As a point of fact, I'd probably agree with you. Those were The Guy's words, not mine. But the fact remains that he was arguing beauty beats out brains any day, and oration, or public speaking, IS a skill that you can train and perfect. And since I like to argue, I'll take that position.
After all, there ARE objective points that make the difference between an engaging speaker and a dull one -- there are people who sound interesting talking about napkins and people who drone on no matter what the subject is. A clear vocabulary is something I'd place on the objectivity scale -- and not just having words, but having RIGHT words, and knowing and being able to read your audience so you don't lose them in jargon. The same can be said for pacing and spacing of your speech: it's been argued that music is as much about silence as it is about sound, and the same principles can be applied to speech. (And despite differences in taste, there is an objective mathematical theory to music.)
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2008-03-26 12:52 am (UTC)After all, there ARE objective points that make the difference between an engaging speaker and a dull one -- there are people who sound interesting talking about napkins and people who drone on no matter what the subject is. A clear vocabulary is something I'd place on the objectivity scale -- and not just having words, but having RIGHT words, and knowing and being able to read your audience so you don't lose them in jargon. The same can be said for pacing and spacing of your speech: it's been argued that music is as much about silence as it is about sound, and the same principles can be applied to speech. (And despite differences in taste, there is an objective mathematical theory to music.)