My Greatest Instrument
Some people use beautiful art to express themselves, while others are masters of the written word and communicate their thoughts in a more subtle way. I, on the other hand, use the greatest instrument I possess: my voice, to communicate my thoughts and feelings. Public speaking is how I earn a living. As a child, I was fascinated by the art of public speaking, and I've never looked back.
When I was eight years old, I realized I belonged on stage. To be eligible to compete at the state level, I began demonstrating and speaking at local county 4-H competitions. Every state competition I entered, I won.
There were many other opportunities to speak in public, including representing an artist named Ann Cross at a Keene Art Walk and being a member of my high school debate team. To further hone my public speaking abilities, in March of eighth grade, I was chosen from among all the students in New Hampshire to prepare and deliver a four-minute speech on national television. My job was to introduce Elizabeth Dole, a potential candidate for president at the time.
I only had one night to write and rehearse my speech before the event, so I had no time to practice. There were a lot of people waiting for me when I got to Bedford the next day. There were people there to cover the event. After that, I was taken backstage and introduced to Elizabeth Dole, the star of the show. Afterwards, we walked through a crowd of flashing bulbs to our seats on the stage, where I had her review my speech.
My speech was quickly approaching. I was introduced, and I couldn't help but smile as I approached the podium. Exhilaration was pumping through my body like water. We all applauded me, and Mrs. Dole surprised me by giving a big hug and saying how much she appreciated what I had said about the importance of education. Even though she had finished speaking, the elation had not subsided.
We were together for all of her photos, and WMUR and the Keene Sentinel both interviewed me briefly. A number of Dole supporters came up to me after the media had finished their interview with us. Every one of them was overjoyed to see me and was overflowing with questions and compliments. I felt as if I were on top of the world.
As a result, I began competing in a variety of sporting events. Young Chataqua, a wonderful summer program, was my favorite by far. Margaret Bourke-pioneering White's photography was the subject of a 12-minute monologue in Chataqua that took me a month to prepare, research, and memorize. It was a truly wonderful occasion. Other groups wanted me to speak even though we were only supposed to perform our monologues once.
After Chataqua, I appeared in my first play, Everybody's Crazy, and founded a debate team at my high school.. My 4-H activities, volunteer work, annual trips to Chataqua, and participation in the American Legion's Oratorical Contest continued.
As a result, my life was transformed and I was able to pursue a career that I enjoy. In retrospect, I owe a debt of gratitude to that eight-year-old girl who first dared to speak in front of an audience while attending the county fair. She was instrumental in shaping me into the person I am now.
