Public Speaking Skills and the College Athlete

[davefrat]

I noticed a discussion among Auburn folks about the struggles that Nick Marshall displays when he is interviewed. Some were asking if Auburn helps/teaches their players with public speaking skills.

I know that some Bama players, if interviewed, would have some of the same struggles and it made me wonder if this is a service that the Bama football program offered/mandated to the team?

Do you think it is important for a player to be able to effectively speak and deal with the media?

I make my living with words and public speaking, so therefore, I guess I'm a little partial to the need for proper communication skills.

Before someone asks/alleges, this is not a black/white issue. I was raised in a rural area and I've had to work very hard to overcome lazy enunciation and, in some cases, poor grammar. As they say, you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy. Well, you can to some degree, but it's not easy.

Most of these players have been given a gift of althletic ability, but they can parlay that ability into a successful career later in life when their athletic skills have diminished, but that usually involves communication skills.

Thoughts?

one would hope that anyone with a high school education would be capable of speaking better than a caveman.

 

[BamaMoon]

Even the POTUS struggles with this . Every sentence he utters has an umm or ahh !

Just taking the art of speechmaking into consideration, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton could speak circles around him. When he doesn't have a teleprompter, he's very choppy.

 

[BigBama76]

I noticed a discussion among Auburn folks about the struggles that Nick Marshall displays when he is interviewed. Some were asking if Auburn helps/teaches their players with public speaking skills.

I know that some Bama players, if interviewed, would have some of the same struggles and it made me wonder if this is a service that the Bama football program offered/mandated to the team?

Do you think it is important for a player to be able to effectively speak and deal with the media?

I make my living with words and public speaking, so therefore, I guess I'm a little partial to the need for proper communication skills.

Before someone asks/alleges, this is not a black/white issue. I was raised in a rural area and I've had to work very hard to overcome lazy enunciation and, in some cases, poor grammar. As they say, you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy. Well, you can to some degree, but it's not easy.

Most of these players have been given a gift of althletic ability, but they can parlay that ability into a successful career later in life when their athletic skills have diminished, but that usually involves communication skills.

Thoughts?

Written and verbal communications is a prerequisite for pretty much every job I've ever heard of and certainly for every good job so I think it's critical to have a good foundation with both.

I took speech and debate classes as an elective in high school, which helped me with getting the country out of the boy and to think better on my feet.

I know a lot of people are nervous about being in front of a group and speaking. When I was in school, even grade school, you had to do it and I got over the nervousness in the first grade. Consequently I was always picked to be the lead in all of our school plays and such.

 

[JustNeedMe81]

*blank stare* this is too much.

Oh my gosh! How funny that I check TideFans, and this is the first thread. I teach high school (primarily juniors, some seniors). We have a new principal this year, and one thing he is requiring all classes to have is a student representative each week. The student rep has certain tasks. For example, he or she has to stand each day, introduce himself or herself, read the outcome, and the before/during/after strategies (which are listed on the board, so they have a cheat sheet). At the end of the block, the rep will stand and call on classmates to answer 4 basic questions. If a visitor ever comes to the room, the student rep is to stand, go to the visitor, shake hands, introduce him/herself, welcome the visitor, tell what we are doing in class that day, and ask if there are any questions. All this is doing is teaching these kids how to COMMUNICATE effectively because communication is a huge part of the college and career ready standards, and potential employers expect potential employees to be able to communicate. You would think we are asking the kids to cut out their own kidney.

 

[Catfish]

Jameis Winston says "Stay Skrong."

The humor Winston creates when he massacres the English language is his one redeeming quality.