IT’S a basic rule in public speaking
that the speaker
should keep eye contact with his audience to establish connection and
effective communication. Otherwise, no matter how brilliant the speech
or talk may be, without this contact, the attention of the audience
would likely stray.
Obviously, this concern for contact is not and should not
be an exclusive responsibility of the speaker. The audience also has
to do their part, because no matter how the speaker strains to keep
contact with them, if they don’t do their part, the communication
process would fail.
In my effort, for example, to train some students in my
school to be readers at Mass, this is what I emphasize. I practice
them minutes before the start, and with that I was led to discover
certain practical details.
Among these discoveries is the realization that readers
should try to internalize the words they are supposed to read. I tell
them, it is God’s word. Then I ask them, what would you feel, and how
would you think you should read it in proclamation when you deeply
realize it is God’s word meant to nourish people’s soul?
Of course, I have to give them many background information
about the verses, and I encourage them to meditate on them, so that
they can internalize them and would have a good idea of how to say
them—what pace, tone, volume, etc. they should have.
Obviously, this requirement is an ongoing affair. It’s not
a one-shot deal, nor just a modular affair. Like it or not, it invites
those concerned to deepen their theology, and even more, their
spiritual life. The mouth can only speak out of the abundance of their
heart and soul.
Their heart should be attuned to what they are saying or
reading. The speakers or readers should know the meaning of the words,
always aware of whose words they are, and to whom they are addressed,
etc.
It’s this running consciousness of these data that would
help the speakers or readers to behave properly during the delivery.
With these items taken care of, it would be easy for them to
do those glances at the audience. Those glances become natural,
meaningful and felt. They become convincing.
It’s when readers just mouth the words, with no heart and
soul to them, that the eye contact that they try to do would feel fake
and artificial. The delivery becomes mechanical and hollow. Worse,
everyone would notice it, though out of civility, they may just keep
quiet about it.
And so, everyone has to realize that it’s not just a
matter of eye contact. That eye contact that is so fundamental in
public speaking should spring and be accompanied always by heart
contact, that is, a heart-to-heart contact with the audience.
Speakers and readers should cultivate the skill of
entering the heart of God and the hearts of those in the audience.
This is not easy, of course. But it can be done if one has the right
attitude and disposition.
We need to be humble to be observant and to register
things as objectively as possible. Besides, we often commit mistakes,
and if we are not humble, then we cannot progress. With pride, we get
stuck at a certain point.
We need to be truly interested in the people, ever
widening our heart to accommodate the tremendous variety of
personalities, characters, cultures, etc., we can find in the field.
For this, we have to cultivate a certain kind of discernment that
allows us to penetrate into the hearts of people, without getting
stuck in the externals.
The mind should be broadened. Social graces should be
polished. Thus, I was a bit disappointed when in a recent visit to a
seminary, I found the seminarians and even some of the priests
significantly lacking in these social skills. How can they become
effective preachers if they are like that, I asked myself?
There is no short-cut to this goal. It has to be pursued
not only when one prepares to give a speech. It is an all-time affair,
an abiding love affair with God and the people. Otherwise, the
artificiality of the delivery will just show.
A certain kind of inner hunger for God and for souls
should be developed. And for this, nothing less than the grace of God
is needed. On our part, what is needed is that we pray, asking for
this gift, so that in the midst of our earthly affairs, we wouldn’t
fail to enter the spiritual life of the people.
All this business of eye and heart contact, of effective
communication, is just an aspect of a deeper reality, which is
communion.
should keep eye contact with his audience to establish connection and
effective communication. Otherwise, no matter how brilliant the speech
or talk may be, without this contact, the attention of the audience
would likely stray.
Obviously, this concern for contact is not and should not
be an exclusive responsibility of the speaker. The audience also has
to do their part, because no matter how the speaker strains to keep
contact with them, if they don’t do their part, the communication
process would fail.
In my effort, for example, to train some students in my
school to be readers at Mass, this is what I emphasize. I practice
them minutes before the start, and with that I was led to discover
certain practical details.
Among these discoveries is the realization that readers
should try to internalize the words they are supposed to read. I tell
them, it is God’s word. Then I ask them, what would you feel, and how
would you think you should read it in proclamation when you deeply
realize it is God’s word meant to nourish people’s soul?
Of course, I have to give them many background information
about the verses, and I encourage them to meditate on them, so that
they can internalize them and would have a good idea of how to say
them—what pace, tone, volume, etc. they should have.
Obviously, this requirement is an ongoing affair. It’s not
a one-shot deal, nor just a modular affair. Like it or not, it invites
those concerned to deepen their theology, and even more, their
spiritual life. The mouth can only speak out of the abundance of their
heart and soul.
Their heart should be attuned to what they are saying or
reading. The speakers or readers should know the meaning of the words,
always aware of whose words they are, and to whom they are addressed,
etc.
It’s this running consciousness of these data that would
help the speakers or readers to behave properly during the delivery.
With these items taken care of, it would be easy for them to
do those glances at the audience. Those glances become natural,
meaningful and felt. They become convincing.
It’s when readers just mouth the words, with no heart and
soul to them, that the eye contact that they try to do would feel fake
and artificial. The delivery becomes mechanical and hollow. Worse,
everyone would notice it, though out of civility, they may just keep
quiet about it.
And so, everyone has to realize that it’s not just a
matter of eye contact. That eye contact that is so fundamental in
public speaking should spring and be accompanied always by heart
contact, that is, a heart-to-heart contact with the audience.
Speakers and readers should cultivate the skill of
entering the heart of God and the hearts of those in the audience.
This is not easy, of course. But it can be done if one has the right
attitude and disposition.
We need to be humble to be observant and to register
things as objectively as possible. Besides, we often commit mistakes,
and if we are not humble, then we cannot progress. With pride, we get
stuck at a certain point.
We need to be truly interested in the people, ever
widening our heart to accommodate the tremendous variety of
personalities, characters, cultures, etc., we can find in the field.
For this, we have to cultivate a certain kind of discernment that
allows us to penetrate into the hearts of people, without getting
stuck in the externals.
The mind should be broadened. Social graces should be
polished. Thus, I was a bit disappointed when in a recent visit to a
seminary, I found the seminarians and even some of the priests
significantly lacking in these social skills. How can they become
effective preachers if they are like that, I asked myself?
There is no short-cut to this goal. It has to be pursued
not only when one prepares to give a speech. It is an all-time affair,
an abiding love affair with God and the people. Otherwise, the
artificiality of the delivery will just show.
A certain kind of inner hunger for God and for souls
should be developed. And for this, nothing less than the grace of God
is needed. On our part, what is needed is that we pray, asking for
this gift, so that in the midst of our earthly affairs, we wouldn’t
fail to enter the spiritual life of the people.
All this business of eye and heart contact, of effective
communication, is just an aspect of a deeper reality, which is
communion.
No comments:
Post a Comment