The audience’s understanding of your message will improve if you use words that correctly express the point you want to make. Incorrect word choice can confuse listeners or undermine your credibility. For example, if you used the words recession and depression interchangeably in a speech on the economy, you probably would lose credibility with any audience members who know the difference between these two economic terms. At the same time, you might confuse or mislead audience members who do not understand the distinction. You also should watch out for words that commonly are misused (such as literally and effect) and for words that frequently are mispronounced (such as probably, library, and nuclear).

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It’s also easy to fall into the trap of mixing up words that sound alike. For example, one student delivering a speech on the Seattle music scene of the 1990s accused the late Kurt Cobain of “immortal behavior.” The audience laughed, knowing that musicians clearly don’t live forever and that the speaker probably meant “immoral behavior.” Although this speaker’s listeners were amused, the joke was on him: many of his audience members lost some respect for him.