I am not an artist, but I do know how to appreciate art. The ability to speak in public is certainly a
noteworthy art, and is among those skills that every person should possess.
Most people, however, don't realize how important public speaking skills can be
when trying to communicate effectively.
Although we were drastically unprepared to give an effective
presentation in class on Thursday, it was a sneaky way of Professor Middleton
(yes, sneaky) to teach us about our presence in front of a group of
people. I was instantly reminded of the
many presentations that I gave in a public speaking class I took here at BYU
two years ago. I was also reminded of
the hundreds of poorly given sacrament meeting talks and testimonies that I
have heard in church over the years. The
point is, you have to earn someone's attention, and it should not be treated
disrespectfully. I need to feel like a
person cares about what they are talking about otherwise they are wasting my
time along with everyone else's!
I am no great speaker myself, but my goal in the past (and the present)
has been to effectively use silence when speaking in public. Even a short pause, accompanied by a meaningful
gaze into the eyes of an audience can draw them in and make them feel as though
I am about to tell them a great secret -- and I should tell them secrets! My time spent speaking in front of people
should be used to teach or improve the lives of those who I am addressing, even
if it is in just a small way.
I have never been the best public speaker. I don't know anyone who truly enjoys it lets be honest. But I couldn't agree more with you. We should always take the time to teach others of our ideas and help others learn. I guess the only way we can really become good speakers is to practice. We will learn by doing it.
ReplyDeleteYou speak great wisdom. I certainly have room to improve in the area of public speaking and if you have any secrets regarding that, I'd like to know them. I hadn't thought of public speaking as an art before, but you may be right. Like learning to master any art, it takes practice, studying, and a great deal of concentration. The "pause" is one of the techniques in the arsenal of the master spokesperson. Maybe watching movies and trying to tell epic quotes the way they do would help, haha. Just a thought.
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