My interest in public speaking started to grow the day I happened to listen to an unscheduled lecture by the chief of a training institution a few decades ago. We trainees stood up bewildered when he entered our class suddenly one day and spoke in his metallic voice: “Your booked speaker has not come and so I propose to engage you for the next three hours. Please tell me what topic you would like me to speak?”
Glum with hearing departmental subjects, I proposed a simple topic, which looked silly for the occasion, amid explosive laughter of the class members.
“Can you speak on how to save and spend money, sir?” With a perfunctory smile, he started to speak fluently in King’s English, taking the full class with him all the way.
I had never heard such a thought-provoking extempore which went on for the three hours uninterrupted. He kept the class engrossed and we voluntarily skipped the tea break. He handled the topic at ease with compelling points and convincing case studies that kept us, all above 50, mesmerised.
Public speaking is a priceless skill for everyone, especially those in public life. But associating it only with politicians is an unfortunate misconception.
Landmark speeches
It is true that kingdoms in the past and governments in the present had been uprooted by talented public speakers. There had been gifted speakers who changed the course of history right from the days of Socrates and Cicero. It was the ancient Greeks who developed the art of public speaking. Their spectacular orators included Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Cicero of ancient Rome is considered the father of public speaking who developed its five canons practised even today.
Shakespeare immortalised Mark Antony in Julius Caesar with his oft-quoted lines, “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.”
Who can forget Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, which has become the pillar of American history. Winston Churchill, the wartime Prime Minister of England, remembered till this day for his speeches, wrote once, “Of all the talents bestowed upon men, none is so precious as the gift of oratory.”
A few qualities are indispensable for a successful public speaker. Avoid stage fear. Be thorough with the matter to be presented by home work. A slip with hints help not to miss anything and to follow the proper sequence. The language should be simple but attractive.
Exceptionally proficient speakers make the audience listen with an impressive start with mind-blowing statistics or catchy anecdotes. Make the speech lively and interesting with occasional jokes and by producing matters unknown to the audience. Closing is as vital as the start. A sensational episode or a memorable end will help the listener to remember the speaker forever.
eden.alexander@gmail.com
