The reason a cliche becomes a cliche is because it has been overused and has lost its originality and impact. For this very reason, presenters are cautioned not to use clichés in their speeches.
Phrases like “if it’s going to be, it depends on me“;”your attitude determines your altitude“; and”whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right“, they were powerful when originally spoken. But they have been used so often by so many speakers, the words now become meaningless and fail to motivate the audience. If you look at the examples I just used, you can see why you want to avoid the use of tired cliches in his speeches.
But before you dump the baby out with the bath water (sorry, I couldn’t resist), let’s look at a couple of reasons why you should use cliches.
The first reason for using a cliche was demonstrated in my last sentence. The public understands what it means to dump the baby with the bath water. I realize that there may be some cultural exceptions, but the phrase effectively conjures up an image and conveys your point of view. Since you want your message to be easily understood, there are times when a tired old cliche will work quite well.
Another reason to use a cliche is to challenge your audience to think differently. In addition to their overuse, most clichés are generally accepted as true. “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know“and”knowledge is power“There are only two that come to mind.
If you want your audience to think, you can say something like:
“We have always been told that” knowledge is power. “But is that really true? Does knowing information really make you more powerful?Well, let’s examine that for a minute …
We know we should exercise, eat a balanced diet, and get enough rest, but that doesn’t mean we do.
We know we need to think before we speak up, but do we consistently show it in our actions?
We have a lot of knowledge about many things that could make our lives richer and more satisfying, but we often don’t do them. And if we do, it is often not consistently.
Knowledge puts us in a position of power, but power really comes when we take what we know and apply it to our lives consistently. “
Give it a try (ahem). Take a tired old cliche and find a new way to use it in your next speech. It will be like … like … a breath of fresh air for your audience … SORRY!