Speech technique No. 3 - Culturally Loaded Vocabulary

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Last but not least in this three part series about producing charisma and thus making a good speech is the technique called Culturally Loaded Vocabulary (Elgin, 1980. “Being Charismatic”. The Gentle Art of Self Defense.) 

When we say words are loaded, we mean they carry a charge – either positive or negative.  To be judged charismatic, “you need to know the culturally loaded vocabulary of the person(s) you are talking to, and whether their values are positive or negative.” (Elgin 1980: 230)

Culturally Loaded Vocabulary is different to the Unifying Metaphor in that the metaphor uses imagery.  Being South African, and knowing our past of apartheid, there are certain ethnic terms that I avoid in order not to trigger any negative presuppositions.  It serves no one to use terminology that incites anger. 

More challenging, however, is dealing with a group of people I am unfamiliar with.  I do not know what vocabulary will trigger positive and negative presuppositions.  The goal is to trigger positive ones, but in lacking resources, it is easy to slip into an offense, and this ought to be avoided at all costs if you are not to lose your charisma.

An example of such a mistake is given in the following conversation, which simultaneously uses the vocabulary item “Anglo” which is unfamiliar to me as a South African, but which is or was used in America (Elgin 1980: 232 – 233).

An Anglo is a white, English-speaking American distinct from a Hispanic American.  Elgin uses this example to illustrate how a conversation that did not start as a confrontation ended up as one due to culturally loaded vocabulary.

Employer: I’ve called you in because I have a lot of respect for you, Bob, and I think your advice could be of help right now.

Employee:  Well, I appreciate that.  Anything I can do, anytime.  What’s the problem?

Employer:  It’s something that baffles me, frankly.  I mean, its made very clear around here how things are supposed to be run.  There’s a sign on the wall – it says any employee more than three minutes late reports to the supervisor immediately.  That’s clear, right?

Employee:  Certainly.

Employer: And they know – all of them – that if they’re late, they are going to get docked for it.  They know that.

Employee:  Yes, sir.  That’s correct.

Employer: Then will you please explain to me, Bob, just one thing: Why do they keep coming in late every day?

Employee: I think that’s an easy one.

Employer: I knew I could count on you, Bob.

(And this is where Bob goes terribly wrong…)

Employee:  The problem, sir, is that we’re Anglos and they’re not.

The sample answer would have been:

Employee: The problem, sir, is that the Protestant Ethic is not really part of everyone’s cultural heritage. (stating a fact and point of reference)

Or else

Employee: Sir, different groups of people have different ways of looking at time.  I think that’s at the root of the difficulty.

What Elgin concluded from the conversation was that the employer would never ask for Bob’s advice again, because Bob perceived both himself and his employer as Anglos, when the employer clearly did not.

In my personal opinion, the third recommended technique is not as easy to grasp as the first, which might have to do with the culturally distant example she has given.  In the South African context in which I grew up, I can think of plenty examples of negatively culturally loaded vocabulary.  However, we are to avoid such vocabulary and find the positive ones, and this is where I am grasping at straws.  Ayoba!?    

Comments

Anonymous said…
Interesting , one identifies with ones culture .
April 11, 2010 at 11:04 AM
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