“Let your own discretion be your tutor: suit the action to the word, the word to the action.” Shakespeare, Hamlet
At the beginning of the last century there was a great emphasis on the art of elocution. Although reserved primarily for the upper class; it became a requirement for high society and the upper class people in the 19th Century. And now we have “hip hop”.
One day on my wandering through the aisles of a used bookstore in downtown Denver, I was reflecting on the rapid rise of Senator Obama to become almost a social movement of epic proportions. What was the “it” this guy had as a speaker that we haven’t not seen since JFK. Then a flash of brilliance hit, as I glanced at the bookshelf, Sitting right in front of my eyes was the answer to the “it” question. Elocution. I discovered an old classic book written by Eleanor O’Grady, entitled Elocution Class which captured how Descartes’ personal ambitions to be a musician where thrown into disarray and influenced his passion for exploring the field of elocution. Having a great aptitude for music, Delsarte sought and obtained admission to the French Music Conservatory in 1825. Here, in consequence of faults in method and direction by poor teachers, he lost his voice. These tragic circumstances motivated him to devote his life to speaking and elocution. Continue reading ‘The Obama Leadership Effect: Elocution for a New Age’
