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Thursday, June 2, 2005

Daydreams

I don’t daydream often, but when I do, it often involves me giving a public speech. If the truth is told, I frequently compose amazing oratories in my head. They inspire the audience — whether it’s my high school class, my friends, a loved one or an entire nation — to great things. Sometimes I even get a little choked up when imagining the content, the amazing delivery that is characterized by impeccable timing and tone, and the audience’s reaction.

I think this penchant for thinking of myself as the next Winston Churchill is a result of the fact that I’m often very inarticulate when it comes to the spoken word. Give me the written word, with its ability to move things around and erase and try again and massage the text until I’m ready to release it, and I’m comfortable. But give me 30 seconds to explain something in words and I lock up, even if I have a very definite idea of what I want to say or what I think of the subject. It’s frustrating.

The only situation when this is different tends to be in job interviews. Given time to prepare for expected questions and given a portfolio I can walk through, I’m usually very articulate and, well, even engaging, which I don’t often feel in the rest of my spoken interactions.

Once at a copy editing conference, the presenter said this: “Write as you speak, if you speak well.”

It is interesting that good speaking translates more easily to good writing than good writing translates to good speaking. I’ve heard many people lament that no one knows how to write anymore, but I think a bigger problem is that no one know hows to speak anymore — including myself.

Even our President has a terrible verbal handicap. (Among other problems.)

Someday I’m going to make my daydreams a reality. For now, though, I will continue to keep my compositions to myself, gifts only to the audience of my imagination.

Posted by Aaron on June 2, 2005 11:57 AM