At the recent District 15 Toastmaster Conference I gave a workshop on evaluation. One of my points focused on preparing mentally beforehand so that our evaluations are as rigorous as possible. Part of the mental preparation involves expanding our vocabulary. This applies to any form of speaking – conversations, evaluations, speeches, presentations, etc. Words shape ideas. Ideas are powerful. Weak words = weak ideas.
An example of weak word usage often surfaces during evaluations when we are trying to say something kind and fall back on common phrases like ‘great speech’, ‘good job’, or the dreaded ‘that was awesome!’. I’ve never heard an awesome speech, ever. No speech has ever left my mouth hanging open in shear awe. But that is an aside.
Next time you are giving an evaluation come prepared with a new word to use that can put wind in the sails of an idea. Here are a few I came up with for starters: Adept, adroit, fitting, skillful, fine, robust, delightful, and fresh.
A recent article in The Toastmaster Magazine suggested collecting great words that stand out to us and referring to this wonderful list in time of need because we are all writers after all. One word that the author used that jumped out at me was ‘specificity’.
Have you come across a good word recently? Use it!
