June 18, 2001

The Power of the Spoken Word

Since before I can remember, I have always liked public speaking. I got my start at the age of five, when I stood up in front of my church one Sunday morning and recited the names of all 66 books in the Bible. In junior high school I joined the choir, and tried out for one of the school district's largest Christmas plays. To my delight, I landed the lead role, and worked diligently to make sure that I performed my best. When I reached high school, my classmates were griping about having to meet a Fine Arts requirement in order to graduate. I, on the other hand, was thrilled to be able to take a Speech and Drama class. Then I heard about the Lions' Club speech contest, and I found another challenge.

That challenge became a memory that I hope to never forget. It was then that I began to truly understand the full power of the spoken word. When used effectively, the spoken word can motivate masses and change lives. Oral communication is both an amazing tool and an awesome responsibility.

For the most part, I enjoy public speaking. In my years of grocery and retail work, I performed well because I could do something that I enjoyed; I could talk to people even if I had never met them before. Speech classes and oral presentations have never scared me, and I even get a thrill out of standing in front of an audience and capturing their attention.

However, not all public speaking events have gone smoothly for me. I still wish I could go back and somehow change the worst speaking experience of my life. It was my senior year in high school, and I was participating in the Lions' Club speech contest for the final year. I had already passed several levels, and note cards were no longer allowed during competition. I was the last person to speak, and was about two-thirds of the way through my eight-minute speech. I had written a good speech, I enjoyed the subject matter and I had the complete and undivided attention of every single person in the room.

Suddenly, I blanked. I could not remember a word of my speech. In desperation I tried to remember something, but I could not. I stood there, utterly devastated and humiliated, and did not know what to do. There was only only one thing left for me to do; I said, "Thank you," and sat down. I later found out that, out of five judges, one of them gave me first place even though I hadn't finished my speech. Two other judges gave me the same amount of points as the person who won.

That was definitely one of the most humiliating moments of my life, but at the same time, it was a cloud with a thin silver lining. I had lost the speech contest, but I knew the first place award would have been mine if I had finished the speech. It was a good speech, and I would have had a good chance of advancing to one of the highest levels of the speech competition. My passion for the subject was real, and I was able to make my audience understand and feel that passion. It was an amazing feeling to realize that everyone in the room was giving me their utter and complete attention.

Years later, I still have not forgotten that speech. I look back on it as one of the most mortifying and educational experiences in my life. That feeling of utter helplessness is still as vivid as it was then, but I have also not forgotten the sense of power I felt as I was addressing the audience. The spoken word is a tool that, when used to its fullest potential, cannot be reckoned with.