“They are humid, prepossessing Homo sapiens with full-sized aortic pumps.”

 

— Joey Tribbiani, S10E5, after using a thesaurus on every… single… word 😄

 

Did you decipher what he was trying to say?

 

Apparently, it was:
“They are warm, nice people with big hearts.” ❤️

 

What do you think – which version is better?

 

Well, it all depends on your audience.
But in most cases, it’s the second one.

 

Vocabulary is very important in every talk, because you want to make sure everyone understands you.

 

This means:
🔹 Avoiding jargon unless you’re sure your audience is familiar with it (for instance, it’s fine to use field-specific scientific terms at a scientific conference).
🔹 Steering clear of complicated words or phrases rarely used in everyday language – especially if you’re speaking in your audience’s second language.
🔹 Not going out of your way to sound smarter or more sophisticated than everyone else.

 

Because the point is to connect, to give something of value to your audience.

 

And if your audience doesn’t understand you, how can they benefit from your talk?