Last month, Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan rose to address the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee in Brussels — and opened, pointedly, in Irish, choosing the right language for her speech introduction. But, she then told the chair it was "unfortunate" that the committee couldn't accommodate her own language, before saying she would carry on in English.
Aim to Choose the Right Language for Your Speech when You Speak
There was just one problem: the committee could accommodate Irish. Officials confirmed, on the spot, that interpretation was available. Boylan's response was immediate and awkward: "We didn't know, sorry. So I'll continue in English because I wasn't prepared." The clip went on to be viewed millions of times online — not for what she said, but for the gap between the statement she wanted to make and the speech she'd actually written.
It's a useful reminder that choosing the right language for your speech is about more than which tongue you speak. It's a decision to make deliberately, with your audience and your material both in mind — not a gesture to reach for on the spot. Here are five tips to help you choose the right language for your next speech
Top Tips When You Need to Pick the Right Language for Your Own Speech
Tip 1: Fit
Choose the language that's right for your audience, first and always. That sounds obvious, but it's the decision Boylan got wrong — she reached for a language in which she hadn't actually prepared her remarks, live, in front of the room that mattered most. Know who is listening, know what they need to follow, and let that decide your language before anything else does.
Tip 2: Simplify
Once you've settled on your language, choose your words with the same care. Short words. Short sentences. Common, familiar terms your audience will recognise on first hearing, because a speech is heard once, not reread. Simplicity isn't a lesser choice — it's the one that actually lands.
Tip 3: Resist
Don't pick a language, or a phrase, to make a point rather than to communicate. Boylan's opening in Irish was a gesture aimed at making a statement about linguistic rights — but a gesture you haven't backed up with substance is a gesture that can unravel in seconds, as hers did. If your point is worth making, make it in words you can actually deliver.
Tip 4: Strip
Don't use jargon or gobbledygook, and resist the pull of management speak. Every industry has its own shorthand, and every speaker is tempted to reach for it because it feels efficient. It isn't — it's a wall between you and anyone outside your world. Strip it out and say the plain version instead.
Tip 5: Activate
Use the active voice, not the passive. "We built this" carries further than "this was built by us." Active language sounds more direct, more confident, and more like a person talking — and it's easier for an audience to follow at speaking pace, when there's no second chance to reread the sentence.
None of these five tips depend on which language you're speaking, or how many you know. They're about choosing language — vocabulary, tense, register — that serves your audience rather than your own instinct to make an impression. Get that right, and the language itself does its job quietly, exactly as it should.
Your Speech: Getting the Language Right
Here are five tips to help you choose the right language for your speech.
- 1Fit — choose the language your audience actually needs, not the one that makes the strongest impression on you.
- 2Simplify — short words, short sentences, familiar terms.
- 3Resist — don't reach for a language or phrase to make a point you haven't prepared to back up.
- 4Strip — cut the jargon and the management speak.
- 5Activate — use the active voice, not the passive.
For more public speaking and presentation tips, you'll find our full series here. And when you're ready to sharpen your own public speaking skills, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
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