ADVICE CAN BE FISHYWritten by Terry L. Sumerlin
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Next, someone said words SOLD HERE seemed unnecessary, since it was obvious he wasn't in business somewhere else. So, all that remained was FISH. Then in walked a customer and announced, "I smelled your fish three blocks away. Isn't that advertising enough?” So, that was end of sign. Several months later, man was bemoaning his business woes. "Well, what do you expect?" a friend remarked. "You don't even have a sign!" BARBER-OSOPHY: Most successful people have a knack for knowing who to listen to. Copyright 2004, Sumerlin Enterprises. Permission is granted for you to copy this article for distribution as long as above copyright and contact information is included. Please reference or include a link to www.barber-osophy.com.
Terry L. Sumerlin, known as the Barber-osopher, is the author of "Barber-osophy," is a columnist for the San Antonio Business Journal and speaks nationally as a humorist/motivational speaker.
| | Ethics in Speaking: A Practical Point of ViewWritten by Stephen D. Boyd
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Base your conclusions in your presentation on clear evidence. Support your assertions with relevant facts, statistics, and testimony. Keep track of your sources and be ready to produce them if an audience member has a question. Don't make assertions you can't support or justify. Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca write in their book, The New Rhetoric: A Treatise on Argumentation, that whatever support you use should be able to satisfy "universal audience"--that group of all reasonable, rational people. In your outline each major point should show a variety of evidence. If that is not case, then eliminate point or, if it fits, place evidence with another point you are making. Choose topics that are consistent with your personal beliefs. Pick topics important to you that you live out on a daily basis. You might be able to craft effective speeches advocating views you do not agree with, but you will be much more effective and ethical if you advocate opinions you actually hold. If you advocate a position which is not something you feel completely comfortable with, this will be communicated to your audience by your delivery style. In choosing material for your presentation, one major criterion is how strongly you feel about point or support. This is an excellent way to cut out materials when you have more content than time allotted. Respect time of your audience. Know what time you are expected to finish--and finish at that time. It is an insult to your audience members and an abuse of your opportunity to speak to keep them ten, fifteen, or thirty minutes more than what is expected of you. History gives us a good example of power of an actual presentation to create credibility. The year was 1952, and Dwight Eisenhower was running for president with Richard Nixon as his vice-presidential candidate. Charges surfaced, however, that Nixon had illegally used some campaign contributions, and Eisenhower considered dropping Nixon from ticket. In what became known as "Checkers Speech," Nixon defended himself in a 30-minute, nationally televised speech. With his wife Pat sitting in background, he defended his ethics, at one point holding up a piece of paper he claimed was result of an audit of his books finding him blameless. Nixon did admit, however, that some supporters had given his children a dog. He said kids had named dog "Checkers," and no matter what anyone said, he wasn't going to let them take that dog away. He concluded by asking people to telegraph or mail to Republican National Committee their opinion of whether or not he should continue to run with Eisenhower. The overwhelmingly positive response assured his place in campaign. Who knows how much of American history for next twenty years was changed because of a little dog and a presentation that convinced people of Richard M. Nixon's credibility. All of these ethical principles can be condensed to one, a "golden rule" of speaking ethics: Treat each audience member as you would like to be treated if you were in your audience.
Stephen D. Boyd, Ph.D., CSP, is a professor of speech communication at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Kentucky. He is also a trainer who presents communication seminars and workshops to corporations and associations. See additional articles and resources at http://www.sboyd.com. He can be reached at 800-727-6520 or at info@sboyd.com.
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