Does your grammarian in your Toastmasters meeting call you out for ending sentences with a preposition (e.g. what we’re here for), splitting infinitives (e.g. to confidently speak), or beginning your sentences with conjunctions (e.g. And, if that wasn’t enough…)? Some members might not be on the lookout for grammatical errors such as the above when filling the role of grammarian, but some delight in catching such common patterns of speech. Should you ignore the callout, or strive to banish such errors from your voice track?
I hadn’t given much thought to the use of these patterns within my speeches, though I do make an effort to eliminate them in my written communication. Somehow, during a speech I concentrate more on the message I intend to give and wether it was received than if I split an infinitive in my choice of words. I read an article this morning on Copyblogger, one of my favorite websites for giving solid advice to and providing inspiration for those of us who strive to communicate better.
The article pointed out several reasons why the grammatical errors listed above might actually be rules that SHOULD be broken on occassion. How often have you paused in your speech in order to add drama, then started off with a “But” or an “And” to add emphasis? Do you find yourself crafting expressions during your speech such as “to completely immerse yourself” to grab the interest of your audience? And how awkward would you find it, as an audience member, if you listened to a Storytelling speech and heard ”into which we all walked” rather than “that we all walked into”? (And yes, I purposefully did just break a rule in this paragraph, just to try it out – did you notice?).
While all of us ought to be aware of the rules of grammar in order to appear polished when we speak, it is the mark of an expert to be able to discern when to follow a rule and when to break it on purpose. A good photographer knows the rule of thirds and also knows when breaking that rule will add more dramatic interest to a photo (see this article on http://sixminutes.dlugan.com for fantastic tips on breaking this rule). A good project manager knows when to follow the initiation to closure methodology during a project and when to break the rules by fast-tracking an effort in order to make quick progress. And a good speaker ought to know the rules of grammer and when it is adventageous to defy them in order to make an impact.
As far as the question of ignoring your grammarian, my opinion is this: If a speaker already knows they have broken the rule, they should have no problem with having attention called to it. However, if they are surprised that they unintentionally made a grammer mistake or, worse, are surprised that the rule exists at all … well, that is why we appreciate the role of grammarian in our Toastmasters meetings!