In this chapter you have learned the following:

• Words are the most influential ingredient in your message, so you need to know that
• Words are symbols that stand for or represent something in the world of senses or ideas.
• Words are powerful with the potential to hurt or to mend.
• Words organize and classify our world to help us understand it.
• Words actually shape our thoughts.

• Language operates at different levels of abstraction with specific, concrete words evoking more targeted meanings.
• Words have denotative and connotative meaning; they describe or evaluate and make judgments.
• Words can compare things that are similar or contrast things that are different.
• Words can be literal (based on facts) or figurative (based on fancy).

• Spoken language and written language differ from each other.
• Spoken language tends to use shorter sentences and simpler words, while in writing we use more complex words and sentence structure.
• The spoken word passes by without the opportunity to look back, while anyone can go back to reread a written passage.
• The spoken word is personal because the speaker is part of the message in a way that an unseen and unheard author is not.
• The spoken word offers multiple ways of communicating a message through words, movement, gesture, facial expression, and voice inflection, whereas the written word looks pretty much the same on the screen and on paper.
• The spoken word allows for immediate feedback in that the speaker sees if the audience understands and adapts if they do not — unlike the written word.
• The receivers of the spoken word actively engage with the speaker — speaker and listener become united in the message, whereas the written word often is oblivious to reader response.

• Avoid problems with your words by using language respectfully, which includes calling people what they wish to be called and choosing inclusive language.
• Use words that simplify, use substitutions and definitions, use synonyms and antonyms, know the origins of words, use words that evoke images, use correct grammar, and use parallelism and repetition.

• You can use words ethically by
• Avoiding exaggeration and oversimplification.
• Understanding that language always emerges from a perspective.

• Tips for using language in a presentation:
• Choose language at a level appropriate for the specific audience.
• Choose language that the audience will understand.
• Choose language consistent with your self, the topic, and the situation.
• Choose language that meets high ethical standards.