Public speaking.
Those two words, uttered aloud, may make you shrivel in your seat or get you riled up to speak about your favourite brand of apples. It is a divisive method of communicating ideas. But no big deal, right? That is just the way things are. Some like it, some do not.
Maybe this is partially true but public speaking also offers us a lot of benefits, not just in academia, but also in our everyday lives.
We perform every day. We put on some kind of a show during every conversation we have. The better you understand how to perform, the better you can communicate with others. Communication is one of the most important skills you can have. Building the skill of performance and communication with public speaking events is a great way to become better at this.
This is where Voices Unleashed comes in.
On the evening of October 22, I set foot into the theatre attached to the admin building. There and then, Voices Unleashed was fated to take place. There were rows of seats tightly packed together in front of a stage where a few of the speakers prepared. They felt out the space, paced back and forth, and thumbed through their respective notes. There was a dull clamour about the audience as they chatted and nipped away at the provided snacks. When the lights went down on the audience and up on the stage, everyone quieted and the program quickly began.
Whether they wrote the speech out themselves, performed a speech from someone else, or spoke off the cuff about whatever subject they chose, each performer stood vulnerable on the stage in front of the audience and performed. When each performance concluded, the audience, full of friends and classmates, cheered well and wild.
I can say for certain that it had been a space where every person could feel comfortable to get up and perform. There seemed to be a mutual understanding between everyone to add to that safety. A joy relished in every story and statement told.
The polarising nature of public speaking and the hesitation to participate in it comes from that instant reaction one gets from an audience. I think this is why public speaking can be so loathsome for many. The immediate pass or fail mentality comes on. There is no delay between the witness and creator. In an article, for example, the witness reads the words long after the creator has written and rewritten them. The words are unchanging and can be viewed by anyone who sees them for a long time. But performance is different in that it will never happen again in the same way. But in the same way that this is what makes it difficult, it is also what makes it important.
Being afraid of these immediate reactions can cause you to shy away from all communication with people. Confronting someone about something tough? Having a serious conversation? Asking someone if they want to go to the bar later? If you cannot handle the immediate reactions these conversations may hold, how would you ever dare to approach them? Even on a more academic level, communicating your ideas to your peers and Professors is an essential part of all study. Programs like Voices Unleashed can be great spaces to explore communication and find a way to get ideas across.
Most everyone has something they want to say, some perspective they have that they want to share. One of the gifts offered by living in a community is that other people’s ideas from their varying perspectives can cause you to see new things. This furthers everybody’s understanding of the world. The topic does not really matter, just have something that you think is important enough to share. This is why programs like Voices Unleashed are excellent. They provide a neutral space full of others who are not tasked with scrutiny but who just want to listen and support.
Voices Unleashed takes place every fourth Tuesday of the month in Admin 026. If you would like to participate, send a brief proposal to Tracy Ross (tracy.ross@ubc.ca) including your speech and, if necessary, any visuals you would like to include. It may be scary, or exciting, or any number of things for you. Just remember to bring along some friends, enjoy some snacks, and breathe. Take some risks and try your best.
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