When you use respectful language in your speeches—words, phrases, and expressions that are courteous and don’t reflect bias against other cultures or individuals—you deliver far more effective presentations. Why? Your audience members remain open to your ideas and view you as trustworthy and fair. In this way, you gain immense personal credibility.

By contrast, using biased language—word choices that suggest prejudice or preconceptions about other people—erodes your credibility and distracts your audience from listening to your message. For these reasons, avoid language that suggests you’re making judgments about your listeners’ or someone else’s race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, or mental or physical ability. In the rest of this section, we present ideas for keeping biased language out of your speech.