In our previous article we discussed accents and the problems that they can cause for speakers. We talked about how important it is for our audiences to understand us – if they can’t understand then there isn’t much point in the presentation.

It is also important, however, to remember that an accent is part of who someone is. By asking someone to rid themselves of an accent we are asking them to rid themselves of part of who they are. If I’m going to listen to someone speak, then I want to hear their entire message – not just the words, but the entire message that is being communicated. Part of that message comes through in the way that they naturally express themselves.

My father was from Scotland – so naturally he spoke with a Scottish accent. In fact, it was a thick Scottish accent.

That wasn’t a problem in Scotland, but it became one in Toronto, Canada. As my father aged he developed a neurological disorder that among other things affected his speech. He began to slur his words.

With just his accent some people had difficulty understanding him – but for many, the additional slurring made him incomprehensible. Unfortunately, as a result of this, many people gave up trying to communicate with him. Others looked to his family members (such as me) to help interpret what he was saying.

A Case Study

After a recent newsletter I was contacted by Mamie.  She gave me permission to the following note…

I love the," just for fun questions"! What is a good opening statement for a group of teachers? I really want to capture their attention. Thanks for your weekly articles.

And here is my response.

Hi Mamie,

Thanks for the feedback. I’m glad that you enjoyed them.

You essentially want to grab their attention. You could use a rhetorical question, a humorous story, a controversial or absurd statement as a few examples. What is your subject/theme of your speech? Let me know and we’ll brainstorm.

A few years ago I was asked to give a motivational speech at a local community center. It was their annual general meeting and the director asked me if I would speak about the importance of community involvement. I eagerly accepted the engagement.

I composed and practiced the speech using the skills that I have shared with you. When it came to the presentation however, I ran right into a brick wall. During the actual presentation I discovered that no one in the audience was interested in my speech…

Well that’s not entirely true – there were some people who were interested, but a large portion weren’t. The director had combined the annual general meeting and the children’s Christmas party. A large number of the people there were “just tolerating” the meeting while they waited so that their children could visit with Santa.

It happens to all of us – we plan the speech of a lifetime only to have something go wrong. Now it feels like the failure of a lifetime. What are we to do?

The first thing to remember is that our perceptions are not as objective as we might think – in fact they are extremely subjective. There have been numerous times when I have made blunders and thought that the audience would never forgive me. After the speech I found out that they completely missed the errors, or didn’t think they were that significant.

The next thought is to remember that the enemy of a ‘good job’ is not a bad job, but an attempt at a perfect job. This is true for every aspect of our lives, not just public speaking.

It's important to remember that we constantly making presentations - whether they are formal or not.

When we share our ideas, try to convince others, or just talk about our weekend, the style with which we say it is going to determine whether we captivate those we are talking to, or just lose them.