Page 38 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

Chapter 1 Practical Speaking 5

But don’t just take our word for it. Consider the stories of the three people
www.mhhe.com/brydon6
shown in the photos on page 4. Although Keith Hawkins always wanted to work
with people and actually enjoyed speaking in public, he was never certain he To view a video that shows
could use these two interests to carve out a career. Keith learned in his speech the role public speaking can
class that some of the highest paid people in the United States are professional play in people’s lives, click on
the Speech Coach link on our
public speakers. Whether Keith now counts himself in the highest paid group Online Learning Center Web
of professional speakers we can’t say. But we do know that Keith, who has been site, and go to Segment 1.1.
featured in articles in Time and the New York Times, is a paid professional speaker
who has even spoken before the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Sandi Young’s story is different from Keith’s. As a then single mom of two
small children, Sandi began her professional life as an elementary school teacher,
thinking that would always be her heart’s desire. Before too long, however, she
found herself back in school as a part-time graduate student. She completed a
master’s degree and credential in special education and took on a new job and
title as a resource specialist for children with special needs. Soon thereafter
Sandi was being called on to lead training workshops for other teachers, school
administrators, and even parents. “I was doing the very thing I dreaded most
as a college student,” Sandi says, “making presentations in public to audiences
ranging from a few teachers to as many as 1,200 parents, teachers, and admin-
istrators.” Sandi has since moved on and now is the principal of an elementary
school with a staff and student body of more than 300, speaking to groups two
or three times a week.
Finally, consider Jeff Johnson, part-time surfer and full-time brand manager
and nutritionist at the Kashi Company. Jeff’s found a way to combine his love of
surfi ng with his work. Because of his demonstrated skill as a speaker at Kashi,
they selected Jeff as their spokesperson in a nationally televised ad. It opens with
footage of Jeff locked into a tube off the coast of Brazil. The ad closes with Jeff
speaking about the importance of sound nutrition to active lifestyles.
Jeff also speaks on behalf of Kashi when he’s not surfi ng. For example, while
appearing on the Food Network he demonstrates how Kashi products can punch
up a recipe. If you asked Jeff, he would be the fi rst to admit that frequently speak-
ing in public was not what he expected to be doing when he studied nutrition at
the University of Hawaii.
“I now know fi rsthand what I didn’t know while enrolled in my public speak-
ing course,” Jeff recounts. “Public speaking can take you places in the corporate
world that would be otherwise closed. It’s not a substitute but a complement to
your degree. And it lets you share your expertise with the audiences you hope to
reach with your products.”
Public speaking is an essential communication skill in today’s world. Public
speaking also is an extension and refi nement of many of the skills you already
practice in your one-on-one and group communication encounters. Our goal
in this initial chapter is threefold. First, we demonstrate how common it is for
people to use their speaking skills to achieve their personal and professional
goals, and to help empower others to achieve theirs. Second, we make clear the
connection between public speaking and the other forms of communicating you
routinely practice, and we discuss public speaking as a specifi c kind of system of
communication. Finally, we preview the chapters that follow this one.