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The poor UHM-Dude. He didn’t get any applause after that seemingly sad excuse for a speech. “He can’t speak.” That’s the feedback I get when people first listen to the clip. But, actually, he can speak. He isn’t fluent. Articulation isn’t his best suit. You have experienced many flavours of that kind of speech. At weddings and conferences, I have often listened to ad-hoc speakers stumble and labour through every single word after they’ve been called to the stage.
But not the Fluent-Dude. No. After his speech, Fluent-Dude received a thunderous ovation. He was patted on the back. “On point, Sir, well said!”
Meaning breaks in many ways. It can even break within the fluent speech, or after it. Those same people who raised a glass to Fluent-Dude’s winged words would not admit that he really said very little. Bullshit Corporate Jargon. Those empty phrases remind me of a massive all-purpose kitchen appliance that’s chock-full of features, but isn’t plugged in. There’s no meaning. No connection.
The UHM-Dude didn’t need applause. He got something better: smiles of relief, quiet acknowledgement and appreciation. He had fought for his team and with them.
Shared meaning doesn’t rely on fluent articulation. Hell yeah, what a bonus if you develop confidence and presence. And even when you know what to say, it matters that you know not only how to say it well, but what you are actually trying to mean.
