You've Got to Be Believed to Be Heard, Updated Edition: The Complete Book of Speaking . . . in Business and in Life! by Bert Decker

Author:Bert Decker [Decker, Bert]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 2008-09-15T14:00:00+00:00

The Best Teacher

Not convinced? Then let’s try a little experiment. Think back to your high school and college days. Now think quickly: Who was the best teacher you ever had?

I’ve asked this question of literally thousands of people, and almost without exception people instantly flash on a certain type of teacher. And it is not necessarily the teacher with the most impressive degrees, or most published works, or even the teacher who was best prepared and most knowledgeable.

The teacher who stands out as the best in our minds is almost always the teacher who had energy, who was interesting to listen to, who had dynamic and creative ways of getting the message across. It’s the teacher who was the most excited, enthused, and eager for you to get the information and principles from the class. It’s the teacher with a big extra ingredient I call the “Energy Factor.”

When I was at Yale I had to take a History of Art course to satisfy a requirement—and I liked neither history nor art. The morning of the first class, I approached Woolsey Hall with a cloud of ennui over my head, dreading the next fifty minutes of unrelieved tedium. The auditorium was dimly lit—perfect for catching up on the sleep I had missed the night before. In fact, I was just beginning to doze when Professor Vincent Scully walked into the spotlight. Yes, a spotlight. For Vincent Scully had no intention of letting anyone sleep in his class!

His voice rang out as he announced the importance of this course. Without a pause he flashed the first slide on the screen, strode across the stage, and used his pointer to bang against the screen, making his points. He roamed the stage like a restless tiger as he drove home to each student in that room the subtle intricacies and nuances of each painting, sculpture, or architectural design. It didn’t matter what medium, or what artistic period, or what artist he was talking about—this man knew how to light the fire of fascination in the eyes of his students.

Now Vincent Scully is a Yale legend. Even up to his retirement at the age of seventy, his courses continued to be standing room only. I learned to appreciate both history and art—and do to this day. Because of one man. Because of his energy, enthusiasm, and excitement. Because he communicated.

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