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Powerful vs. Powerless Speech

Powerless Speech

Powerful Speech

  • Hesitation Forms- Uh, you know, um, well

  • Hedges- Sort of, kind of, I guess

  • Tag Questions- Don't you think?

  • Disclaimers- I'm no expert, but...

Powerless Speech is occasionally useful when trying to seem down to earth or to express concern or empathy. In general this grants goodwill rather than expertise.

  • Characterized mainly by obvious absence of powerless speech

  • Powerful speech has been shown to be much more persuasive

  • Powerful speakers are thought to be more competent, dynamic, and intelligent

While powerful language is much more persuasive, it is also less personal and puts the speaker in a position of power, which may not always be the goal.

Bibliography

Bostick, M. (Producer), & Pink, S. (Director). (2006). Accepted [ Motion picture]. United States: Universal Studios

Chaplin, C. (Producer & Director). (1940).The Great Dictator [ Motion picture]. United States: Charlie Chaplin Studios

Perloff, R. M. (2014). The Dynamics of Persuasion: Communication and attitudes in the 21st century. New York, NY: Routledge.

Powerless Speech Cont.

Powerful Speech Cont.

  • Portrayed as nervous or unsure with hesitations

  • Questioning the audience lowers credibility

  • Successfully seemed down to earth

  • Unsuccessfully persuaded anyone

Confident, brave portrayal

Spoke to the audience and used statements as facts

Seemed powerful and credible

Successfully persuaded the audience

Conclusion

Media is a powerful persuasion tool if and only if used well. One of the most distracting can be in movies.

While powerful speech is normally more persuasive, some professions make use of powerless speech.

Recognizing speech type can assist in recognizing the speaker's goals.

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