How Vocab Choices Affect Your Talk

Victoria Hogg
Jan 27
2 min read

Hello, Wordsmiths.

How’s your speech-writing going?

That upcoming talk… how many versions has it been through already? How many sentence reshuffles, word swaps, and late-night tweaks to help make it land have you gone through?

Now here’s the real question: how does it sound when said out loud?

Because a common mistake speakers make is writing a talk as written word, not the spoken word. And those two are rarely the same.

We don’t speak the way we write. That’s why books need screenplays before they become films. Because prose doesn’t automatically survive when spoken.

“If it sounds like writing, rewrite it” Elmore Leonard, screenwriter and novelist

So when you’re preparing notes for your next talk, think beyond what looks good on the page. Think about how the vocabulary sounds when it leaves your mouth.

Does it match the tone you’re aiming for? Does it carry the impact you want?

Because if it doesn’t, you’re probably using the wrong vocabulary.

How Vocab Choices Affect Your Talk

Vocabulary is not the same as the written word: it'll land on your audience's ears differently to text

TRY IT OUT! 💘 Our weekly tip, from applied improv to you.

Spill the Tea ⋆︎˚｡⋆

The Objective: Align your written content with your spoken word.

The activity: Choose a simple task you know inside out. No script. Describe it out loud (record it if possible).

For example: explain how to make a cup of tea.

Then explain why a cup of tea matters.

Then explain how it makes you feel.

Now do it again but now from the perspective of a different persona such as:

a teacher
a pirate
a second date

Reflection: Did your vocabulary change without even thinking about it? Which persona did you feel most comfortable with? (no wrong answers). Could you find a new persona to use in your talks?

Download: Spill the Tea here