Wednesday, Eloquence Tip, Beware the Dark Side of Public Speaking!

Beware of the Dark Side of Public Speaking! Any conversation on eloquence would be incomplete without acknowledging the potentially dark side of Public Speaking and Storytelling expertise.

Expert public speakers and storytellers have the ability to mesmerize audiences. Period. It is irresponsible, even foolhardy, to stubbornly and endlessly deny this. Expert public speakers and storytellers can energize a crowd and propel it to action—even if that action is against our individual values and best judgment. This should not be underestimated.

Some of history’s most horrific leaders were outstanding orators. It is our responsibility to remain idealists without illusions—no one else’s. When listening to any speaker or storyteller, par excellence, I counsel you to keep this thought somewhere in the back of your mind, “An expert public speaker and storyteller with selfish incentives, mal-intent, or flat-out malevolence, is a very bad combination indeed.” The principle of “caveat emptor” or “buyer beware” applies.

Sources:
1. Necessary Bridges: Public Speaking & Storytelling for Project Managers & Engineers (my book)

For 1 -2 minutes video tips, thrice a week, please subscribe to my YouTube channel & Facebook page.
Monday = Book tip.
Wednesday = Eloquence tip.
Friday = Performance tip.

Rashid N. Kapadia, Eloquence Evangelist
Speaker, Engineer, Project Manager, & Author of Necessary Bridges: Public Speaking & Storytelling for Project Managers & Engineers

(17 Eloquence: Wednesday March 7, 2018)