ECW Students Learn the Art of Public Speaking

William R Thomas, David Kelley, and Susan McCloskey spent the weekend of August 3-5 at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, instructing seven promising advocates of Objectivism in the art of public speaking. This was the summer 2001 Effective Communication Workshop.

The workshop is offered twice a year to give a practical boost to Objectivists who want to become more effective exponents of the philosophy. It provides a unique mix of expert instruction in presentation techniques combined with training in the organization and rhetoric of presenting philosophical ideas. Typically, people from a mix of backgrounds attend, and this workshop was no exception. The participants were John Davis, a business consultant and sometime political candidate; Michael Garrett, emergency-room physician; Damian Moskovitz and Jason Raibley, students who are summer interns at TOC; Joanne Shaw, property investor and activist; Craig Smith, entrepreneur and inventor; and Virginia Walker, a professor of English literature. Theater director Nell Robinson attended to observe the content and methods of the workshop and contributed helpful comments to the participants.

At an ECW, each participant gives a short, prepared speech explaining or applying a key Objectivist idea. After receiving detailed comments from the instructors and a videotape of their talks, the participants all revise their speeches and give them again, incorporating the skills and principles they have been studying. "The transformation on the last day was wonderful," commented Thomas, "We saw good talks become super ones. We had an exciting group of speakers who really understood Objectivism and showed great potential for getting these ideas out to the public." The participants praised the workshop's value. "I found the workshop work, but inspiring and practical," wrote Virginia Walker. Michael Garrett said: "If you want to improve your speaking skills, I cannot imagine a better opportunity."