Public Speaking, Debating and Presenting

The question posed is concerning my experience is about nature or nurture. When we see an effective speaker who is a great communicator, the first reaction is of admiration and a lurking envy. The fear of facing an audience and speaking on the stage has been my problem since school days. Despite, being from a convent school with a good command over the English language, I have never volunteered to speak on a stage and if at all I was made to act on stage in school plays, a peripheral role with a few monosyllabic dialogues was the best I managed and even there I remember my play director noticing how I stiffened my shoulders while speaking. This could not go on forever and I had to overcome this flaw as I progressed in life. 

While I never formally took training in public speaking, I had aspirations of leadership and once despite stage fright I stood for an election in school against a articulate speaker. On the occasion I spoke like a boy speaking by heart in an elocution competition. The result was a resounding defeat in the elections which not only reflected fear but a lack of self esteem. 

The stirring speeches of Jawaharlal Nehru whose two speeches Tryst with Destiny on August 15, 1947 and the speech given on the death of Bapu the father of the Nation became the inspiration and aspiration which seemed absolutely unachievable. Nehru had no speech writer but this was a well prepared speech. The words chosen, the depth of his feelings and manner of expression made it one of the greatest speeches of all time. The metaphor of the light going out when India lost Gandhi was part of an extempore speech which was heartfelt and reflected the mood of the nation. Mahatma Gandhi was not a great orator and had a soft voice but his style of speaking was almost conversational almost like a fireside chat, but such was the genuineness and depth of his words that they were extremely effective. We had examples of Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Kennedy and Hitler whose speeches were powerful and inspired the listeners to perform beyond their capacity in war, struggle against oppression or even electoral victory in some cases. 

Our school Principal spoke to us often and I once remember him giving practical lessons on public speaking. If I can recollect, Rule 1 take a deep breath before speaking, this created an aura of power and invincibility. Rule 2 look directly at the audience or a familiar face and pretend to speak to that one person. If rule 2 fails, then go to rule 3 look beyond the audience to the empty last row and people think you a speaking with them. Keep a copy of your speech with you but better keep bullet point summary so that you do not forget to cover all planned points. Practice with a mirror a day before. 

Coming back to my own journey I started participating in debates but like a typical good boy I was using facts figures to prove my point. Use of rhetoric, turn of phrase and illogical false arguments were not for me and I could never make the audience dance to the tunes of my speeches. As my reading developed I started getting more ammunition to fight the opposition and even as I could not do it naturally, I tried to at least add one contrived dramatic gesture to my debates. The turning point came when once in a debate on Euthanasia I spoke against it and finally made the whole audience close their eyes and made them repeat the Shanti Mantra upanishadic invocation. The effect was electrifying as I won a debate for the first time in my life.

Still till 2016 till I was appointed as Medical Director of Masina Hospital I mostly had a choice to speak or avoid doing so. Besides, I was never the last speaker and therefore the most memorable speaker or chief guest came last so the pressure on me was less. Now, I was expected to speak and was the last to do so on most occasions. Even then except when I had not been given advance notice I was speaking according to a prepared text. But now as I started to relax more I listened to other speakers and responded to the issues raised by them. The more I read and the more knowledge I acquired of the subject on hand the better I became. One tool I rarely failed to use was a kind of self deprecatory disclaimer stating that I was not a natural public speaker and I would speak from my heart. I also learnt to speak directly without hiding emotions and adopt a more conversational style. In some rare situations especially when union leaders played politics and raised unreasonable demands I learnt to be combative and use controlled aggression. 

The other aspect of public speaking relates to interviews and panel discussions. Here there were questions given in advance so my research was available and since it was a conversational style I learnt to develop a trail of thought and create a coherent narrative. The validation of peers and invitation I got for more such discussions made me realise that a balance between spontaneity and knowledge beyond the routine positions helped to create a proper speaker. Perfection is the enemy of progress and sometimes perfect speakers with same predictable speeches became stale. So, while I am still a work in progress, I am now a reasonably consistent and confident speaker. Now, I also throw in the occasional theatrical pledges which I administer to my listeners to make my speeches memorable. 

To this day I have only dreamt of a rousing speech like Mark Anthony, Martin Luther King, Jawaharlal Nehru or an Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Maybe, I am not destined to achieve this in my present life. Someday I will start my speech with a "Tryst with Destiny" or an "I have a dream" or some such original quote not yet spoken. In the meanwhile dear readers please share your public speaking experience with me. 

So my final conclusion is that I am a modestly successful public speaker and a writer and both do not come naturally to me but I am a creature of nurture and hopefully in my next birth I become the natural speaker of my dreams. 

Vispi Jokhi