In a world where “public speaking” ranks among peoples top-feared experiences, I somehow always enjoyed it. From a young age, I loved the thrill of an audience, the challenge of crafting something impactful to say, and having platform to say it. I volunteered for toastmasters in 5th grade, offered to give a speech at my 8th grade graduation, and entered speech competitions in high school and college. So when I took this course as a requirement for my masters’ degree, I expected to learn nuts and bolts – theory, if you will. Tips and tricks for crafting meaningful content and how to use pauses for maximum impact. What I didn’t expect was an experience that will long tug at my heartstrings and brought my passion and appreciation for impactful communication to a new level.  

Let me clarify, I did learn theory. I learned the appropriate speed of speech, the importance of unrelenting eye contact, and the ways body language influences a message. But nothing I read on a slide or heard in a lecture could compare to the practical experience of writing and delivering those four-minute speeches. And while we gave many speeches in the course, one prompt soared above the rest in terms of impact for me: the core values speech. What are your core values? That was a question I knew I should have an answer to, but if asked in real time I would likely have rattled off platitudes or verbally processed what they might be because I’d never been asked this important question so specifically or directly. The prompt had no details, no caveats. I remember Professor Mankad telling us it was “intentionally vague.” So it came as a surprise that when I sat down to begin writing that my answer came quite easily.

After my own experience writing this speech, I now believe any of us, given the opportunity, could answer that question. What are your core values?  We have only to look as far as the lessons we’ve learned and the stories we’ve lived, to see what values and experiences have shaped us into the unique people we are today. I quickly knew what I wanted to talk about, but then came the parameters. The prompt required us to talk about something from our hearts, from the core of who we are, to be personal, to be vulnerable…in four minutes. 

Precise and concise, were two words I heard often in this course, and after some reflection I now understand both their importance and why they’re so challenging. We live in a polarized world, overwhelmed by both excess and headlines. Click bait informs our reality, while simultaneously the availability of information to consume is endless. In light of this landscape, four minutes is just enough time to say something meaningful and nothing more. The value of this lesson extended beyond the classroom for me into conversations with loved ones, professional presentations, and the education and information I write and consume. 

Ultimately, after the content was finished and I had practiced relentlessly, giving this speech was a joy and privilege. Having a platform – in graduate school of all places – to step outside our content-heavy (in my case science-heavy) world to talk about something of meaning was an honor, dare I say transcendent. And the beauty was not only found in delivering my own message, but listening to the heartfelt values of my 35 other classmates. In a world that feels wrought with heartache, news cycles full of things to worry and divide us, it was a joy to spend those hours listening to real peoples’ journeys and values. No matter our differences, the course fostered an environment of listening and appreciation. My classmates’ speeches reminded me of the beauty in our differences as humans, the value of our stories, and the goodness found all around us if only we’ll look, listen, and speak.

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Rachel is a California-native, wife, and mother currently living in Atlanta, GA. As a profession, she works as a Registered Dietitian on projects related to creative nutrition education and communications. As a passion, there is nothing she loves more than cooking delicious meals and gathering people around a table.