Public speaking

>> Saturday, June 22, 2013

I love words, and reading, and only slightly less, writing.  But I love spoken words the most, when I have an idea - or listen to someone who has an idea - and find exactly the right words that convey the idea from the correct perspective and the listener understands precisely what I intend them to understand.  [Ironically, I just had to go back and re-write that sentence.]

I love public speaking, though I've rarely had occasion to do so.  I don't really enjoy research, or trying to learn about an unfamiliar topic in order to speak of it to others; but put me in a room full of people and ask me about something that I have experienced personally and I have a sense of purpose that I can't seem to find in any other activity.  I have found, however, that I need to see the point in order for it to really be effective for me.  Speaking to groups for the purpose of practicing speaking to groups doesn't work.  I need to understand that I'm talking about something that matters to people who can do something about it or intend to share that experience. 

I would love to get into motivational speaking, but I haven't the faintest idea how to go about it.  I'm a constantly exhausted stay-at-home mom with a Bachelor of Science degree and some fairly major medical issues. But I watch TED talks and find my inner self weeping with longing. 

We were invited to speak to small groups at a conference next year, and I was instantly excited about it.  But there's such an aspect of pride involved, trying to determine if my story will truly help or if I simply think I know better than the others and they really should listen to me so I can sort it all out.  Not to mention that my thought processes are all on myself, though they asked us to come talk as a couple.  I guess there's a bit more internal work to do.

At some point I should mention that my hand function is returned to normal, and I worry a little bit about how many medications I'm taking now, and that I actually can't find just the right word all the time anymore.  People keep trying to reassure me that it's a normal part of parenting and getting older, but it's a marked difference pre- and post-stroke.  If public speaking really is a direction in which I'm heading, I hope it doesn't have any affect on my ability to do so.

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Life is about changes; transitions from one place to another, from one purpose to another, from one being to another. They say that the person you are today is a completely different person from who you were ten years ago and who you'll be ten years from now. So far, at the age of 33, I've had four major transitions in my life which redefined who I am. Two years into the results of the most recent transition I am again - still - exploring how God is shaping me. Over the next few months I hope to review my past and set goals for the future, and embrace the next adventure of rediscovering me.

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