Thank You, George Will, for Giving Us a Humorous but Piercing Expression to Describe Someone Who Habitually Utters Nonsense

Chances are that even if you missed last Sunday’s edition of “ABC This Week,” you’ve heard the two harsh but humorous words that were uttered spontaneously by conservative panelist George Will to describe Donald Trump. That piercing expression, which sent everyone else seated around the table into peels of laughter, instantly became airborne in the news media. Here’s what happened:

When the host asked Will why Romney, who wants voters to take him seriously, keeps making televised appearances with Trump, the extraordinarily intelligent and verbally gifted political commentator & columnist replied: “I don’t understand the cost benefit here. The costs are clear…The cost of appearing with this bloviating (pause) ignoramus is obvious. Trump is redundant evidence that if your net worth is high enough, your IQ can be very low and you can still intrude into American politics. Again, I don’t understand the benefit.”

© Copyright 2012 V. J. Singal

Executive Communication: Rare Lesson in How to Chew Out Someone; How Just a Few Exemplary Nonverbals Can Make Even a Brief Utterance Highly Impactful

Before you watch the video clip below, please revisit the post and clip of a month ago—Sept. 30 -- which shows a top Republican politician’s strong, fresh, and well chosen words of criticism for someone of her own party being completely wasted because of the abysmal delivery.

Now click on the video clip below, which is from the April 4, 2010, edition of “Meet the Press” and shows a Democratic Congresswoman chewing out a top official of the Obama administration over the pathetic economy. The reason why this clip made it to the highly regarded "Meet the Press" broadcast is obvious—Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur’s utterance is so attention-getting, even earth-shaking, and, of course, indelible, thanks to her exemplary nonverbals, ranging from deliberate and forceful hand gestures to pregnant pauses and uncommon vocal variety.

An excellent example of how a brief utterance can become airborne because of powerful delivery. So, executives and managers please note: if somebody deserves to be chewed out during a meeting, do it forcefully, at full-throttle, instead of being wimpy and highly restrained, for that is how you send a message to everyone in the room.

© Copyright 2011 V. J. Singal

Public Speaking Tips: Strong, Evocative Words Are Often Wasted If Not Accompanied By Appropriate Nonverbals

When trying to influence an audience, the use of two or three fresh, strong, evocative, and out-of-the-ordinary words uttered back-to-back can be extremely effective (especially if the audience is familiar with the terms). Why? Because such an expression works like a one-two or a one-two-three punch. But much too often, public speakers fail to get the full mileage from their well chosen words because they are uttered blandly or very rapidly, unaccompanied by appropriate nonverbals. This is something I emphasize again and again while coaching executives, managers, and other professionals who have to make important presentations.

Take a look at the video clip below, featuring former Missouri Republican Party Chair Ann Wagner lambasting the then-party leader Michael Steele. Imagine how much more powerful, and searing, and impactful her remarks would have been had she uttered her carefully chosen words “steeped in mismanagement, distractions, and drama” (you can tell she is glancing at her notes as she utters them) with some pizzazz. For instance, a split-second pause after each of the three nouns (mismanagement, distractions, drama) would have allowed those words to sink in fully. And the injection of vocal variety as well as some facial and/or hand gestures would have endowed her words with much additional weight. Summing up, she could have easily accentuated that key sentence immeasurably.

An excellent example of a well crafted and potentially indelible expression coming to naught thanks to too rapid-fire an utterance. © Copyright 2011 V. J. Singal

The Contagion of Two Adjectives—“Narcissistic” and “Self-Aggrandizing”—Triggered by LeBron James’s Media Event on Thursday Night

In the brouhaha following LeBron James’s decision and the way he let that decision be known to Cleveland and the rest of the world, two words have been on every critic’s lips: “narcissistic” and, to a lesser extent, “self-aggrandizing.” In fact, since the Thursday night sensation, I’ve seen many a media interview during which the guest--some noted sportscaster or the other--has used narcissistic as his only term of opprobrium and that too several times within just a few minutes. So, for talking heads and others who want to vent strong criticism of the way James handled his highly anticipated announcement, here are about a dozen other terms--in the order of mildest to the harshest--that could help break the annoying monotony of “narcissistic” and “self-aggrandizing” and thus quash this verbal contagion:

self-glorifying; self-centered; vain; egocentric; distasteful; tawdry;
egotistical; odious; conceited; egomaniacal; megalomaniacal; ignoble.

A Formula for Seizing People’s Attention When Expressing Your Indignation; New York Judge Jeffrey Spinner’s “Piercing” Words

One of the benefits of possessing a powerful vocabulary is that when you are really indignant, it is easier to capture everyone’s attention. [No wonder I have devoted an entire section on words for “Specifying Criticism or Disapproval” in my book, The Articulate Professional – 3rd Edition (2008).] A New York judge’s criticism last week of a bank for its apathy and indifference (in its dealings with a customer facing foreclosure) was so piercing, thanks to his liberal use of out-of-the-ordinary and high-caliber words, that it made national headlines.

Here is some of Suffolk County Judge Jeffrey Spinner’s opinion, as reported on “ABC World News with Charlie Gibson”: He called the bank’s behavior “repugnant” and accused it of “inequitable, unconscionable, vexatious, and opprobrious” conduct, as well as “duplicity… intransigence… and a condescending attitude.” Saying that “each and every proposal (made by the customer), no matter how reasonable, was soundly rebuffed” by the bank, the judge decided that “the appropriate equitable remedy was to simply cancel the loan."

A note of caution with regard to oral communication: As I stress in my seminars and in my book, when speaking, it’s not a good idea to spew out uncommon words in the manner of a fusillade, because that gives the audience acute listening indigestion and creates a deep aversion toward the speaker. In oral communications, use high-caliber words sparingly and with synonyms (or synonymous phrases), antonyms, and split-second pauses to help ensure everyone in the intended audience understands your message fully.