When I was in Grade 5, in my local Catholic primary school, our large and often unwieldy composite class (Grades 5 & 6) must have been a trial for any teacher. It was a strange time to be at school. Classical classrooms were making way for experimental methods and catechisms were being replaced by rather woeful “teen” RE magazines, which, even then, seemed cheesy and “American”.
It was surprising that in this time of flux, stepped an intriguing and rather solid elderly teacher who came out of retirement confidently oblivious of how dated her stiffly curled hair and prim tweed suits were. She came once a week to teach the rabble the subject “Elocution”.
Mrs P was old school with the slightly exotic air of “rep” theatre about her. We felt that she taught for the love of it and we respected that. She knew her stuff and tried to teach us to speak well and clearly. She was horrified that many of us had not learned grammar very well and she explained patiently why syntax was important.
One of the great delights of the class was to distract her by pleading that she recite a poem by heart by Tennyson, Keats or A. A. Milne, which she did with relish and drama. It was a world away from the faddish educational and experimental methods being launched into the schools at the time and she was all the more memorable for that.
What Mrs P taught by example was the beauty and the importance of clear speech – something my own parents and family understood as well. It is an “art” that has deep roots in the Christian and classical educational tradition under the heading of “rhetoric”, the third of the liberal arts.
In his important investigation on the role of the arts of the Trivium, the insightful and often prophetic Stratford Caldecott (1953-2014) wrote that the art of speech and communication makes us more human and it becomes a gateway to freedom, truth, goodness and beauty.
Caldecott, with his wife Leonie, were extraordinary in spearheading an artistic, theological and cultural publishing and educational movement, the Centre for Faith and Culture,
which began in Oxford and through collaboration and appeal spread throughout Europe and the world.
Rhetoric in Caldecott’s “resacralised” sense is a world away from the cynical sense in which we often understand it today.
Caldecott wrote: “The essence of Rhetoric – which is not a set of techniques to impress (oratory, eloquence), nor a means of manipulating the will and emotions of others (sophistry, advertising), is rather a way of liberating the freedom of others by showing them the truth in a form they can understand.” (Beauty in the Word: Rethinking the Foundations of Education, p. 92)
He points out vividly that clear speech is the art of authentic and incarnated communication and communio: “It can only take place in the heart; that is, in the centre of the human person. A voice from the lungs is not enough to carry another along with the meaning of the words. The voice has to carry with it the warmth and living fire of the heart around which the lungs are wrapped.” (p. 83)
At our recent Christianity and the Common Good conference, we were treated with a series of intelligent, compelling and clear talks – and saw how encouraging that could be. The fruits of the conference will become the building blocks for our TMC Melbourne plans ahead.
TMC Brisbane
In Queensland, TMC is running with growing appeal through the debating evenings and public talks.
The next debate in Brisbane is for March 4 at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church – see here.
TMC Melbourne
Clear and engaging speech matters.
In Melbourne, the Thomas More Centre Public Speaking Club is having an initial meeting in the welcoming premises of the Celtic Club. Future regular meetings are to be announced.
Venue: CY O’Connor Committee Room, Celtic Club (Wild Geese Hotel), 29 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
Date and time: March 4, 7.30pm
The Speakers’ Club is being run by an experienced public speaking trainer and organiser who aim to encourage and assist others in the lost art of speaking in public. There are other skills and social goals that can be developed along the way.
The goals of the Thomas More Centre Speakers’ Club are:
- To develop confident individuals and effective leaders
- To empower individuals to engage and influence their social and work environments
- Enhance the ability to articulate ideas clearly and persuasively, whether speaking to a large audience or in one-on-one conversations
- Upskill people to confidently and effectively speak in public.
Please contact Marc or Michael at tmspeakersclub@gmx.com or admin@tmc.org.au for more information.
Blessings for this Lenten time,
Anna Krohn
Executive Director
Thomas More Centre
