Saturday, October 06, 2007
Speaking
I make a living by speaking. Lawyers and teachers do that, and law teachers do that especially. I am flattered that from time to time different organizations will invite me to make public presentations. I enjoy doing so, and I believe many others would as well if they had a better sense of how to do it.
Most people fear public speaking more than they do anything else, including death. So oratorical ability, while perhaps not as prized as it was in the classical Athens that invented democracy, is still a highly valuable skill well worth cultivating.
Perhaps the most important advice I have to offer is that public speaking skill is actually less important than substantive knowledge. That may seem contrary. After all, it seems that leading public figures are able to address any subject, even on an impromptu basis. To be clear, I am saying that public speaking – advocacy – requires genuine understanding of the subject; I’m not referring to acting, using someone else’s script (which is a distinct art I admire greatly). Without an excellent background in the subject, meaning much more than could be disclosed during any presentation, very few of us would have the ability and the confidence to say much that is meaningful and deserving of the attention of large groups for sustained periods. As you study how to speak, study something worth saying.
Then I would repeat the stock advice. Take every opportunity to practice. If you aspire to excellence, you must dedicate yourself to the task. Until it becomes impossible to do so, accept every invitation: unless it has become impossible to say yes in a responsible manner, consider no audience too modest.
For your own intellectual development, develop new material. Even the most articulate persons rely on some favorite stories. Few of us display the ability of the late Robert Kennedy, speaking the night the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated in Indianapolis, delivering a eulogy that was at once heartfelt and profound. Yet it is important to take risks, integrating original lines suited to the occasion with text well-rehearsed with hard experience. Most listeners will know the difference, and few of them will appreciate rote recitation.
Develop structure. A classic outline structure, described explicitly at the beginning and summarized at the end, is difficult to improve on. It’s fine to use Power Point or other visual aids, especially as you start your career. But the best public speakers are old school: their words alone are compelling.
Finally, I would suggest being aware, not self-conscious, that all eyes are on you. This is true before you stand up and after you sit down. Breathing, posture, hand gestures, the blocking of movements, eye contact should all be considered. Much of the content of your communications, researchers will tell you, is non-verbal.
As a child, I was a stutterer. I grew up with parents who had foreign accents. If I can turn a phrase, you should be able to, too. As my mother said in explaining how I could learn to be fluent in Chinese: “You aren’t afraid to open your mouth and make a fool of yourself.”
