Listen to the audio version of this post here.

Talk the talk.

Ketanji Brown Jackson is speakin’ my language.

That’s definitely the first time I’ve made a statement like that about a United States Supreme Court Justice.

And I’ll go even further and say it should be your language too.

bit of background …

A firestorm erupted over Justice Jackson’s dissent from the court’s decision limiting federal judges’ ability to issue universal injunctions. You might remember the case; it had to do with birthright citizenship. And she called the ruling in the Trump administration’s favor “a seismic shock” to U.S. legal norms.

Jackson also said, “Courts must have the power to order everyone (including the executive) to follow the law — full stop.”

And we had no trouble seeing the sarcasm in, “The majority sees a power grab — but not by a presumably lawless executive choosing to act in a manner that flouts the plain text of the Constitution. Instead, to the majority, the power-hungry actors are … (wait for it) … the District Courts.”

Linguist and New York Times columnist John McWhorter took note of the critics, and pointed to even more examples of non-legalese in that opinion. “Why all the fuss?” “Here is what I mean,” and “Do not take my word for it” all made an appearance. 

Some people called it stupid, unprofessional, and an embarrassment to the court. And some social media commenters suggested it shows Jackson is “a DEI appointment.” McWhorter says the controversy ensued because Jackson was using oral language in a very serious written document.

“Oral language”— that’s music to my ears.

Your presentations and most of your business writing will have more impact if you use spoken English rather than written English.

This comes up with my clients often. They put together a presentation that sounds stiff and stilted and, frankly, dull. They have trouble delivering it, the words don’t flow. And they fail to connect with their audience because they’re using the same words in the same way they would in a formal document.

That’s just not the way we talk; it hasn’t been for years. And increasingly, as McWhorter points out, it’s not how we write either.

What is spoken English?

Shorter sentences, shorter words. It’s more conversational. Less likely to have Latin roots. Might include some slang, the kind of words the dictionary refers to as “non-standard.”

It flows better—people can take it in more easily and remember it longer.

Your audiences may well be capable of speaking the same professional language that you do. Chances are they understand your technical terms or your jargon perfectly well, not to mention those long words you used trying to stretch out a term paper back when you were in college.

But it’s not the way they’d talk if they were sitting down to have a cup of coffee with you. That talking-over-a-cuppa-coffee language has more impact than something that sounds like it’s being read from a professional journal.

And you may have noticed, even professional journals have loosened up a bit in the past few years.

Yes, I practice what I preach.

It’s a point of pride with me that readers say my blog posts and even my book sound like I’m talking to them. Directly to them. They say they can hear my voice when they read the pages!

I’m not out to make sweeping pronouncements here … and certainly not in my workshops and programs. My goal is to connect with individuals like you so you can take in what I have to say and, I hope, learn something from it. Maybe respond to it. (And yes, perhaps hire me as a coach or speaker down the road.)

I’d guess you have a similar objective for most of the speaking and writing you do.

You hope to make an impression on others in your profession, setting the stage for future career possibilities. Or persuade your colleagues that your plan is the right one. Or maybe it’s a straight-up sales presentation or letter.

Consider using a conversational tone. It will help you connect with the people you hope to influence.