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Have you ever been influenced by a speaker? Think of the best speaker you’ve ever heard? What was it about that speaker that made his or her communication memorable? Think of the worst speaker you’ve ever heard. What do you remember about his or her message?

Sarah Trenholm argues, “The study of rhetoric, the art of designing public messages that can change the way in which audiences think and feel about public issues…communication in which a single speaker addresses an audience to inform, persuade, or entertain” (Trenholm 2008, pg. 249).

I think we can all say we have been influenced by a speaker at least once. I think one of the best speakers I have heard, is my girlfriend Tiffany (not her real name). She has her MBA, owns her own business, has published a book and is on to writing another book. What makes Tiffany a great speaker is she is very soft spoken, she is brilliant with her choice of words, and she is excellent in articulating what she would like her audiences to retain. A great example is when Tiffany and I were co-chairs for our church’s Women’s Retreat. On the first night, when Tiffany delivered the opening portion of the agenda; I said, to myself, “I wish I could be as calm, cool and collected in front of about 75 women.” She informed the women of the agenda using very clear words describing the events that would take place throughout the weekend; and she encouraged everyone to take part in some of the special treats that we had planned especially for them.

In contrast, the worst speaker I have ever heard was my 7th grade Science teacher. When he spoke, every other word was “ah,” In fact, one day I counted over a hundred “ahs,” in his lecture. Needless, to say, the class was so boring, students would fall asleep in his class and he would not even say anything. I don’t think he even realized they were asleep in his class. Nevertheless, as part of my membership with my Toastmasters club, one of the first areas that we all work on is the “ah” counter. A person in charge for that meeting keeps a record of how many “ah” each person uses. In order to minimize the use of “ah,” we are told, to stop and pause before we speak. This trick has helped me with becoming very aware of using another word instead of “ah.”