Distracting neologisms

Recently, I was studying the current brochure of an adult learning provider in my area and it mentioned that as well as running daytime and evening classes they can also offer the services of tutors in certain subjects if you are 'an employer who wants to upskill your valuable staff'.

Whoa - do what? Upskill? Upskill? Is that even a word?

Apparently it is - but would you want to use it in your public speaking...yet?

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that language is constantly evolving (in fact, the millionth word was recently added to the Oxford English Dictionary). And I don't always have a problem with political correctness, either; although some changes do seem to be 'political correctness gone mad' (or perhaps that should be 'political correctness gone psychiatrically challenged?') I think it is a positive thing that male or female performers are all now referred to as actors and I can see how minority ethnic can be considered a preferable term to ethnic minority.

But many new words and phrases, especially those used in a business context, can sound strange and initially unattractive (particularly the current trend for turning practically any noun into a verb!) and I know that if I used the word upskill in a presentation, not just for the mature audiences I speak to at clubs and societies but even for the business networking groups that book me, many of them would be giving each other sideways glances - for all the wrong reasons!

Public Speaking Tip #335: As public speakers, we want our listeners to reflect on the words we have just used because they find them amusing, moving, profound, persuasive... not because we have used language in a way that sounds peculiar,  contrived or irritating to them. If you are using buzzwords, make sure that they are commonly used by that particular audience otherwise they will just distract from your message instead of reinforcing it.

And if you are using a new expression (or maybe even coining one!) then let your audience know - they may feel that they are in on the start of a trend! Given time, many of these words will become more familiar to the wider population and will then be easier to include in your content.


My blogging has been very light recently and I have a large number of speaking engagements from the past few months to tell you about, each with at least one Public Speaking Tip to pass on, so please keep reading and (he writes through gritted teeth) 'upskilling' yourself.

No, sorry, I don't think I will ever going to get used to that word...