Julian Treasure’s TED talk titled “How to speak so that People listen” focusses on strategies for improving speech. Most people cannot get others to listen to them because they do not speak in a way that demand attention. Eventually, individuals fail to understand each other, and they waste their time and energy communicating. Treasure gives three strategies for speaking powerfully to make real change in the world. According to Alam & Bashiruddin (2013) “Listening is an active process of constructing meaning… this won't happen without meaningful talk.” While the listener has a duty to listen, the speaker has to make an effort to make the message and the delivery of message worth listening to.
Hence, the first strategy of powerful speaking is moving away from the seven deadly sins of speech (Treasure, 2014). The seven deadly sins include gossip, judging, negativity, complaining, excuses, exaggeration, and dogmatism. Individuals associated with the above deadly sins are hardly listened to because they tend to spread lies rather than facts. Gossipers are not taken seriously because they are known to spread malicious information about everyone. Judgmental and negative speakers are hard to listen to because they do not have positive message to spread (Treasure, 2014). Exaggeration and dogmatism are other vices that make it hard to listen. There are individuals who tend to speak about their personal opinions strongly, and they expect listeners to believe them.
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The second strategy is adopting four cornerstones of powerful speech. The four cornerstones are honesty, authenticity, integrity and love (Treasure, 2014). People with these qualities command attention from listeners even before they speak. Honest individuals are known to speak the truth at all times; they are straight and clear. Authentic individuals stand in their own truth, and they cannot compromise even in the face of pressure. Individuals with integrity believe in what they say, and they do what they say. Lastly, the four cornerstones should be guided by love. Individuals with love for everyone mean well in their communication, and even when they are saying harsh things, they say it with love such that it will not be hurtful to the listener (Treasure, 2014).
The last strategy involves adjusting one’s voice to suit the speaking context. Treasure (2014) states that human voice can be equated to an amazing toolbox, he urges people to open and play with a few tools to improve their power of speaking. Aspects of human voice such as register, timber, prosody, pace, pitch and volume affect how communication (Treasure, 2014).
Vertin (2014) notes that effective speaking is more about the techniques and skills rather than the message. Mimicking can be viewed as insincere, and when one speaks like a robot, people will not take it seriously. Voice register refers to a wide range of tones used when speaking; one can talk up in the nose, in the throat and can go down to the chest (Treasure, 2014). The listeners perceive each voice registered differently, and a lower voice is often associated with power and authority. Timbre is another aspect of human voice that can affect speech; timber refers to the way an individual’s voice feels. Some voices are smooth while others are sharp and unnerving. However, through voice training one can change their timbre through breathing, postures, and exercises. Individuals have to be mindful of other concepts such as pitch, tone, prosody, and volume of their speech as it affects the listeners’ reception of the speech.
To sum up, speaking powerfully in a way that others listen is important for building strong relationships. However, the kind of message and the delivery can affect the audience’s ability to listen. Speakers should deliver message with truth, integrity, and love, and accompany it with effective tone, volume, and pace that make up a powerful speech.
References
Alam, Q., & Bashiruddin, A. (2013). Improving English oral communication skills of Pakistani Public school’s students. International Journal of English Language Teaching , 1 (2), 17-36.
Treasure, J. (2014, June). How to speak so that people want to listen [Video File]. Retrieved from:
https://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_how_to_speak_so_that_people_want_to_listen ?language=en
Vertino, K. (2014). Effective Interpersonal Communication: A Practical Guide to Improve Your Life. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing , 19 (3).
