Can you, like, speak up?

Martin Luther King, Jr., a brilliant orator with ideas that changed the world, speaks at Broughton High School, Raleigh, NC, 1958. (State Archives of North Carolina)

The traditional school subjects are arbitrary. The existing ones have value, but a case could be made for so many others.

You know what we should bring back? Elocution. What could be more important than being able to convey ideas clearly and confidently through speech?

Despite the importance of this skill, one that we use all the time, few people can speak extemporaneously without using fillers and imprecise words and phrases. “Um, well, like…you know. That thing!”

And forget actually getting up in front of people and speaking in public.

Despite the rise of texting, oral communication isn’t any less critical. Even if phone skills are less necessary these days, the ability to interact professionally via video conference will be increasingly important. And face-to-face conversations aren’t going anywhere.

Nobody gets graded on their ability to speak well, except in foreign language classes and that one class you take in high school where you sweat your way through prepared speeches. Therefore, it seems to be an undervalued skill.

My middle school students, when they arrive at my school, need to be taught all kinds of basics regardless of what grade they’re in. We go over things like projecting your voice so that it can be heard in a group setting, looking at the person you’re speaking to, and listening to the person who spoke before you so that you don’t make the exact comment they just made. We practice giving orienting details when they’re telling a story or giving directions instead of beginning in media res. And we also work on reducing speech fillers, teaching students how to slow down and think through their response before speaking if necessary.

These skills, along with associated higher-level skills like storytelling and maintaining a compelling presence, can also be learned through drama and improv classes. They can be integrated into any other class, from history to math. Regardless of the context in which they are learned, oral communication skills offer lifelong benefits and should not be ignored.

I should note that people don’t have to speak with classical grammar and pronunciation in order to speak well. Some of the most articulate and compelling storytellers and speakers I’ve ever heard spoke in AAVE or a regional dialect or accent. Standard English is not even necessary — it’s the ideas that matter, offered in a way that connects with the listener.

As with any skill, the key to developing better oral communication is deliberate practice. I’ll admit, speaking is not something that comes easily to me. I tend to speak quickly, ramble on while I think out loud, and sprinkle a lot of ums and likes and extraneous detail into my speech on the way to getting to my point. But I’ve definitely gotten better through consistently recording myself, speaking in front of groups, and speaking in more formal situations (for instance, being interviewed).

A community or society gets better when all of its members contribute their ideas. To be heard, we need to be able to express those ideas clearly — otherwise, they stay in our heads and can’t be acted upon. As we practice sharing our ideas, whether through writing or speaking, we receive feedback, gain clarity, and improve both the ideas themselves and our ability to articulate them. Great ideas, expressed expertly, can change the world.