Category Archives: talking

these hands were made for talkin’….

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any of these could be me when I’m talking

some of you may remember that i recently almost got accidentally signed up as a volunteer for something. this was due to the fact that when I was talking to my friend and using my hands, as I always do. someone mistook my hand gestures for me having raised my hand, just when they were asking for volunteers. luckily, I was able to clear up the mistake in time.  

recently I had another ‘hands incident’ when I met my friend for coffee who I hadn’t seen in a while, but who has me known for a few years. in the middle of our conversation, she suddenly asked, ‘are you using sign language?  I haven’t taken that class, and if you are, I won’t understand what you’re trying to tell me.’ (keep in mind that I had been speaking the whole time and was not using sign language, I don’t even know sign language.). I assured her that I was not and reminded her that I had been speaking. 

thinking about this later, it made me laugh, but I wondered what was going on?

am I  somehow using my hands more than I used to when talking?

am I more dramatic with my gestures?

should I become a mime?

are my hands getting louder?

‘even the smallest gesture can make a huge difference.’

-billy butler

no audio available.

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beginning our parent teacher conferences

ready to share stories, laugh, chat with families,

at some point

 voices grew crackly,

  coffee and lots of water became important

leaving at the end, very quietly walking to our cars.

happy families and most of our voices left behind.

speak!

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giving a speech has always been a challenge for me

while i love talking

one-on-one, or to a stranger or small group

(and can do so for hours, sorry)

when i have to get up in front of an audience

finding a mic in my hand

it never turns out well

it’s never gotten easier

i’m much better

with story-telling, improv, prattling on, and going off on tangents

so i have reimagined

all of these experiences

as tiny speeches.

 

“i can talk for a long time only when it’s about something boring.”

-lydia davis, author

 

image credit: harvard business review