A Philosophical Happy Hour on the use of language to convey thinking: from daily conversation, to professional presentation, let us ask after the habits of speaking well.
How does one learn to speak well? Many courses are offered with proposed solutions—from the WikiHow to MasterClasses and entire college majors. Yet it seems, upon brief reflection, that use of our own voices need not be a specialized skill, reserved to an elite few. That is, we all have language, and it seems a bit strange that so many of us struggle to use it well, especially in oral speech.
To quote Aristotle, in the context of his Rhetoric:
…it is strange if it is a shameful thing not to be able to come to one’s own aid with one’s body but not a shameful thing to be unable to do so by means of argument, which is to a greater degree a human being’s own than is the use of the body. (Art of Rhetoric, 1.1, 1355a 40–55b 2.)
Indeed, we all ought to be capable of not only articulating but also defending our views. But whether engaged in argument or merely conversing, it seems many today lack the ability to articulate themselves in a satisfactory manner.
How can we redress this deficiency? Allow a few suggestions, first, and then an inquiry.
Habits and Language
We may not readily think of habit and language in an essential connection. That is, we doubtless recognize ourselves and others around us to possess certain habits of speaking; but by this we typically mean only the superficial patterns of words and diction. Someone may “um” and “ah” and say “right?” frequently.
But so too, someone may think carefully about which words he uses. This “thinking carefully” is likewise a habit, and indeed, a more fundamentally human habit than hemming and hawing. By careful thought—and study of semantics and syntax—he avoids barbarisms and solecisms alike.
Similarly, someone may be carefully attentive to language use. Oftentimes, in practical contexts, we simply listen for informational cues: waiting to receive the directives we need for responding. This proves a bad habit for mastering language, for it seeks to ignore the medium and arrive directly at the object—leaving us less capable of dealing with the nuances of the medium.
Language and Speaking
But mastery of language is largely an asynchronously-developed series of habits. Today especially, when so much of our communication is carried out by text, we seldom practice conscientious use of language with need of immediate presence of mind.
How do we convert our habits of slow-thinking about language into immediate habits of practiced speaking? Can we become better conversationalists in the day-to-day? More skilled presenters? Better orators?
Speak with Us
Join the conversation this Wednesday (19 February 2025) of our Philosophical Happy Hour (5:45–7:15pm ET; latecomers welcome!) to discover how you may facilitate habits of speaking well, both in daily occupations and in formal presentations.
philosophical happy hour
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Come join us for drinks (adult or otherwise) and a meaningful conversation. Open to the public! Held every Wednesday from 5:45–7:15pm ET.
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