On Sunday I was inducted into one of Penn State’s honors societies, Phi Eta Sigma, and as is customary for important events that involve giving speeches to young people, we had a key notes speaker whose purpose, I assume, was to inspire us.
Had I read what this Penn State alum had written, I am sure I could have been better inspired, however his public speaking skills made it hard to focus on what he was actually saying. Someone should have shared with him the speech tips given to us in class and from our book.
As a self-diagnosed air quoter, it breaks my heart to see other people making my same mistake and struggling with their own addiction. In my defense though, I am an eighteen year old girl, who grew up in the 90’s when all the cool kids used air quotes. I am not a fully grown man, with a college degree and an important accounting job.
Our keynotes speaker air quoted not once, but twice during his speech. First when he referred to the freshman induction class as “young professionals” and the second time he used air quotes was to emphasize “cup of tea.” This was a very nicely organized induction ceremony and I do not think it was an appropriate time or place for air quotes.
Another thing he did while speaking that bothered me, was the way he phrased his sentences. It was not natural or even correct. He threw away the end of his sentences and introductory clauses, often pausing between the two. When someone stops midsentence, I tend to think about the awkward pause and phrasing they are creating instead of processing what they’ve begun to say, then when they stumble on to the rest of the sentence I have already forgotten what was said to begin with. It is very distracting for an audience and made it difficult for our speaker to hold our attention.
I finally have an appreciation for the CAS requirement at Penn State. Thank you for trying to make me a better speaker. I want to learn as much as possible so I don’t end up like this guy.
