The Jewel of Self-Respect

I once heard of a research study that examined commonalities among death-row inmates, which resulted in two consistencies. First, they couldn’t name a teacher who cared about them. Second, they couldn’t remember ever speaking in front of the class.

I’m sure I would have figured out the benefits of affection and oration on my own, but man did it put a fire under my feet. Perhaps that is why I’ve always put such an emphasis on developing students’ skills of extemporaneously expressing what they are thinking and feeling. In my 14 years of teaching, I bet a week didn’t go by without my students standing and expressing themselves in front of their classmates. To be fair, this probably happens in all classrooms, but in mine these tirades weren’t immediately followed with a slammed door and a visit to the principal’s office.

Public speaking is valuable for all the reasons we already know. In my class, it was also a vehicle for my most remembered life-lesson from the first week of school. When a student would stand to present and begin speaking without waiting for a captive audience, I would explain the “jewel.” The jewel is that moment when you are about to listen to a magnificent symphony or opera and the orchestra is finishing warming up. It’s that pregnant pause tucked between the lingering resonance of practice and the genesis of something transformative. “Wait for the jewel,” I’d say. “It’s a way to show self-respect.”

I’ve begun hosting monthly Public Speaking Salons for students ages 10-16. For those of you who would like to follow along at home (or in the classroom) our theme for September is: What’s in a Name? The extemporaneous speech could be about how you got your name, what you like (or don’t like) about it, or even what you want to be called instead and why. The big idea is to think about something meaningful you’d like to convey to your audience. Here are the preparatory resources is recommended order.

TED Talk: Why I Live in Mortal Dread of Public Speaking

TED Talk: TED’s Secret to Great Public Speaking

My blog post: Names Are Sacred

An animated short film: Nivedhan

TED Talk: Not Good with Names - Local Name Customs in a Global Village