Using Appropriate Language and Humor

1
Using Appropriate Language and Humor

• Creating Positive Impressions
• Common Business Etiquette

Leadership Revision Committee May 2007
2
Objectives

• What is appropriate language and behavior?
• What are the effects of using appropriate
  language and behavior?

3
The Interview Process

• How does it feel to pretend to be someone else?
• What new perspectives did you gain by pretending
  to be someone else?
• How did pretending to be someone else make you
  feel about yourself?
• How were your decisions, language, comfort level,
  and contributions affected by pretending to be
  someone else?

4
What is appropriate language and humor?

• Appropriate
• especially suitable or compatible fitting
• Audience
• Culture the customary beliefs, social forms, and
  material traits of a racial, religious, or social
  group
• Age
• Situation
• Formal
• Informal

5
What is appropriate language and humor?

• Language
• Technical
• Slang language peculiar to a certain group
  jargon informal, nonstandard vocabulary composed
  typically of coinages (made up words),
  arbitrarily changed words, and extravagant,
  forced, or facetious figures of speech

6
What are the effects of appropriate language and
humor?

• Positive effects
• Shows respect
• Indicates intelligence
• Indicates friendliness

7
What are the effects of appropriate language and
humor?

• Negative effects
• Offensive
• Hard to recover from it
• Indicates you are biased
• Indicates low tolerances on your part