Walkup's Way Home

Quotable: Oral Presentations

 

Three things matter in a speech; who says it, how he says it, and what he says -- and, of the three, the last matters the least.-- John Morley

 

Fear can destroy, but fear can also drive you forward. Peter  Turner

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in
which you really stop and look fear in the face. You must do the
thing you think you can not do. Eleanor Roosevelt


Fear can destroy, but fear can also drive you forward. By taking
action you move away from fear and towards success. Each action,
each time you make a cold call or make a speech gives you practice
and experience. This experience and the positive actions you take
will banish fear and bring you closer to your dreams.  www.potentgrowth.com.

The unpardonable sin in public speaking is the sin of inadequate preparation. (Anon)

In the right key one can ssy anything. In the wrong key, nothing: the only delicate part is the establishment of the key. George Bernard Shaw irish playwright and critic.

"Be sincere; be brief; be seated"
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt, Advice on speechmaking to his son James.

Speech and prose are not the same thing. They have different wave-lengths, for speech moves at the speed of light, where prose moves at the speed of the alphabet, and must be consecutive and grammatical and word-perfect. Prose cannot gesticulate. Speech can sometimes do nothing more.James Kenneth Stephens (1882–1950), Irish poet, author

A speech is poetry: cadence, rhythm, imagery, sweep! A speech reminds us that words, like children, have the power to make dance the dullest beanbag of a heart.  Peggy Noonan (b. 1950), U.S. author, presidential speechwriter.

Speech is the voice of the heart.  Chinese Proverb

Much speech is one thing, well-timed speech is another. Sophocles (497–406/5 B.C.)

Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel. It is to bring another out of his bad sense into your good sense. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use. -Kierkegaard

Music is well said to be the speech of angels.-Thomas Carlyle

To speak, and to speak well, are two things. Ben Johnson 17th-century English dramatist

 

Political language . . . is designed to make lies sound  
truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance  
of solidity to pure wind.    --George Orwell

A slave is he who cannot speak his thoughts. 
--Euripides

 

Journal Work

 

Which of the above quotes do you prefer & why does it speak to you?

 

How comfortable are you about doing your oral presentation?

 

What is your greatest fear about doing your oral presentation & how will you handle that fear?

 

Write a commitment regarding how you will prepare yourself for your upcoming speech.