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When I was with
Sketch Press as a cub-reporter, I was asked to cover an assignment
where Bolarinwa Babalakin, retired Supreme Court justice, was the
chairman. It was a gathering of old students of St. Anne’s School,
Ibadan. His speech that day is one I would remember for life.

He spoke eloquently
and it was from him I first learnt that quote, “Pursue the good you
can, with all the means you can, at all places you can, and with the
people you can.” He used the occasion as reminder to the old students
and guests to continually do good so that there will be great causes to
remember them for in life. This happened 20 years ago, and I can still
recollect vividly how people listened with rapt attention to the jurist.

Public speaking
skills are essential in our lives. It is one skill that everyone should
desire in order to express oneself and make great impact. If public
speaking is this important, then our people need to be very careful
when they speak.

My observation over
the years has left me bewildered because of the way people, especially
public officers, speak in public without considering the implications
of their actions. Public speaking is more than giving a speech or
making a statement just for people to hear. It should be one that
should strike a chord in the heart of the listeners. When you speak,
you should leave something for your audience to reflect upon.

I have listened to
several people, but only very few have impressed me with their delivery
style. I am not looking for someone with great oratorical prowess or a
good command of Queens English alone, but speaking to make an impact in
the listeners’ lives.

Public speaking
demands that one organises his/her ideas in a logical manner while
tailoring one’s message to meet the needs of the audience. It should
also be one that creates a good story telling format to drive home the
point.

Frederick Fasehun,
the Odua Peoples Congress founder, made a wonderful delivery during the
week when he spoke extempore at a book launch. He propelled his
audience to action after challenging them in a thought provoking
manner. Even though he spoke extempore, his speech was in very
structured, with brevity of expression and formal language devoid of
abusive or insulting words.

I mentioned our
public officials earlier on and the whole essence is for them is to
learn how to speak well in public. It has been discovered over time
that some of them do not prepare adequately before they speak. Even
when they prepare, they speak on issues without relevance.

Perception is important

What some people do
not also know is that perception is important when it comes to public
speaking. You create an impression about your person the way you speak
and act in public domain. The public disposition of our elected
officers leaves much to be desired. They engage in careless and
illogical statements that demean the office they occupy. If not, how
can we describe a governor who said the nation’s number four citizen
from his state is a curse to the state?

Regardless of
political affiliations, such statement is not expected to form the
fulcrum of the event at hand. The event in question was not solely
organised to pour incentives on the other personality. In public
speaking, there is the need for ethical speaking and the purpose, goals
should adhere to ethical standards. A good public speaker should also
be honest in what he says and not turn issues upside down.

This was the case
of a former Attorney General who said at an international Bar
Association event that he was conferred the SAN title with the Lagos
State governor the same year. This was debunked in a matured manner by
Governor Babatunde Fashola. If the governor had sent a representative,
the public would have been fed with falsehood. This is a blatant
contempt for the truth in public speaking and several people still
engage in such.

The use of abusive
language that has pervaded public speaking is indeed an unbecoming act.
It is totally wrong to use language to defame and demean the other
person. It is important to avoid bias in public speaking. I read in the
newspaper where a governor was also quoted to be saying, ‘The state
cannot be governed by vagabonds’. The occasion was a political debate
by governorship candidates.

The question is who
were the identified vagabonds that signified interest in the exalted
office? This is a serious issue that elected officials should look into
and put ethical principles into use when speaking publicly.

Also, elected
officials should attend public speaking schools to polish themselves.
There are basic guidelines to public speaking as caution should not be
thrown to winds because of personal animosity, bias, and prejudice on
certain issues or against some people.

It is indeed true
that we may not have the prowess of great speakers, but if there is a
strict adherence to some basic guidelines, public speaking can indeed
be a delight.

AYOPO, a communication strategist and public relations specialist,
is the CEO of Shortlist Ltd. email-shortlistedprspecialists@gmail.com