Characteristics of Effective

Oral Language

Characteristics of Effective Oral Language

1.

Clear

Correct

Accurate

Simple

Understandable

Suggestions for Simplicity:

Avoid
Use

verbosity / wordiness.

short simple sentences.

Consider

using shorter words over longer

words, if possible.
Examples: recall for remember
confuse or disturb for discombobulate
true or truthful for veracious

 Avoid

tautology.

innovation new innovation

unique most unique

stronger more stronger

Suggestions for Understandability

Define by use of:

negation

examples / illustrations

analogies

demonstration

Characteristics of Effective Oral Language

2.

Direct & conversational

Use the oral style.

Avoid jargons.

Characteristics of Effective Oral Language

3. Appropriate

to the topic

to the speaker

to the audience

to the occasion

Characteristics of Effective Oral Language

4. Vivid and Impressive

concrete
Avoid abstractions.

Use descriptive terms that arouse sense

imagery: visual, auditory, gustatory,
olfactory, tactual, kinaesthetic.
figurative

original

Avoid clichs and trite expressions such as:

busy as a bee
fit as a fiddle
last but not the least
proudly present

Arrange words to produce a sharp and lasting effect.

Example: We have built machines which act like
men and have become men that
act like
machines... The danger of the
future is that
men may become robots.
--- Erich Fromm

Varied

Use other forms of sentences other than the

declarative form.

Be imaginative in your word choice.

example: use sweep, triumph, notch, edge for the
verb win

Add to your vocabulary connectives other than

also, for example, basically, in other words,
actually

Vary the length of sentences.