Even An Average Speaker Can Speak Like a King
Imagine a young man in Seminary planning a career in the ministry. He does well in most classes, earning A’s and B’s. But then he gets a C in public speaking class.
Oh no! What does this mean? Perhaps he should plan a career as an academic or run a non-profit church-funded relief program. But with such mediocre speaking skills as a full-fledged adult in his 20’s, being a primary pastor and having to give a sermon in front of a crowd each Sunday morning didn’t seem like an ideal career move for the C-level speaking student.
Fortunately the young man didn’t have any modern career coaches whispering in his ear. So he became a minister of a church anyway. His name? Martin Luther King Jr.
According to the June 21, 2006 New York Times, King’s report card and all of his other documents are being auctioned off at the Sotheby’s auction house. While the C on the report card in public speaking is amusing, what is far more interesting is the sheer quantity of notes King wrote during his brief life.
Selby Kiffer, a senior specialist in the Sotheby’s book department told the Times, “No piece of paper was safe (from King writing notes)…We have this image of a great extemporaneous speaker, but it’s something he really worked at.”
A part of the auction will include typed drafts of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, including numerous revisions he hand wrote on the back. King’s 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech is also on the auction block. On that speech draft you will also find numerous notes, scribblings, and revisions.
So the lesson of King’s genius has been uncovered. It wasn’t genetics, it was luck, and it wasn’t innate ability.
Why did he succeed as a speaker? Because of pure, hard work.
TJ Walker is the worlds leading speaking coach, author of "Presentation Training A-Z." and "Media Training A-Z." He is the current host of http://www.Speakcast.com and http://www.SpeakingChannel.tv and can be reached at info@speakcast.com. You can read more of his presentation and media tips at http://www.tjsinsights.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Timothy_Walker |  |
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