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As a counterpoint, if a talk lacks the natural "kind of"s and "ummm"s, my charlatan radar turns on--people who are too polished often get megaphones because of
by whitepoplar 8y ago
As a counterpoint, if a talk lacks the natural "kind of"s and "ummm"s, my charlatan radar turns on--people who are too polished often get megaphones because of their polish rather than substance. Most of the smartest people I know lean on these verbal crutches and I don't fault them one bit for it.
- davidivadavid 8y agoI think that's pushing it a bit too far. Many people whose job is speaking can say very interesting things without any crutches like those (writers, professors, etc.). I do not "fault" them either (except for poor delivery that could be fixed fairly easily), but I'd just rather see their thoughts in writing.
- whitepoplar 8y agoI don't fault them either, I'm just saying my charlatan detector goes on high alert.
- jacobolus 8y agoIt is possible for someone to put deliberate practice and care into learning basic public speaking skills without being a charlatan. > Most of the smartest people I know lean on these verbal crutches Yes, “most” smart people never spend much deliberate effort on improving verbal communication. (Just like “most” smart people never put deliberate effort into their cooking skills, or their running form, or their mental calculation speed, or their tree climbing, or their drawing, ....) There are a lot of skills people might choose to work on, and only so much time, and if you pick any particular one (unless it is something unavoidable for most adults like eating or reading), you will find most people to be unpracticed at it. But that doesn’t mean intellectuals shouldn’t work on verbal communication skills.
- whitepoplar 8y ago> It is possible for someone to put deliberate practice and care into learning basic public speaking skills without being a charlatan. I never suggested otherwise.