Speaking with Bold Assurance

In Speech class, everyday we have speeches, our professor will assign "tasks" to those who don't speak on that specific day. The tasks consist of: timer, grammarian, word of the day, and joke of the day. Last week, on the speech day that I was not speaking, I was assigned joke of the day. Here it is: "Two drums and a cymbal fell off a cliff...*Bu-dum-tch!*"

So I have to read this book for Speech class: Speaking with Bold Assurance. I can't say it's one of my favorite reads. Can't say it's one of least favorites either. It's pretty easy and fast-paced, it has good pointers, but it's all information that I've already learned in the classroom, or information that I've had natural assumptions on when it comes to speaking. So all in all, I'm not that interested in this book.

But I just finished a chapter that discussed the importance of getting your audience to believe you. It mainly focuses on the visual and vocal attributes of giving a speech: If your expressions and tone don't match the words you're delivering, then people will see you as inconsistant and won't believe anything you say...This is one of those things I had a natural assumption on because I've seen speakers give presentations that were a total bust because they spoke in monotone and were expressionless.

This book isn't just a book about giving a good speech, though. It's a book that's targeted towards Christians. It tells you how to give a good speech, and then applys it to the Christian life.

Back to the chapter I just finished...in the midst of all these pointers on the importance of visual aids and vocal variety to match the words you are speaking, there is a story:

"J. Sidlow Baxter, a Christian writer and pastor, told the story of a lady named Beatrice Cleland, who had been won to Christ by the man who later served as her pastor. Reflecting on how God had used this man to help her find Jesus, she wrote a poem that encapsulates the way God uses human means for divine purposes.
"'Not only by the words you say
Not only by your deeds confessed
But in the most unconscious way
Is Christ expressed.
Was is a beatific smile
Or holy light upon your brow?
Oh, no. I felt His presence
When you laughed just now.
For me 'twas not the truth you taught
To you so clear, to me so dim,
But when you came to me
You brought a sense of Him.
And from your eyes He beckons me.
And from your lips His love is shed
Till I lose sight of you
And see the Christ instead.'"

After fifty-four and a half pages of, what was to me, dull and dry reading, I came across this poem. This book finally meant something to me. I finally took to heart the purpose of this book.

Matthew 5:14-16
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see (emphasis added) your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

We Christians hear it all the time: "Love people and show them Christ through your actions!" We hear this so often that it becomes an annoyance...which is disheartening because the understood truth that the most effective way to show Christ through our deeds still remains. Of course, we still need our words. But our words mean nothing if we don't have trust. They're meaningless and send the wrong message if our tone and expressions, and most of all, our hearts don't match up with them.

We show people Christ's love in our good deeds to earn their trust and once we've earned that trust, people will believe our words...if the profound truth of our words are delivered with passion and if that same truth is shown in our tone and expressions. As the poem said:
"But when you came to me
You brought a sense of Him.
And from your eyes He beckons me.
And from your lips His love is shed
Till I lose sight of you
And see the Christ instead."