I think an overemphasis to speaker anxiety is given in public speaking. More emphasis needs to be given to three public speaking qualities that often go neglected: articulation, memorization and hand motion (notice that these end in “tion’).
Concentrating on articulating every word will attenuate speaker anxiety. Memorizing the introduction, the main speaking points and sub-points under each main point will give the speaker more confidence and less anxiety. Relaxing the hands at a podium will help make the speaker relaxed and giving effective hand motions will indeed take the speaker’s mind off negative nervousness.
Our culture has gotten away from memorization, but memorizing is a good thing. It promotes critical thinking. Try memorizing definitions of advanced words, verses from the Bible, lines from poems and any instructions that are difficult for you to remember.
Let’s try something a little different in this week’s Vaughan’s Vocabulary. Memorize these 10 vocabulary-building words: logophile, loquacious, attenuate, polemical, ponderous, querulous, superfluous, behoove, atrocious, femme fatale.
Have you memorized the preceding 10 words? Without looking at the series of words, say the words that fit the following definitions.
1. controversial.
2. a lover of words.
3. wordy
4. to lessen the force or magnitude
5. the state of habitually complaining
6. when one is compelled to do something necessary or proper
7. shockingly bad or tasteless
8. Potiphar’s wife of Genesis 39 could be described as one of these
9. Exceeding sufficiency
10. Unwieldy and clumsy because of weight and size
Let’s see how you did. If you remembered polemical and put it for No. 1, you’re right. Logophile is No. 2. Loquacious is No. 3. No. 4 is attenuate. Querulous is No. 5. Behoove is No. 6. Numbers 7 through 10 are atrocious, femme fatale, superfluous and ponderous.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Don Rodney Vaughan is the pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church near Eupora and is on the faculty of East Mississippi Community College, Golden Triangle Campus. Contact him at dvaughan@eastms.edu.
