The Charm of Speaking --- Communication Skills You Can't Afford to Miss

Author: (American) Liu Yongzhi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-23
Features: About ten years ago, I heard an excellent debate competition. After the preliminary and semi-final rounds, the two university teams that entered the final could truly be called masters among masters. Not only were their words sharp and their reactions incredibly fast, but the speed at which they spoke was astonishing. From start to finish, there was not a single moment of silence, and even the audience felt they didn’t have time to catch their breath. When the competition ended, I guessed Team A was slightly better and would win. However, when the results were announced, it turned out that Team B won. Not only was Team A in disbelief, but even Team B was overjoyed. Afterward, a student from Team B told me that they had indeed thought they would lose, because logically, they knew they were inferior to Team A. They never expected to win—it was truly a surprise. I was also puzzled, so I called one of the judges. As soon as the judge heard my question, they sighed and said, “You actually came to ask me too! Many people have been complaining and cursing us judges! But you need to know that after several rounds of judging, it was already 4:30 in the afternoon in the final. We old folks were completely exhausted. The more tired we were, the slower our reactions became—who made them speak so fast? By the time we understood the previous sentence, the next one had already been missed. To be honest, it was because we couldn’t clearly understand their arguments that we didn’t score them correctly.”
The speed of speech depends on the audience. After hearing my story, I ask you: Was it right or wrong for these debaters to speak so fast? Of course! For the two teams involved, they were young, quick on their feet, and full of energy, able to clearly understand their opponents’ words and know who was doing better in the debate. But the judges were different—several of them were over sixty years old and had been exhausted all day. The students’ fast speech was too fast for them to grasp. As a result, the team that should have won lost, while the team that should have lost actually won. So, did the losing team in the debate make a mistake?
The speed of speech must be weighed against the pros and cons. Let’s put this question aside for now and let me tell you another story about myself. The year I graduated from university, the “National Self-Strengthening Evening Gala” was handed over to the “National Service Corps” to organize. They decided not to use the traditional method of having two hosts from each of the three stations, but instead asked me to host the entire event alone. The gala was held at the “China Gymnasium” in Taipei. The National Service Corps had already inspected the venue and rehearsed beforehand, only to find that it was too large and the sound system was poor, with echo issues. They repeatedly warned me to speak slowly, one word at a time, otherwise the more than 20,000 audience members in the venue wouldn’t be able to hear clearly. However, on the day of the event, I completely ignored their advice and hosted as I normally would, believing that as they said, the audience in the venue couldn’t hear very clearly. But when the program was broadcast, I unexpectedly became a sensation overnight and was immediately invited by a television station to host a quiz show, followed by joining the news department. I can confidently say that if I had listened to the National Service Corps’ friends that day, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Why? Because it was a joint broadcast by the three stations. If I had spoken slowly, one word at a time, the more than 10 million viewers at home would have found it awkward and might have even wondered why I was speaking so slowly,