Speak for yourself, John;

              Speak for Yourself-
John
By Nancy Q. Keefe
Applause resounds through the hall. The speaker nods (humbly) and beams. From your place in the audience the Walter Mitty i n you stirs briefly and wishes to be the hero of the moment on the podium.
Or imagine this situation, unfortunately the more likely one: the audience dozing, the speaker plodding along monotonously, while the exasperated fidget in you says that you know you could do better. Probably you could and, if you haven't yet been called upon to demonstrate your speaking ability, you almost certainly will be. For somebody —maybe an accountant—did some figuring and estimated that 50,000 speeches are given everyday in the United States. This deafening report doesn't include sermons, college lectures or political speeches.
So the odds are that you, a specialist in a complex field, will someday be a speaker—instructing a staff training session, talking to a college accounting club or addressing a service club.
Winston Churchill, who has a sort of patron saint status among many experienced speakers, climbed to prominence by way of the speaker's platform. He was not an unknown as a young man because his raffish war experiences and his early writing had received wide notice. Still, his first election, his subsequent preeminence and much of his livelihood resulted from his speeches, even though Churchill had a Iisp and a stutter, which dogged him always. And he lacked any quality like the late Senator Dirksen's golden tones. He had instead, according to one biographer, "sincerity or vehemence [and] evident belief in his own words."
H&S people who have preceded you to the platform say it's satisfying, rewarding and fun. Standing up to speak before a group appeals to the "performer" that lurks in nearly everyone. It singles out the speaker for recognition lasting long after the applause has faded. And it lets an accountant, who traditionally toils in anonymity, shine for a moment in the spotlight. Moreover, the chance to stand alone as a speaker offers an invigorating change of pace from the group-think and action by committee that characterize most of our lives.
The recognition aspects—personal and professional—shouldn't be lightly dismissed. Charles Goldsmith of the Executive Office, responsible for management education, points out that the Firm and the profession in general are"becoming more visible to the public, and opportunities should be seized to project that visibility well ." Public speaking, or—as Charlie Goldsmith prefers—effective speaking, provides an excellent opportunity to make yourself and the Firm visible.
26