The art of speech (The 16 celestial arts)

When I was a child, due to circumstances in my life, I was brought up by my grandmother. She was a Spanish woman, living from the age of 9 in Brazil, but still her Portuguese was never good which affected the development of my own way of speaking. In Brazil, these things are very serious and discrimination is harsh if someone does not speak at least a standard Portuguese.

A friend of mine helped me to fill the gap and soon I was speaking like a prince! I would become a real fanatic by the language which should be called Brazilian, since our Portuguese is very different (and more beautiful) than the original...

But, life has its traps and here I am, far from my own original and beloved language, which I enjoy by listening to songs and talking a few hours a year. More irony: the profession I have chosen is one where speech is a must.

As a business consultant, coach or author, I need to know how to express myself coherently and powerfully. I need to convince people in the audience, or clarify important concepts for them.

I am not arrogant; I know I don't really master Spanish. In fact, I am used to say that I speak three languages... all of them badly!

But, the art of speech is not about how perfectly you are able to communicate. It is not about beautiful words and the way you use them. It is not a contest...

It is the art of expressing whatever is happening inside you. Isn't it a wonderful thing? We have a whole world happening inside, a gigantic quantity of feelings, emotions, thoughts, experiences being processed, past and future desires... The art of speech is that fine art when you are able to channel that inner treasure. Besides that, you are able to contribute something to your audience, enriching them with your experience.

A tip: don't get caught into the words. Let the soul expresses itself freely. It doesn't matter if you are going to give a talk on global economy, how to take care of dogs or something very intimate to a friend - in all these cases, soul's energy will make the message much more powerful as words won't be just words but they will be a piece of your world.