Public Speaking – One of the Most Feared Activities

Over four thousand people gathered this past weekend at out state homeschool conference.  A great many speakers were brought in but my personal favorites were Teresa Moon and Mary Schofield.

Teresa Moon spoke on Public Speaking and Coaching Cultural Communicators.  Some of the things we heard were:  "Nothing we do is done without communication." and "Only 5% of Americans are ready and willing to take the public platform."

How often do we see people in public who cannot speak intelligibly, who only give mono-syllabic replies?  Or if they’re like myself they have to battle shyness and cannot seem to get those words out because their mind is in a half frozen state.  (That sounds quite severe doesn’t it?  But it’s the best description I can think of, so bear with me!)

What can we do to help our children be competent communicators?  We need to communicate a lot.  About everything!  Mrs. Moon told us about the Kennedy family whose dad would place a topic at each child’s plate concerning something in the news.  Each child had to gather information during the day on that topic, for discussion at their next meal.  As Teresa said, whether we agree with the Kennedy’s or not on their political stance or their lives, we have to admit they have been influential.

65% to 85% of all legislators have competitive speaking in their background.  Wow!  That really grabbed my attention.

An articulate youth stands out.  Practice at home requiring your child to speak intelligibly – not mumbling.  Give your child opportunities to practice public speaking.  A list of activities that Teresa gave were: 

4-H/Scouts

Retirement Communities

Small Group Presentations

Shut-ins

Contests

Libraries

Talent Shows (in previous years grown men would recite poetry with great feeling)

Coffee Houses

Teresa told a story of some kids who called their local library and said they would like to be a part of their literacy program.  The library allowed them to choose their own literature.  They came and gave an interpretive reading.  (I don’t know if it was only one child or a group.)  The librarians liked them so much that they asked them to come back for their Christmas program in which buses from the public schools came and dropped off children.  They were allowed, once again, to choose their own literature.  They chose to tell the story of Jesus.  As Mrs. Moon said, "How often is the story of Jesus told in a public library?"

And finally, cultural communicators are ambassadors.  Once we identify with Christ we are already communicating for Christ.  We represent someone else.  Cultural communicators do not communicate like the culture.  Instead, we communicate to influence the culture being careful that our "speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." 

Copyright 2008 Treasuring the Moments