7: The Words
There are many instances in which a single phrase encapsulates the meaning of a speech, and it is often these phrases that are remembered even when the rest of the speech has been forgotten. Consider, for example, Kennedy's inauguration address: many people can recall the phrase "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country" - including many people who never heard the speech itself.
The author considers the notion that saying just the right words can have a profound impact on the audience as "one of the greatest myths in public speaking" and misleads many speakers into belaboring the wording of their speech and attempting to perfectly memorize and recite precise phrases.
Words are important, but not as important as the emotions they evoke. And in that sense it is not important to craft and memorize the perfect words, but merely to convey the feelings and emotions and this will make the words memorable.
As evidence of this, consider the number of phrases that are remembered incorrectly, yet still arouse powerful emotions in those who repeat them. However, this tends to be most particularly pronounced in people who never heard the original speech, and are often completely misinterpreting the meaning the speaker intended to convey at the time.
While grandiloquence is not necessary to deliver a speech, proper use of language is: there is little that can be more disruptive to a speech than a poor choice of words, in a mistake that calls attention to itself and causes the speaker to appear foolish or that causes the audience to ponder what has been said in a logical manner, disengaging from the emotional script the speaker wishes them to follow.
He mentions the all-too-common instance in modern journalism in which a word or phrase is taken from a speech, and a politician or celebrity must then make a number of appearances to explain what they meant - though in many instances this arises from journalists making much ado about a slip of the tongue or a few poorly chosen words, it often detracts from the message that the speaker was attempting to convey.
It is particularly a problem of the modern age, in which people do not invest time in listening to a speech but instead watch news reportage afterward that presents snippets and clips out of context, and sometimes out of sequence, which misrepresent what the speaker intended to communicate.
On a more positive note, the author turns to methods that people can use to make their words more impactful.
Sensory Words
Without citing any sources, the author claims "research has shown" that information associated to visual images is remembered better than that which is described in numerical or auditory form.
When a speaker can use visual aids, the visual element can enable the audience to more readily remember the meaning and feeling of his speech. When a speaker cannot use visual aids, using descriptive language can be powerful.
He presents an example from one of his own speeches that describes a street scene, presenting the audience with a description of the sights, sounds, and smells. None of these details were essential to the thrust of his speech, but it gave the audience a sensory experience to associate to his message.
Rhythm and Rhyme
Speech can also borrow upon poetry, the use rhythm and rhyme to make a message more vivid and memorable.
Rhythmic speech is often used by greater speakers such as Martin Luther King or Winston Churchill, whose most memorable speeches used words that fell into a regular cadence.
Rhyme is often used as a mnemonic device, and is very common in poetry for getting the attention of a reader and causing a pair of phrases (or even a single one) to be memorable.
Conclusions
The point of this chapter has not been to dismiss the value of words in speaking, but merely to put them in their proper place as one of many tools that a speaker uses to convey information and emotions to the audience.
Specifically, if the right emotions are conveyed, the precise wording is not important - so long as the speech is not so badly spoken as to become distracting.
It's for this reason that may speakers have "speaking points" - the key messages that they want to convey to their audience - beyond which they simply let their words flow, with a general idea of what they wish to convey, rather than a perfect memory of a meticulously crafter script.