Being Inspired by Public Speakers

I've been at a Literacy Conference this week held at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois. This is my second time attending, and as I was driving home today processing all of the events of the past three days, I thought it would be helpful to engage with my blog. It's been two months since I've written any of my teaching thoughts.

I've learned so much in these past couple of months. I feel somewhat neglectful that I haven't written any of my new learning on here, but guilt will just keep me away longer, so here is one of the many things that I've learned this week.

Good public speakers do multiple of the following:

• Talk with their hands
• Move around. I'm not talking about swaying from one foot to another. I'm referring to intentional moving about within an aisle or on the stage. 
• Speak about something they have a passion for
• Relate/show an awareness of their audience
• Laugh at themselves
• Give breaks for verbal processing time
• Build you up with positivity
• Inspire you to be better at your craft, but don't make you feel like you can't make small changes to improve
• Tell powerful stories
• Make their one or two points very clearly

I also want to recommend a very inspiring book that Denise Brennan-Nelson wrote and showed off in her keynote yesterday morning. This will be one of the first books that I read to my incoming first graders in August, so parents that might have me next year, please don't spoil it. Everyone else, enjoy!

This book inspired me to be the voice that continually reminds
my students, "You can do it!"