After the initial giggles and strange looks that result from the use of the word "passionate", many students seem to drift into a catatonic state. Freedom to chose....something I'm passionate about. A little overwhelming for many, it would appear, at least at first glance. But just like dipping a toe in the pool to test the water, it's not too long before excitement overcomes trepidation, and the students leap in with an enthusiastic splash! Finally, a chance to talk about something that is important to them!
I think that there are times, when as educators and as parents, we underestimate what children are capable of thinking, feeling, understanding, and achieving. We outwardly hope for the best, but inwardly, we doubt. These doubts (which we secretly hide away from our children.... and ourselves) are not born out of malice, but out of fear. We want our children to succeed, yet fear for their failure and the resulting disappointment that invariably follows. This fear doesn't stop us from encouraging them, but it may result in us lowering our expectations and encouraging them to do the same. I am constantly and pleasantly surprised by the students I work with. They have taught me to put aside my fear and to trust them...and if anything, to raise the bar on my expectations for them.
I recently gave a group of 11 and 12 year old students a list of attributes related to public speaking. The list included:
- eye contact
- voice - expression
- stance
- topic knowledge
- word choice
- voice - volume
- topic choice
- gesture
- voice - pronunciation
I asked the students to think about which attribute they considered the most important, and to be prepared to explain why they chose that attribute over the others. To say that I was impressed with their responses would be an understatement! In hindsight, I wish I had recorded what each student said. Every student bar one, chose topic choice as the most important attribute in a speech. Here is the gist of the collective reasoning behind their choice:
If you choose a topic that you are passionate about, then you probably already know a lot about it, so you have the topic knowledge covered. Because you feel so strongly about the topic, you will choose words that are exciting and interesting, words that will persuade and inspire the audience. Your passion for the topic will make your voice expressive, and this will show on your face too. Your voice will be loud and clear, because you know what you're talking about, and people are always more confident when they are sharing something they understand and know a lot about. When you're excited, and believe strongly in your topic, then you will feel more comfortable using gestures - the gestures will come naturally as you speak. Your knowledge of, and passion for the topic, will mean that you won't need to look at your palm cards....instead, you'll be looking at the audience.
As each student explained their choice, I could feel the smile on my face getting wider and wider. I was so proud of them. They got it! They actually understood the importance of passion in choosing a topic!
Further discussion about whether or not a speaker could deliver a good speech without passion resulted in the following conclusion:
A good speaker can speak on any topic, because they have learned the skills that enable them to deliver a message to an audience. Their speech may give the audience information, but without the speaker's passion behind it, the message may not inspire the audience.
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