Scope of Speech 10: Inspire Your Audience
Speech Objectives (from CC manual): (1)To inspire the audience by appealing to noble motives and challenging the audience to achieve a higher level of beliefs or achievement. (2) Appeal to the audience’s needs and emotions, using stories, anecdotes and quotes to add drama. (3)Avoid using notes.
TIME: 8 - 10 mins.
This the last of first ten speeches, this project challenges the speaker to draw all their skills together to deliver a powerful inspirational message.
The
Power of “L”
Toastmaster
of the day, fellow toastmasters, guests, ladies and gentlemen
I
hate my boss who always ask his staff to work more. I hate the
meeting room because I usually spend more than 2-3 hours a day in the
room.
Do
you ever have an experience like this? You went to the meeting with
some key points, after the end of 2 or 3 hours, nothing, everybody
talk and talk but there were not any solutions. The concluding of
meeting was there will be an another meeting next week.
I
hate everyday that I help my son do his homework. He usually cries.
He was unhappy about a lot of homework. But for me I think, he was
not concentrate with his homework. We usually fight each other during
that time.
I
felt, my son did not listen to me? Or did not understand what I said.
I
really hate that!! and I don’t understand what happens to the
people around me, my boss and my son. Why we talk but did not
understand each other?
What’s
wrong with me and my son? Me and my boss? Who has the problem?!!!
Are they bad people? Who is wrong? I don’t know.
We
talk, we try to communicate. But ... I think it is a total failure.
Every time! Why?
Last
years, I had an opportunity to join a workshop title "The Art of
Listening". Believe it or not, Listening is more difficult than
speaking.
Statistic
form University
of California said, human speak 3-6 hours per day or we use 25-40
percent of our day time for speak. Almost of them are unnecessary
topics such as chitchat or complaint.
The
way that human talk like an
iceberg. We said only the top of the iceberg, but There are still a
lot of stories behind words...the message under the ice.
This
workshop taught me how to listen to other side carefully. Just listen
quietly, do not judge nor have any argument to anything I’ve heard.
It
was not easy. It thought it was normal to me not to listen. But after
the first day, I heard something that I never heard before. I’ve
heard the feeling of people that I talk with.
I
found myself making a lot of mistakes about not listening . I heard
what my boss said but I did not really understand him. I heard my son
cried and compliant his school but I did not really understand his
real problem that I could help solved.
Communication
gaps, argumentations and bigger problems happened
because I
did not really listen. Not to my son, not to my boss and not to my
friends.
After
this 3 days workshop, I experimented what I had learned.
One
evening, my son complained about his teacher. Normally, I would have
to say back to him that, may be he did not do something good at
school.
But
this time I just stopped doing that. I sat in front of him, listened
to what he said without argument. I listened carefully, did not deny,
just sat there with him.
It
started slowly and he took more than 15 minutes of talk and I let him
explained , he told me many things about his school, his friends and
so on. All those that he never told me before.
and
I just listened to him. I saw my son’s face, I saw his emotion,
real emotion that I haven’t
seen before.
After
that, he cried and cried.
I
found that, during his talk, there was something hidden in it.
He
was upset, he was uneasy. He wanted to become a good student and a
good son. But sometimes it was hard for him.
He
was not angry at the teacher scolding him. He did not hate doing his
homework. He just needed someone to hear his feelings.
Ending
of that talk, my son took a deep breath and smiled at me, concluding
that he was relieved. He felt comfortable. He promised to study
harder so the teacher won’t
scold him anymore.
Finally,
the solutions came from him, not from me.
I
think, he was happy about our conversation that night. Because
someone had listen to him when he needed me most. And now a day, he
always come to me and tell me about his really emotions, both good
and bad emotions. He is confident that I will listen to him because I
care.
With
my boss at work, I tried to apply similar way. Mostly in our
conversation, I first listen to him carefully. Problems always exist
but at least it helps me understand him more. I think, he knows and
feels that I really care his words and ideas.
Sometimes
when he is asking me to do something, he is first asking about my
opinion first and also he tries to listen to me carefully.
Toastmaster
of the day, fellow toastmasters, guests, ladies and gentlemen
Nowadays,
we think we are listening to others, but we never feel or understand
them. It makes listening ineffective.
If
we listen carefully. I am sure that, we will discover the hidden
meanings in their words.
It
is not easy, but it is worth doing. Let's practice to listening for
being a better communication skill.
Zeno
of Citium Greek philosopher said “We have two ears and one mouth,
so we should listen more than we say.”
[**Zeno
was the founder of the Stoic school of philosophy, which he taught in
Athens]
Photo sources: Freepik.com
Photo sources: Freepik.com
