Antonyms play a very important role in public speaking. In order to truly appreciate what something is you must first appreciate what it is not. Think about it. Could you really appreciate being warm if you didn’t know what it felt like to be warm? Would you know what it felt like to be full if you’d never been hungry?

Could you ever be happy if you weren’t sad? Antonyms are a tremendous tool in expressing sentiment in public speaking, and the savvy speaker can use them in order to create the desired emotion and sentiment in their listening audience.

Before launching into a detailed explanation of the use of antonyms in public speaking let us take a moment to examine some instances of their effective use. When speaker Edmund Burke appeared before the House of Commons to argue for a plan to achieve peace and harmony with the American colonies he stated that, “No partial, narrow, contracted, pinched, occasional system will be at all suitable to such an object” and that they sought, “Not peace through the medium of war; not peace to be hunted through the labyrinth of intricate and endless negotiations, not peace to arise out of universal discord, fomented from principle in all parts of the empire; not peace to depend on the juridical determination of perplexing questions, or the precise marking the shadowy boundaries of a complex government.”

In this speech Burke stated what he didn’t want rather than what he did; he used antonyms to impress upon his listeners the importance of proceeding with care in order to avoid a long series of negative consequences. He describes in his words a peace that would be temporary at best, and one that would have to constantly be defended using arms and force. Although he could have just as easily told the members of the House of Commons that what they were seeking was true peace, peace that would be absolute, it would not have carried as much punch.

In numerous other languages special significance is given to training students in public speaking in the differences between words. They are taught how to contrast their ideas using antonyms in order to effectively communicate what they are attempting to accomplish. Antonyms also provide an effective means with which to add humor to a discourse. Antonyms can be found in the wit and wisdom of many humorists, and contrasting two words is a great way to create humor with impact.

A proper understanding of the usage of antonyms in public speaking is an essential component of the education of any student, sharpening their language sense, adding more impact to their argument and rapidly enlarging their vocabulary.

My Name Is Christopher Carlin And I Want To Give You Twenty Free Public Speaking Tips