Week #4 Question #1

1). Have you ever been influenced by a speaker? Think of the best speaker you've ever heard. What was it about that speaker that made his or her communication memorable? Think of the worst speaker you've ever heard. What do you remember about his or her message?

The best speaker I have ever heard would have to be my 6th grade English/reading teacher, Rafael "Coqui" Ross, who also became my mentor in the medieval arts of combat, heraldry, archery, armour craft (leather, chain maille, and plate), leadership and (most importantly) the code of chivalry. From the age of 11 till I left Miami, FL at the age of 21, Coqui Ross spent 10 years dedicating his time, not only to his students in school, but also to students such as myself who's chosen course work did not exactly fit in with the normal school curriculum. Looking back I know that one of the main reasons why I stood by, and still stand by, Coqui Ross is his amazing sense of character, ability to lead any group toward success, and ability to make you feel nearly every emotion possible with but a whisper of his words.
In 6th grade I first met Coqui Ross at Belen Jesuit Jr. High in Miami, FL. As a non-Christian stuck in an all boys Jesuit school...lets just say I wasn't happy. That all changed, however, when I first took Mr. Ross' English/Reading class. From day #1 he challenged our minds and was not affraid to let us know if we were wrong, stupid or just crazy. When we read, we did not just read, no, we acted out and attempted to experience what the author was depicting in a certain work. When we read difficult pieces, such as Sir Thomas Mallory's 'Le Morte De Artur', Mr. Ross took the language within the text and was able to present it to his students in a way which I believe no other has ever been able too. In the period of two months I and other classmates were able to read, understand and decipher one of the oldest Medieval texts known to the Western world...all at the age of 11.
Following my experience in Mr. Ross' 6th grade course he asked me to assist him during the summer with a project he had revolving around actual medieval reenactment. That summer the Summer Knights INC. program was born in Miami, FL and over a period of 10 years both Mr. Ross and I taught thousands of students in various medieval arts but I mainly focused on combat and the code of chivalry. By the age of 15 I was honored to have parents of my students (who happened to be my same age) approach me and personally thank me for "saving" their sons who apparently were on the brink of boarding/military school. After hearing this Coqui Ross made it a point to put our "hardened" students directly under my control and order to be "whipped into shape in a timely and chivalrous manner." I am very proud to say that working with those groups of troubled kids over the years and watching them grow into honorable citizens was the most rewarding work I have ever been honored to be a part of. Without Coqui Ross' amazing ability to inspire his students and then take that inspiration and form it into a working, and quite functional, model I honestly believe I would have chosen another path in life and I would not be the experienced person I am today. Coqui Ross...I owe it all to you.
The worst speaker I have ever heard (and this is no easy thing to narrow down as I have heard far more worse speakers than exceptional ones) would have to be our current President, George W. Bush. I have never heard anyone in my entire life who, but with a single word, wrought such contempt and hatred from my living soul. Now, this is not to state the Bush (I will not give him the courtesy of affixing the presidential suffix to his name again) is a horrible speaker in technique. On the contrary, one could correlate his 8 years of "success" to his uncanny ability to preach to the American people of the Midwest, South and Bible Belt (where the vast majority of voting Americans live) and essentially tell them exactly what they wanted to hear. This takes time and an extremely conscious effort on the part of Bush and his advisers. Bush's attempts at silencing critics and government whistle blowers is also an example of his speaking abilities. When confronted by issues such as these Bush has shown that he and his writing staff are very talented ad dodging questions and issues and leaving everyone in the dark...essentially ending the issue. What then makes me believe Bush is a horrible speaker? I would have to place it on his uncanny ability to spurn me toward the opposite of everything he proposes and the unconscious (yet consciously motivated) belief that every thing he says is a lie. No matter how well someone plays the game of speech, if you can't mobilize your listeners to your cause and those very same listeners question the credibility of everyone of your words you wind up with approval ratings around where Bush' are today.