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.Paradox can be considered an element of both cheese and motivational speeches. Cheese is tasty and nutritious but made of fermented milk. Its bad smell can disgust some human beings who will cheerfully eat mice or rats. A motivational speech may have high sounding sentiments that inspire listeners but be delivered by a low money grubbing cleric or tin pot dictator who manipulates his audience for selfish and insincere reasons.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.The word cheesy may itself have become something of a cliche. It has been heard often before and sounds rather clever. It fits easily into the speech patterns of people who do not have to think too closely about what they mean when they use it. The fact that it is derogatory in some general sense is sufficient for many.The speech of many politicians and some journalists is so riddled with cliches that the doubt arises whether they have given any thought to what they are saying. Language is very largely a matter of sound, like music. Just as people repeat the rhymes and the lyrics of songs without paying too much attention to meaning, so speakers repeat words and phrases because the sounds satisfy, rather than because they mean much.Although cliches do slip unobtrusively into the speech of most people it is possible for a speaker to guard against too many of them by careful preparation. This does not imply learning a speech by rote. Instead a speaker can think in terms of metaphor, of analogies and symbols. These are the fundamentals of original thought. Even ordinary thoughts can seem exciting and fresh when dressed in the fine clothes of metaphor and symbolism.If cheesy implies insincerity or banality, this may be countered by planning a speech around the genuine needs of the audience. If they are threatened by unemployment and probably insecure a speaker may inspire hope and motivate certain courses of action by using words that inspire security. This might touch on the real needs experienced by members of the audience.In classical times rhetoric was included as a compulsory subject in school curricula. This was because it is such a potent skill. A motivational speaker like Adolf Hitler or Winston Churchill stood on opposite sides of a chasm, but motivated their countrymen to outrageous courses of action. It is possible that mass communication systems have taught audiences to be more critical and alert to insincerity, banality and pretense. That may put pressure on charlatans but will be good for humanity.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articlesbacklink.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
