Clichés

There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t either hear or use cliches. With being used so much by people, cliches really don’t hold that much weight and are pretty much dismissed as a general statement that was once a smart remark of some sort. As Webster defines them as a phrase or opinion that lacks original thought, most people understand the meaning of cliches even though they are predicable and unoriginal which is why I think people use them so much. Below is a list of the top 10 used cliches according to ThoughtCatalog:

1. Actions speak louder than words
2. The grass is always greener on the other side
3. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree
4. You can’t judge a book by its cover
5. You can’t please everyone
6. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
7. Love is blind
8. Ignorance is bliss
9. There’s no time like the present
10. Better safe than sorry

Dave Chappelle

It’s no secret that watching spoken word poetry videos is one of my favorite pass times, and it’s also no secret that Dave Chappelle, who’s back in the public eye after his Saturday Night Live monologue in November and receiving a $60 million deal with Netflix, is known for his controversial comedic acts. So, when I came across this video I thought it would be perfect to share this poem he did in 2002 on Def Poetry Jam with you all.

 

Speech Anxiety

With this blog being about things dealing with speaking, I’ve realized that I’ve talked about things such as spoken word poetry, tips to improve speaking and even music, but I never talked about speech anxiety, or what most people call it, stage fright. According to Breaking Down Barriers, a presentation coaching group, about 75% of people have a suffer from speech anxiety. The medical term for speech anxiety is ‘glossophobia’ and 19% of people have this fear, making it the #1 most common phobia.

Speech anxiety can range from a slight feeling of nerves to a nearly incapacitating fear. Some of the most common symptoms of speech anxiety are: shaking, sweating, butterflies in the stomach, dry mouth, rapid heartbeat and squeaky voice. Although it is often impossible to completely eliminate speech anxiety there are a variety of ways to deal with it and even make it work to your advantage.

Before the speech:

• Identify cause of nervousness
• Prepare speech early and thoroughly
• PRACTICE ALOUD! (about 7-10 times)
• Be aware of speech situation (Setting, intended audience, whether or not visual aids will be included, ect.

Day of Speech:

• Accept fear and use it as an advantage
• Wear confident clothing (a favorite sweater, new shoes, lucky underwear)
• Find friendly faces in the crowd
• BE CONFIDENT!

Ebonics 101

A few months ago, I made a post about a guy who basically tried to tell me that I wouldn’t make if far in my career path because of the way I speak. Although I handled myself pretty well in responding to him, using proper English, this spoken word poem by Steven Willis should have been my response.

The “Five-Foot-Ten-Foot Rule”

Earlier this week I was introduced to this thing call the “Five-Foot-Ten-Foot Rule”. It says that if you’re ten-six feet away from a person that you make eye contact with them and acknowledge them (usually with a faint smile or a head nod) and if you’re five feet or less away from a person, you make eye contact and greet them verbally (usually with a ‘Hello’ or ‘Good morning/afternoon’). The idea of the rule is to create small positive interactions between people, which will in turn create a positive atmosphere. Normally, I do speak to people or acknowledge them at least in most scenarios, but after hearing about this rule, it made me pay more attention to when and how I do it. Understanding that the idea is to create positivity, I noticed that I wouldn’t follow the rule whenever I was in a down mood or had a lot on my mind and it would take for someone to speak to me first for me to start following the rule. I decided then that I would do my best to follow the rule as much as possible because you never know what a person is going through, and sometimes all it takes is a gesture as simple as smiling and saying, “Hello” to lifts someone’s spirit.

 

Communication is Foundation

To have a strong, healthy relationship with anyone, whether it be parent-child, teacher-student or husband-wife, you have to know that good communication is the driving force behind that. Being able to talk to a wide variety of people properly is something that seems easy, but is a complex skill to possess. For me, talking to people is easy, but it’s things like being aware of tone of voice, facial expressions and body language.

To improve your tone of voice, try these:

• Drinking water throughout the day
• Be sure to breath from the diaphragm
• Get feedback on your voice
• Record your voice and play it back
• Try voice scales

To improve facial expression

• Relax your jaw
• Know how your face naturally rests
• Raise your eyebrows, just a little
• Always have a faint smile
• Practice at home

To improve body language

• Always be engaged
• Try to avoid bad poses (folded arms, hands on hips, ect)
• Know your nervous habits
• Sit / Stand up straight
• HAVE CONFIDENCE

Erica Reed – The Future of Spoken Word

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Erica Reed is a Southern Louisiana spoken word poetry artist, that is in her senior year of college majoring in Mass Communications and minoring in Speech. Heavily influenced by Alicia Keys’ and Maya Angelou’s poetic styles and humanitarian ways, this spoken word powerhouse became interested in the art form when she was just in middle school.

Her mother, who also enjoys poetry and spoken word, was Erica’s 6^th grade English teacher and one assignment that she gave the class was to create and share a poem using certain vocabulary words. Erica’s poem was titled, “My Life” and after that assignment she knew that she enjoyed poetry. Her poetry became so popular while in school, that it was even published in some school-related books.

Described by her friends as, “One of the humblest and most interesting people they’ve ever met,” and “A natural inspiration they can always go to in a time of need,” Erica believes that the art of spoken word poetry has impacted her life for the better. Inspired by topics like relationships, police brutality and war, Erica’s creative process consists of sitting in her room while listening to gospel music and letting the words flow. After writing her thoughts down, she practices her poems over and over in order to remember them for performances. While she has only done local open-mic nights, Erica looks forward to being in spoken word poetry competitions.

Reflecting on how nervous she was before reciting her first poem at an open-mic night to where she almost backed out, Erica feels that spoken word definitely gives her the courage to give oral presentations and that her doing spoken word will help her in her future career field. While spoken word is a current interest and hobby for Erica now, she would really love for the art to become a career for her. She’d like to become a public or motivational speaker because she feels that she has been through a lot in her short 22 years and if she could make a living talking to people, encouraging them and letting them know that they aren’t alone, it’d be a dream come true for her.

The advice that Erica would give to anyone just starting out in or interesting in doing spoken word poetry would be to never give up, always carry something around to write down thoughts and don’t be afraid to push the limits and tell people the truth.