Though I am not a veteran in public speaking, as an observer, as a learner, as a lecturer of public speaking, as a speaker to some extent, I think I must share my opinions by the way public speech is defined in Kuching.
There is an overdose in the use of delivery, body language compared to the content of the speech. Body language, delivery must synchronize smoothly with the speech. For example, if you want to say that someone is dancing, you don't have to illustrate your speech by dancing. Or, when you want to say someone has jumped out of the window, you don't have to jump out of an imaginary window, by kicking the stage with a bang, making everyone laugh, turning the speech into a laughing stock. Only kids will do this in story telling or in drama competition. But sadly, I see this in public speaking by adults. I wonder who started this trend!
What is even more surprising me is, the judging. Speeches with full of actions and loud noises are given first and second places, except for very few extraordinary speeches.
Last month, I was talking to my colleague, and he is also a lecturer in Public Speaking. He said that his daughter couldn't make it to the finals because she couldn't act well!
I have been judging public speaking competitions for few years at different occasions. Even the school students tend to follow this rule. I believe they are practised that way.
Watch some of the famous speeches and observe the speakers body language and delivery. Their speeches will move the audience but not the speakers.
I am not totally criticizing. Sorry, don't get me wrong. Kuching does have good speakers whom I like and admire, but only a few. The one unforgettable, remarkable speech I listened in all my six years in Kuching was by the former MAS CEO Idris Jalal. Simply Superb! I felt I was in India. I was gifted with an exposure of excellent speakers, thinkers and intellectuals. Now? I am deprived.
It is a commonplace to use unparlimentary and sexist words in public speeches. Some speakers can't avoid mentioning sex in almost every speech they make. Why would you to mention sex unless the situation demands you to do so? I wonder.
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This is what i observe: In our " multimedia society" where every graphic, sound and animation are competing to capture our fancy, likewise some speakers tend to overload their speeches with "dramatic" gestures to captivate the audience.
ReplyDeleteThe issue at stake here is substance over the form, the content of the speech over the other stuff...the main course is more than the appetizer..unless of course the food is too bland so that's when we throwin the ketchup, spices, etc. So perhaps our "food" is too bland, so we thought the easiest way to spice things up are throw in the drama..
Solution? Perhaps a balance. I notice that some people here eat pizza with lots of chilli sauce, as a result we cannot appreciate the fine taste of the original Italian cuisine...but there's no harm changing a LITTLE bit of the recipe to suit our local palate ...