Reva P. Minkoff, Class of ’08 at Harvard and a Staff Writer on the Harvard Crimson had this to say on November 16th:
“Since the days of Cicero, the ability to speak eloquently in public and argue persuasively with others has been a prized skill and a ticket to success. Among our generation, however, the use of the words “like” and “um” predominates, and even at Harvard many students struggle to speak articulately. Yet public speaking is almost completely absent from the curriculum. The Faculty should make public speaking a high curricular priority.
Public speaking is eminently important in today’s world. It is a necessity both in the classroom at Harvard and in the quest to succeed in the working world. The people who are most successful at achieving their goals are arguably those who can express their ideas in the most convincing and articulate manner to those around them. And to be an active citizen and leader” the type of person Harvard seeks to mold”one must be able to speak well.
America, however, is undergoing a public speaking crisis. Most people receive little to no formal training in public speaking and are petrified of it. Experts have cited the fear of public speaking as the most common phobia, one particularly widespread among college students. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this is the case at Harvard as well. All it takes to realize the severity of the situation is to notice how few students raise their hands when professors ask questions in lecture and how few students speak up in sections.”
Bravo, Reva! Nobody knows what’s in our heads and hearts until we speak or write, and getting good at both puts us in a very favorable position.