The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter – it’s the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning. – Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), October 1888

As we pointed out in the last post, having a large and varied vocabulary allows you to choose and use words that precisely convey the information you need to communicate, in the tone and style that is most effective for each occasion. The more words you know, the more flexibility you have, and your conversations and presentations will always fit the situation.

There are other ways to add interest to your written and spoken communication, including onomatopoeia, alliteration, and metaphor. These tools are used by professional writers to improve the quality of their writing, to catch and hold the reader’s interest, and to add a rich dimension to the text by bringing in the reader’s other senses with mental imagery. Although you might associate these techniques with fiction and poetry, and think they have no place in a professional presentation, if you use them skillfully and subtly, your audience will be attracted to your speech without even realizing why.

Onomatopoeia means the use of a word that sounds like what it is describing (from the Greek roots onoma, “name,” and poieo, “to make”). For example, think about the sound that the leaves and branches of a tree make when the wind blows through them. What words come to mind? We thought of the words rustle and swish. When you say them out loud, your voice imitates the sound of the leaves brushing against each other in the breeze. Using onomatopoeia – especially in a spoken presentation – will paint an aural picture of the topic or scene you’re describing, and your audience will listen more closely.

Alliteration is a technique frequently used by poets, but it can be very effective in any text. Adept application of advanced approaches such as alliteration will accelerate you towards attaining your goal as an author. And that’s alliteration: using words in sequence that start with the same sound, to add rhythm and emphasis.

Think about the last conference you attended where multiple people were speaking. What attracted you to a specific speaker? Especially in corporate or academic settings, a good speech is an oasis of refreshment in the middle of a wasteland of dry, uninteresting presentations. That’s an example of metaphor: creating a visual image for the reader (or listener) that compares one thing to something completely different, without using the words “like” or “as” (which would make the comparison a simile). Just as a pool of cool, clear water refreshes the traveler in the desert, metaphors will provide contrast and relief in what otherwise might be a technically dense or plainly factual presentation.

What techniques do you use to spice up your speeches?