabulary is part of how your identity is shaped in the ears of your audience. If you repeatedly label situations as “failures,” the audience absorbs that framing for you. If you instead choose “lessons” or “turning points,” the meaning changes for yourself, but also for your listeners.

The facts stay the same.
The impact does not.

I am going to add another critical layer to this article - again is something that I worked a lot in coaching with my clients: the words we use internally affect performance. Mariano Sigman in ”The Power of words” talks and supports with neuroscience backed up ideas how everyday language influences decisions, emotions, and relationships. Many speakers tell themselves: “I’m just not good at this.” Sigman shows how such internal narratives become self-fulfilling.

For speech writing and rehearsal, this matters deeply! The story you tell yourself before the speech shapes the speech itself, the energy you show on the stage and how the audience is perceives you.

Replacing “I’m bad at public speaking” with “I’m improving through practice”
changes emotional regulation. It changes delivery. It changes confidence.

Public speaking clubs are ideal environments for rewriting these internal stories, your patterns and the way you show up in the world - coming back to the beginning of this article - confidence.

• Use words that invite actions and people to imagine themselves acting

• Use Words That Reduce Tension - use concessions (look for the 5% that you can agree on while you are listen to others and build on that), it builds credibility, it opens up and soften resistance - when people know that they are listened to be understood not to be judged or to be handed a reply.

• Use Words That Shape Meaning - a single phrase can redefine an entire life narrative, in your speech one well-chosen sentence can reframe failure, fear or doubt.

Great speeches are not louder, are clear, they move you and they respect how audience thinks. Words are your tools are a public speaker. Use your tools with ethics and in favor of education, not alienation. Choose your words with intention - they matter more than you think.

Photo Credit: Gabriela Rezende