Car rides to school my senior year of high school usually
consisted of my sisters, sophomores at the time, hurriedly putting on makeup,
music playing in the background, while I drove. This routine changed to one of listening to one of the greatest story tellers I have ever heard after a trip to Portland, Oregon one day.
My Mom and brother came with me on this trip to and hear quite a few speakers at Best of EFY. One of these speakers was Hank Smith. I enjoyed his address a lot,
but didn't
think much of it later on.
When we arrived home, my Mom did some research and found
that he had released a series of his talks on CDs. They are all live recordings
of an address he has given in front of an audience. My sisters and I started to
listen to those CDs on our way to school. Even though I couldn't physically see
Hank Smith speaking to me, his use of stories brought principles to life for
both my sisters and I. His stories didn't leave us wishing for additional details, he always
included a very in depth description of people, his surroundings, and his
emotions at that time. By being so descriptive I felt myself immersed in these
stories and connected to the people he was speaking about. He made a strong relation between the stories he was telling and the principles he was trying to teach.
I learned so much from Hank Smith that year, all because he really knew how to tell a story.
It's cool how we an appreciate great oratory in so many different ways today. Whether it be podcasts, CD's, or radio, it's a great way to learn while commuting.
ReplyDeleteGreat speakers know how to connect with their audience on an emotional level. Our emotions are so powerful, and when someone can use our emotions to drive a point home they can have a true impact in our lives, for the better or for the worse.
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