The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-03-06
Magnetic Woman Speaker
Tells Secret of Success
If You Would Speak Effect
lively You Must Absorb
Your Subject-Even if You
Have to Go Into Retreat.

Whether you are delivering a suf-
frage address to an audience of 5000
or are reading the secretary's report
at the Monday mornings missionary
meeting your success as a speaker will
depend on one thing-whether or not
you have your listeners sympathy.
If you have you are making a sue
cess. If you haven't all the elocu-
ton in the world won't help YOU.
That at least is the opinion of Miss
Lila Van Kirk, who is in Washington
to give her interesting travel talks
on Italy and our own West at the
Washington Club on March s, 10, II
and %.
Il began speaking" said Miss Van
Kirk when a representative of The
Woman's Herald asked her yesterday
for her formula for success as a
speaker. not because l thought of
giving talks as a profession. but be-
cause / had something that l wanted
to say. | was interested in humane
work with dumb animals and l used
TO talk to groups Of children about
being kind to horses in the streets
and about treating their pets with
consideration. | was so interested, so
full of sympathy for the animals
themselves. that ! just had TO make
the cHlluren SPOKE 10 Interested, 100.
And when YOU talk to children"
went on Miss Van Kirk. you have to
make things vivid. You have to get
right down to something that they I'M
derStand. You have to make the chill
dren feel with their ina gination just
what you are saying. yoU have to make
them feel your persona lily. And grown
up audiences are much like children
you will find. You have 10 appeal TO
their Imagination. to their sympathy
II you don't ii doesn't matter how in
teresting your subject or how brilliant
your eloCution.
DO you write out your talks before
you give them" asked the represent
ative of The Woman's Herald. eager to
know the exact method used by this
very clever speaker. and Miss Van Kirk
was strongly negative.
Il simply satUrate myself with my
subject II must be q subject that has
interested me deeply, a subject that ap-
Deals TO my heart as well as to my
intellect and then have to put myself
thoroughly in the mood Of the subject
never accept any invitations or make
any plans for the evening preceding
one of my talks and the day before
my talk I devote entirely to the work
IF preparation. ] make a special point
10 exclude from my mind all thoughts
II anything outside my subject. Thus
saturated | speak spontaneously-and
t is that naturalness and that spon-
taneitv that makes the audience SYM
pathetic. that grips their interest"
Would you advise course of elo- |
cution for a woman who wanted to be- |
come public speaker" was the next
question.
Not necessarily" was Miss Van
Kirk answer. For nv part | never I
O"k any SUCH training Clear enuncia- |
ion. which ought to be taught in every !
,chooI. and the ability to throw the
voice. which il d matter of practice. are
he chief things. When YOU become
md that il is easier than spea king be- /
ore single listener.
There is another thing that counts .
, good deal with the speaker and that .
= the atmosphere of the place in which .
.ou speak. A woman speaker ought !
@ take quite a little thought about .
his. whether it is favora BILE to he sub
eCt which she has TO consider As far |
IS the audience is concerned the atmos-
'here is created for them by what I have
q say and by the views thrown on the
screen. But if l. myself. feel that
am in artistic. harmonious atmosphere.
the lights are what they should ne
md the decorations are inspiring l feel
N enormou. stimulus. And ] think
hat is the case with all women who
peak in public"