| By :
Dirik Hameed
Precisely what cheesy means is an important consideration for a motivational speaker. It is freely used in contemporary parlance and explanations of what it means are equally free. Some people claim it as an American expression and others think it is part of 'Geek speak'. In fact it is listed in a dictionary published in 1982, before computer jargon was common, as meaning artificial and sincere and probably derived from the artificial grimaces produced for cameras. Cheese is a tasty morsel, yet the expression derived from it is not complimentary. In the inimitable way of words it suggests something that may be tasty but somehow offensive. The fact that the expression has been used for more than two decades may indicate that people have become more critical in recent times. They may be more adept at sniffing out the sort of insincerity that allowed speakers in previous eras to lead their audiences into wars and destruction. The ongoing currency of an expression like cheesy might be an indication to speakers that audiences are more alert to pretentiousness and insincerity than they were before the days of TV and mass communication. If a term like cheesy has entered public consciousness, orators should heed the warning. A cliche is accurately defined as a stale expression used without close consideration of what it signifies. An expression such as 'cheesy' might once have been an original metaphor but it has lost its force through overuse. It fits comfortably into discourse patterns without a speaker having to think too closely about what he really means. The problem with cliches is that they are often used unconsciously. Like music, speech is very much a matter of rhythm and some words satisfy simply because they have been heard often before. Most people use language without thinking too much about the actual words that come out as a sentence is composed in the mind. The habit of using cliches is widespread and can be heard on radio and TV broadcasts any day of the week. People do not always recognize a cliche for what it is. They may use a phrase that seems fresh without knowing that it was thought up by Shakespeare five hundred years ago. Without learning a speech by rote an orator can prepare to use specific metaphors or analogies. These will add freshness to his delivery, even if the odd cliche does sneak in. Another word for cheesy is pretentious. A speaker may guard against insincerity by thinking carefully, in advance, about what it really is that he wants to say. Most people are motivated by needs of one sort or another. Very often they may need to feel secure, or good about themselves. A speaker may play on these needs without being insincere. Public speaking is actually a high risk activity. Motivational speakers like Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill and other politicians are listened to avidly sometimes with disastrous consequences. In many cases audiences might be better advised to listen patiently and tolerantly to the words of teachers, parents and clergymen who must speak persuasively on a daily basis. When it comes to public rhetoric contemporary audiences may be more alert and critical than they were in the past.
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