Page 37 - July 2020

newspaper, not

with the glamorous “beat” slow down, or are
of school activities, sports they really ‘slow’ men?” The
or the “who’s who” of written word had failed to convey the actual
campus life. No siree. I was assigned the campus message whereas when spoken it could mean

police. A real challenge to A) find something either thing. Words that conveyed power and
interesting to write about, and B) get it published authority, or of declaration of one’s abilities?
which equated towards a good grade in the Yet it is the spoken word that we in
class. Everything I wrote ended up being either Toastmasters use as our bread and butter of

unapproved by administration or was cut due to communication. Words spoken with power are
a team’s achievements or a school department’s remembered while the words delivered in a
announcements. But I could take photographs. monotone with no enthusiasm or umph ala the
Used the same camera I had used in high school. I teacher in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (“Anyone?

submitted artistic shots of rows of parking meters Bueller? Bueller?”) will be rapidly and mercifully
when they installed them on campus-yes, my forgotten. How then, can we learn to be a “King
upward shot was published! My greatest “claim Aragorn” with exquisite pausing, intonation,
to fame” was of a highway caution sign on the and clarity rather than the poor teacher? Get

campus loop proclaiming in two lines, “SLOW out your checkbooks fellow Toastmasters as I
MEN” “WORKING.” The guffaws echoed across have the answer for you—summed up in three
campus the day that one was published-front words. No, they will not cost you a penny, but
page no less-and the question asked “are we to heed them if you want to better your speechcraft.

VOICES! | JULY 2020 37