Professor Grace Olutayo of Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State has called on Civil servants, government, business and education practitioners in the country to avoid the use of provocative words in any form of their transactional and interactional conversations deal they would ever engage themselves.
She added that using seasoned words and well-spiced in debating exercises at any fora are inevitable in human relationships, saying that conversation should be devoid of inflammatory language but be enriched with courtesy, discretion empathy and purpose.
She made the call at her inaugural lecture which she delivered to mark the 14th edition of the university’s inaugural lecture, held on Thursday.
In her lecture entitled ‘Language: A Spice for Seasoned Conversation’, Olutayo noted that conflicts and crisis control required seasoned and spiced words in conversations
She defined a seasoned conversation as an exchange where participants respect each other’s face and space, take turns speaking, and manage interruptions and overlap effectively to facilitate smooth and meaningful interaction.
According to her, such exchanges would lead to intriguing negotiations of ideas, feelings and opinions, adding that seasoning speech involves blending the right “ingredient” to elevate discourse, infusing it with transformative, revitalising quality.
She noted in her lecture that a successful conversation is one where language is skillfully employed to articulate opinions, express thoughts and convey emotions through both linguistic and paralinguistic elements, saying that through language, individuals can share their unique perspectives, engage in meaningful exchanges and bridge cultural gaps, nurturing empathy and fostering compassion. She emphasised that for a conversation to progress smoothly and achieve its intended objectives, participants must share an understanding of the discourse and demonstrate cooperation by respecting each other’s perspectives.
She appealed to Nigeria’s politicians at local, state and national levels to embrace the use of seasoned and spiced words while presenting their views on any debatable issues they might engage in their assemblies.
She also enjoined the teachers at all levels of education to engage in the use of seasoned words in their communication with students, adding that questions should be set using simple words.
According to her, the development would promote students’ interest in education and the learning process, thereby promoting students’ academic performances.
While addressing the press on the occasion, Professor Olutayo, declared that adequate research funds in Nigeria are responsible for the poor performance contributions of Nigerian researchers in the nation-building process, especially in the areas of technology, industrial and social and political developments,
According to her, if the Nigerian government would encourage research in both private and public universities in the country, the development would go a long way to boost the town-gown of university responsibility to society.
The Vice-chancellor of the university, Professor Jonathan Babalola, in his remark, confirmed the significance of seasoned words in communication and conversation procedures
According to him, words are more powerful than guns and the government and politicians must take note.
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