Forms of Address

When I teach public speaking I bring up forms of address – the way that speakers refer to their audience. At SCAD I remember lectures when speakers would start off with, “Future SCAD interior designers,” or something like that. It would spread a nice vibe and a sense of mutual respect. Age makes a difference in response to forms of address. A college-aged group might take offense at the standard, “ladies and gentlemen” because of outdated labels.

I bring all of this up because in my current job at Savannah Tech, forms of address are more formal than what I’m used to. Instructors are generally, “Mr.” or “Ms.;” those who have an Ed.D. or Ph.D. are “Dr.” More formal address is part of southern African American influence, but may also be connected to a community / technical college culture.

Even though my supervisor told me that I could call her by her first name, I only use it for emphasis or intensity in a conversation. Other than that, no form of address now seems more natural or at least appropriate than use of first name with some of my new colleagues.

The elevated forms of address aren’t just in public. When in a phone conversation with my supervisor, for example, she’ll refer to another instructor as “Ms. Smith.”

At SCAD in Liberal Arts (previous employment), we were “professor” with students, but on a first name basis with colleagues and most people above us (except for Paula Wallace, whom her followers sometimes referred to, weirdly, as “the President”).

Once during a phone conversation, my supervisor at Savannah Tech was recounting a situation that she felt strongly about and that involved me. The more intense she felt, the more formal my title became. I started off as “Ms. Berman,” then, in an apparent upgrade, became “Mrs. Berman.” I took that as a compliment.