Don’t gloss over these comments on
this outstanding book. Some of you may not do public speaking,
others may think you already know how. If you fall into either
of these categories you will miss an outstanding book. While it
focuses on public speaking, it actually talks about
communication that touches each one of us.
Quentin Schultze is no stranger
to our readers. He is the master “guru” in communication. He
holds the Arthur H. DeKruyter Chair in Faith and Communication
at Calvin College. He has authored numerous books covering the
waterfront in areas of communication. Why this little book? I
use the term little book (111 pages) to encourage you to take
the time to read it. I was challenged by Schutlze’s idea that we
can become so professional and skilled with the science of
communication that we often neglect what he calls the purpose
and ethics of communication.
Throughout the book he encourages
Christians to take public speaking more seriously by focusing
not so much on self, the presenter, but on the audience and how
we not only choose words, but how we posture ourselves ethically
and morally in what we say. He uses St. Augustine as the classic
example and refers to him many times. Before his conversion
Augustine was a master of rhetoric (the art of persuasion).
However, Schutlze writes, Augustine used and taught deception
and equated good rhetoric (eloquence) with audience impact. He
also believed that the real character of the speaker was
irrelevant to the audience. Therefore, when Augustine was
converted he backed away from that form of rhetoric only to
realize later that Christians have much to contribute to this
area. Schultze writes, “Christians historically contributed some
of the most important insights on public speaking. Early
Christians discerningly adapted speech practices from ancient
Greeks, who founded rhetoric.”
What is needed is for Christians
to develop their abilities to be “servant speakers.” Schultlze
says, “Servant speakers are called to speak the truth in love
without conforming mindlessly to the ways that the wider society
communicates. Our public speaking must be sensitive to the
rights and perspectives of those with whom we disagree while
remaining true to our values and beliefs. What we say and how we
say it are part of our witness to the world.” Schultze suggests
that we think of the audience as our neighbors and speak
responsibly, truthfully, and with sensitivity.
To communicate with truth and
sensitivity effectively, servant communicators must learn to
listen well. He says we must listen vertically to God and then
listen horizontally to authorities and audiences so that we know
in advance what we are speaking about and to whom we will be
speaking. He then says we must also listen internally to
ourselves. He further writes that a servant speaker seeks to
know God’s wisdom without pretending to be God. Therefore,
“learning to be a servant speaker includes lifelong
self-evaluation. For many of us, this painful.”
With that kind of emphasis,
Schultze gives us many practical ways to apply the
servant-speaker attitude in our communication. While this is a
book about public speaking, it is also a book on good
communication in general. You will find many helpful tools in
speech preparation, implementation, and evaluation. He does not
simply focus on the verbal aspects of communication but also on
the non-verbal, an area that is often neglected—the body, the
face, the arms, the tone of voice. I would like to go through
this book chapter by chapter but you will have to do that. As
you do, you will find much that will challenge and encourage
you. You will also think a little differently after you have
read it. I had the opportunity to do a training seminar after
reading this book. I was reminded of these things all through
the presentation, especially being a servant to the audience and
sensitive to where they were. That’s the kind of benefit in
store for you in reading and applying these essentials.
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