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by Richard L. Weaver II
In our individualistic society it is a common belief that the strong, lone voice is an animating force behind every kind of success. Along with this belief is the “up-by-your-own-bootstraps” and “do your own thing” approaches to living that individuals believe frees them from having to prepare themselves within the traditional institutions or formats—colleges and universities—for their future lives.
Why do these beliefs in individual achievement and self-fulfillment occur? There are three basic reasons. First, the story of college dropouts who became successful—with the prominent one being Bill Gates, the richest man in the world—dominate people’s thoughts and fantasies and draw them into trying to do the same. Second, lotteries, gambling, instant cash prizes, and pop idols lure some from education to taking chances on wealth with hopes for a successful, happy, secure future. Third, the Internet tends to level the playing field for many. That is, it allows start-up companies with little capital to compete in the world market just as it gives everyone an equal opportunity to express themselves. With a level playing field, who needs an education?
We need more educated, informed people in this world. Of course, there will be exceptions, but as technology becomes an even greater factor in everything we do, the need for educated, informed people grows coordinately.
There is no substitute for a college or university education. I’m not suggesting that it is the “be-all” and “end-all” of solutions designed for everyone, and I’m not suggesting that everyone is likely to make the “proper” use of it. It doesn’t necessarily make people better thinkers, nor does it guarantee they will be better citizens, but the likelihood of both outcomes becomes more probable with a college education. With better thinking and responsible citizenship as a student’s primary goals, however, those outcomes are all but certain.
Why is it that technology makes education more in demand? People can now access more types of networks than ever before, and they are accessible globally. Even local community debates resonate globally. Messages between close friends and family are now visible on blogs, in virtual communities, and through webcams and photo-sharing sites. In a progressively more networked society, the future prospect of citizens being connected at any time, in any place, means that massive interconnection opportunities grow more likely. Enormous amounts of information will pass in both directions in service channels, and the major challenge is that everyone has is to make sense of it all. How do we give it meaning? This is not just true for citizens but for service designers as well.
There are new social-networking sites, Wikis, communication tools, and folksonomies, and these emphasize online collaboration and sharing among users. Never before has so much information, so much collaboration and sharing, and so much communication been available at the slight movement of a mouse. This isn’t fantasy; this isn’t a dream; this is reality, and it is here. It is the way business, education, and professional transactions will take place in the future, and the very least that education can and will do is continue to introduce new technologies, prompt the asking of intelligent questions, and promote the camaraderie, teamwork, and collaboration that is one of the ancillary, if not one of the direct, benefits of education.
If any student who is in school today—at any level—has not gotten the message, it is time to make certain it is written in large letters, blinking in bright colors, posted directly in front of them so that they cannot miss it: do not drop out of school. Stop the excuses! “I don’t want to study.” “School doesn’t excite me.” “I just can’t get into it.” “I was not cut out to be a student.” “Teachers don’t make it exciting.”
There are few jobs out there beyond fast-food, grocery workers, bank clerks, and other positions in the retail marketplace or service professions. Do you want to be a garbage collector or lawn-service provider for the rest of your life? Try raising a family, buying a house, and making your dreams come true, based on one of these salaries!
Whether the job you want requires a college education or not, you are likely to find that without one, you will quickly discover there is a ceiling beyond which you cannot progress—no matter what business or profession you are in. Even if your goal is to open an Internet business and make millions of dollars online, remember that often the success of Internet companies rely on the skills and credibility of those in positions of control and authority. Because of a college education, you are likely to have improved writing and communication skills, and these will be revealed in every message you send, contact you make, interaction you engage in, and website message you construct.
When your credibility is on the line, your preparation and background will be transparent to those who it will be necessary to persuade and influence.
So, is just any college education good enough? The true answer is “Yes.” It doesn’t matter where you obtain it. But, for yourself, it does matter what skills you gather for yourself. Think about the skills that will best suit what you want to do. Some basic understandings about business will be helpful, just as some basic math, economics, and computer skills will be, too. Take basic courses in English to gain as much experience in writing as you can. Basic psychology, sociology, and any courses that contain sections on intercultural understandings will be useful. Courses in interpersonal, small group, and public communication, without a doubt, will assist you, too, in becoming a well-qualified, college educated, individual.
The purpose of your college education should be to strengthen your foundation, broaden your understandings, and deepen your thinking. Remember, the goal is not to make you think in any specific direction; the purpose is to make you think, organize your ideas, draw meaningful conclusions, and deal with ideas in a mature and serious manner. There is no better place than college to accomplish this.
At the University of Maryland, University College website, there is an essay entitled “The Benefits of a College Education.” The essay discusses the financial benefits as well as the importance of skill development, and networking.
At the website, “The Poly Post,” sponsored by California Polytechnic University - Pomana, there is an essay by Katherine Burnside entitled, “College degree still necessity,” in which she supports the idea that today, very few people become successful without a college degree. Burnside’s is a well-written, important essay.
Contact Richard L. Weaver II
by Richard L. Weaver II
Some people have defined impromptu speaking as public speaking on the spur-of-the-moment without preparation. It is precisely this definition and especially the last two words that instill fear and panic in many people. And yet seldom is an impromptu speech given without preparation! If the “preparation problem” is resolved, much of the fear and panic associated with impromptu speaking can be substantially reduced or, at the very least, controlled.
Let’s begin, then, by defining and explaining what “preparation” means. If the definition of preparation is thorough research and investigation then “Yes,” impromptu speaking can involve no thorough research or investigation at that time. But seldom does any speech include only thorough research and investigation. Those, indeed, are often formal speeches planned well in advance of the occasion. Too, they could be those intended to fulfill classroom assignments.
“Preparation,” however, especially for impromptu speeches, encompasses far, far more. Far more than thorough research and investigation! To examine all that “preparation” encompasses should assist in reducing some of the fear and panic — especially because speakers are much better “prepared” than they, at first, may realize.
To begin, it’s important to understand that seldom are you asked to give an impromptu speech for which you have no background knowledge and experience. In many cases, the invitation to give such a speech occurs because of a person’s special expertise in a given area. In this way, a person can use that “special” expertise to enlarge, enumerate, and expand on a topic. For the most part, and for most people, this is an opportunity just ripe for the picking. When in a strange or new town, just ask a local resident to tell you what to see, where to eat, or how to get to a special location, and you will quickly be an audience of one for a unique impromptu experience!
Seldom, if ever, is anyone asked to give (or would volunteer to give) a speech that reveals his or her total ignorance or naivete. The best advice if such a circumstance occurred would be to admit your lack of knowledge: “I’m sorry, I have little knowledge or experience on this topic. Please forgive me if I decline your offer to speak on this issue at this time.” Having a couple of sentences in reserve if you are ever asked to give a speech on a topic on which you are unprepared can help relieve a great deal of stress and unwanted (or unneeded) anxiety.
How prepared are you in impromptu-speaking situations? First, if you are aware of the circumstances in which you find yourself (or can even anticipate them), you will have some facts, observations, or insights that merit comment. A previous speaker may have made a remark that deserves your attention. A current or evolving situation may have captured your attention or that of your listeners. Even an interruption or strange occurrence might need, at the least, a slight reference or acknowledgment. Sometimes it is just these opening comments that will calm your mind and give your brain enough time to assemble some additional ideas.
Second, if you keep up with the news and current events explained and developed in your local newspapers, magazines, television, and the Internet, you have a large reserve of information you can draw upon to shed light on the issue at hand or, perhaps, to put the issue into some current or historical context. Try to see the bigger picture to which this issue relates or, pretend it is a single tree in a large forest of ideas, and it is your job to help define or describe the forest. In this way the issue gains meaning, relevance, and worth.
Third, if you are a reader, think of the books, articles, and essays that you have read that provide fodder for impromptu situations. Think about any quotations that may apply, author anecdotes, or critical insights you can share that have been written about by others. Often, such ideas — especially when cited on the spur-of-the-moment like this, can add substantially to your credibility and expertise.
Fourth, listen closely to the conversations of others. Realize, first, that if you are talking you are not listening. It isn’t that you necessarily want to use their ideas as your own — although that is permissible in such situations (especially if a person will be in your audience and you can acknowledge that person and your indebtedness) — but, often people offer an idea to which you can respond, an alternative you can recommend, or a different approach you can suggest.
Fifth, depend on yourself. You have a wealth of information in your “storehouse of useless knowledge”! Although an event or issue may appear, at first, as just another scrap to add to the storehouse, that morsel can become a treasured nugget in just such situations. Suddenly, that little piece of knowledge can become the finger food that leads to a feast of new ideas, thoughts, plans, and visions. When you are a “sponge for knowledge” you build a foundation for the unexpected.
Sixth, you have viewpoints, positions, beliefs, attitudes, needs and values that you have accumulated as a result of living your everyday life. You are not a blank slate, and to draw from your own, well-developed and securely established fount of ideas will add to any public-speaking effort and make it personal and unique. In some cases, this is all that is being requested when you are asked to deliver an impromptu speech, and in many cases, this is all that can be expected.
What you must understand in every impromptu situation, your listeners clearly understand the situation, and the expectations of you and your performance are not the same as they would be for an address, a formal speech, or a planned presentation. The expectations of audience members will correspond precisely with the nature of the circumstances.
With a few ideas in mind, tell your listeners what you plan to say, say it, then tell them what you said. Another organizational scheme is simply to provide an introduction — perhaps just a brief look at the current situation — a point or two for the body of the speech (a fact and a personal example may be sufficient), and a final thought, quotation, or additional insight as a conclusion.
Impromptu speeches do not need to invoke fear and panic. You are far better prepared than you think, audience expectations correspond with the situation at hand, and with just a simple organizational scheme, you can master the circumstances just like a professional would.
At http://www.mpdailyfix.com/2007/04/steps_to_better_impromptu_spea.html, at a web site entitled MarketingProfs: Daily Fix, Paul Barsch writes an essay entitled, “Steps to Better Impromptu Speaking,” and nicely extends the comments above by placing an important emphasis on practice. Barsch stresses the importance of organizations like Toastmasters for practicing, and he discusses the need to practice speaking on familiar topics as well.
At this web site — http://www.hawaii.edu/mauispeech/html/impromptuspeaking.html — Ron St. John, speech instructor at the Maui Community College, has constructed one of the outstanding public speaking sites on the Web. On this page are “Impromptu Speaking Tips,” and the five he lists include: 1) Start strong; 2) Choose a specific illustration, example, or experience; 3) Don’t try to cover too much; 4) Never apologize, and 5) Finish conclusively. In addition to this information you will discover almost anything you want to know about public speaking.
Contact Richard L. Weaver II
