Page 40 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

Chapter 1 Practical Speaking 7

Empowering Others

As the preceding example illustrates, public speaking also
can be a source of empowerment for others. History is full
of examples when a speech initially intended to express
one person’s convictions helped empower others to join
in a common cause. Martin Luther King Jr. gave voice to
countless others who shared in his dream of equality. U2’s
lead singer Bono’s impassioned pleas to fi ght poverty and
disease in Africa have inspired many others, including
world leaders.
One need not be famous to empower others through
speech. For example, consider the case of Edna Morales.
We fi rst discovered her, while listening to National Public
Radio, as she was interviewed as a speaker at the Ameri-
can Translators Association Annual Conference. We
learned from the interview and a subsequent visit to the
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hospital Web site that she became a medical translator
because of her son’s illness, liver transplant, and brush
with death. While she was watching TV in her native
Puerto Rico, a public service announcement came on de-
scribing the symptoms of Hepatitis C, such as jaundice
and fatigue, which often occur in recipients of blood trans-
fusions. She immediately thought of her own son, Alvin,
who had received a blood transfusion and suffered from Medical translator Edna Morales speaks
those exact symptoms. frequently to diverse audiences, seeking to
empower them should they face a medical
Mrs. Morales learned that Alvin was infected and the
crisis.
liver transplant he needed meant traveling to the United
States and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Even
though, as a Puerto Rican native, she understood English,
it was still the fi rst time she had to speak in English. While her son’s life-saving
transplant was a success, Mrs. Morales saw an unfi lled need for many other
Spanish-speaking families.
Thus, after moving to Cincinnati, she tells us, “I realized I needed to stay
here because there was a huge need to help the Hispanic families, and that was
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going to be my goal.” She worked hard to improve her English profi ciency,
and has fulfi lled her goal by becoming a medical translator. She now serves as
a liaison between Spanish-speaking patients and hospital staff and is a member
of the Family Advisory Board of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Further,
she speaks frequently to diverse audiences about her experience in the effort to
empower them should they face a similar medical crisis.

Professional Reasons for Developing

Speaking Skills

Besides empowerment, there are many professional reasons for honing your pub-
lic speaking skills. To reiterate, the ability to present an effective speech is one
of the most desirable skills companies look for in a new hire. Ask any successful