Public Speaking

I’ve followed Real Time with Bill Maher for about a year now on HBO and when they release full episodes as iTunes podcasts. The show is pure red meat for liberals because Bill has strong views and a studio audience that agrees with his viewpoints. The first part of the show he warms up the audience with a mix of news commentary and his stand up, which gets the audience hungry for the main event: The discussion panel. Prominent thinkers and personalities knife fight their way through topics, with Bill jumping in with a lance now and again to prod the discussion along.

It’s a brutal show if you’re the unpopular one because you’re the punching bag and everyone gets a free hit. Normally I wouldn’t discuss Real Time with Bill Maher on my blog since it’s such a divisive piece of American culture, stamped from the same template as Fox’s Hannity & Colmes. I think that I can discuss this in an entry because I want to highlight a skill that I wish I to become more proficient in: public debate.

The most recent episode had Michael Eric Dyson on the panel, who has excellent debate and speaking skills. Even if you don’t necessarily agree with Michael Eric Dyson’s viewpoint you have to stand in awe. His co-panelist Andrew Breitbart didn’t stand a chance. Dyson had him beat in word choice, clarity, and the mind boggling ability to build an argument from bits of discussion on the fly.

Had I been in Breitbart’s shoes, or if I ever find myself at a podium looking across from Dyson I might just take a note from the armadillo. Roll up in a ball and just ride out the storm.

In the meantime, I’m going to brush up on my vocabulary and public speaking skills so that I can emulate that kind of performance, regardless of the subject.