What has speech to do with personal development? No immediate relationship one might say. Wrong! Speech and personal development are very clearly linked to each other. I will give four points of evidence to explain my standpoint.
1. A feedback loop between talking and thinking.
When we talk we (unconsciously, semi-consciously) process our mind such that thinking and emotions are expressed through our speech. A clear thinking logic leads to clear and accurate speech. While we speak, information is fed back to our mind and interacts with mental processes. A well articulated speech triggers clear and coherent thinking processes, which feed back again on our speech. I always tell my sons to use proper language. Blurred language and slang, cultural diverse, rich and fascinating for some linguists, tend to prompt blurred and agressive thinking patterns. These translate into poor command of a given situation. Many young people end up in jail because of unclear thinking and poor speech command, and the lack of education provided by equally blurred adults.
2. Speech- our best tool to express individual character and emotions.
There is little to add to the caption. However, every society has produced a set of rules. Not everything we want to express might be considered appropriate to a given audience at a given moment. Even if our speech is truthful and appropriate, the audience might not be able to handle it. Which means speech is convolved with the mood of the audience, anticipating what should be said, and what should remain tacit.
3. Harmony
There is no good speech, and no good speaker without a good public. In a good speech the public and the speaker merge. If the mood of an audience is captured by a speech, a speaker has gained power over the public. All too often the power of capturing the audience's mood is abused for sinister agendas.
4. Personal development
The development of speech is also directly related to a person’s development. Speaking clearly and in control of the word, whilst facing a crowd requires a coherent mind, self-control and courage. These are seen as mandatory elements of any leadership development program.
© 2004 by Franz L Kessler
