Disclaimer: Dr. Deaton is a series editor at the Blog of the APA. The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of the American Philosophical Association or the Blog of the APA.
While I wanted my students to leave my classes informed, inspired and entertained, I lacked the skill, experience and confidence. So I’d type my lectures into PowerPoint slides, dim the lights, hide at the back of the room and read them word-for-word. No elaboration. No visual aids. No interaction. Just some timid voice emanating from a dark corner.
Realizing this was unnecessarily cruel, I invested in public speaking how-to books. (A secret I didn’t learn until my mid-20s: any skill you want to learn, someone’s written a good book on it.) I tested the best-of-the-best advice, incorporated what resonated and discarded what didn’t. I pushed myself to present at conferences, transitioning from script-reading to extemporaneous speaking, from text-heavy slides to striking visuals, from self-focused worry to audience-focused fun. And slowly, I got better – good enough to be invited to teach my first oral-concentration philosophy class, Contemporary Moral Issues.
Today, fifteen years later, I still teach an oral-concentration philosophy class (now Philosophy as Conversation), and continue to get a huge kick out of helping students grow not only as thinkers, but as communicators. Expanding minds is cool. Coaching terrified rookies into polished speakers at the same time is even cooler.
One reason I’m good at what I do is that I’ve also done plenty of non-academic speaking. I’ve hosted a comedy club, officiated retirement ceremonies and funerals, keynoted chamber of commerce events and college work programs, opened induction ceremonies, spoken at Veterans Day programs and led public speaking workshops for audiences as diverse as high school debate teams and federal executives. I’ve continued to study the craft, and along the way, I’ve learned a thing or two.
My best advice is captured in my own speaking how-to, The Best Public Speaking Book. The foundation: Know Thy Material, Be Thyself and Practice. Do those three simple things and not only will you more effectively convey your message, you’ll feel better doing it. When you truly know what you’re talking about (and know you know), are being authentic, and have thoroughly rehearsed, what’s there to be nervous about?
You don’t have to be a philosopher to benefit from the above thirteen-minute overview, let alone an ethicist. But the annual Association for Practical and Professional Ethics conference is one place I honed my early speaking skill, and so I signed up to create this video for my applied ethics brothers and sisters for this year’s virtual meeting. Thanks to the APA Blog for the thumbs up to share it here as well.
Hoping you enjoy. And if I can help you, a colleague or your students, shoot me an email using the contact form at MattDeaton.com. I’ve been known to share desk copies with professors considering assigning my books, with upcoming grad students dedicated to honing their own craft, and even with non-philosophers who ask nicely.
Enjoy, push yourself to grow closer to your best public speaking self, and remember those three commandments: Know Thy Material, Be Thyself and Practice.
Matt Deaton
Matt Deaton is an adjunct professor who's taught exclusively online since 2013. An Air Force veteran and AYSO soccer coach, he's authored five books including Ethics in a Nutshell: The Philosopher’s Approach to Morality in 100 Pages and The Best Public Speaking Book. Editor of the APA Blog's Syllabus Showcase series, find him blogging elsewhere online at EthicsBowl.org.
