I’m finding it difficult to think of other things than the mass murder in Palestine.
I know I should be writing about voice coaching – but there is a point here – without a voice, without clear speech, without the translators, the journalists, the brave cameramen whether the professional press or the Palestinian civilians, without them using their voices, in a way that we understand, the plight of the Palestinians would not be heard.
In the West, English is still the main language. If we want people who disagree with us to appreciate our point of view, understand our thinking, come to entertain our argument or at least listen with a slightly open mind, we need to not only speak in the language they will understand but also clearly so that they listen with less prejudice.
Palestinian Families
Twenty three years ago I had a Palestinian lodger.
A very well educated, sophisticated young man, he was studying to be an orthodontist – a dentist who receives further training to help treat abnormalities.
He educated me about the true plight of Palestinians. He told me horror stories he knew from first hand, that only now does the world truly see, thanks to smart phone videos and social media.
He had a beautiful voice and spoke clearly with great annunciation as he told me many sad stories, one of them being how he came to leave his beloved Palestine.
He and his family once had a beautiful house in Jerusalem.
His father was a lawyer, working for and on behalf of, dispossessed Palestinians, thrown out of their homes by Israeli settlers.
He was a problem to the Israeli authorities, so one day, some men came to the door, and his father was shoved into a car and driven away.
He was dumped in Syria.
It was no longer safe for the family to live in their beautiful home, then worth 5 million in 2002 – goodness knows how much that would be worth today – Israeli real estate is very expensive.. and so they had to leave Jerusalem.
The Palestinian was eloquent and compelling though speaking in his third language and he changed my view for ever.
The Past
I am British. I am a child of children of the British Empire.
My very rural primary school still had maps where the majority of the world was pink – the colour of the British Empire on maps and atlases – Churchill’s bravery and leadership and our most important allies – the US – saved my country from being invaded, overrun and terrorised by the Nazi’s – and it was a very close thing…
My mother remembers soldiers hiding in the ditches and hedgerows in the wilds of the West Country, waiting, ready for the invasion from the German soldiers.
She remembers seeing the German fire bombers at night, dropping fire lights to light up the River Wye so that the bombers could navigate their way along the river to bomb our ammunition factories.
I benefited from previous generations’ sacrifices, losses .. and gains.
1947
I am finding it hard to reconcile our part in this Palestine / Israeli mess.
Palestine was a thriving, elegant, beautiful architecturally, world class place to visit before 1947
It wasn’t empty, it was full of Palestinian homes, full of Palestinian mothers and fathers and uncles and aunts and grandmothers and grandfathers with treasured homes and family objects and a love of their land – as we have.
The point is, learning to speak clearly and eloquently can change other peoples views and help educate others to make informed choices.
Practice Your English
If English is your first language, or your chosen language, practice ending your words by sounding the consonants clearly.
Open your mouth by separating your jaw – let there be a gap between your upper and lower teeth – English needs space in the mouth.
Listen to great speakers.
Watch great orators like Barak Obama and Michelle Obama: notice their pacing, their diction, their facial communication as well as how they speak.
If you truly care about something and you want to change peoples’ minds, your way of speaking to them must make it easy for them to understand the content so that they do not have to sift, translate and decipher, what you have just said…
At the moment English is still the most ubiquitous, the most commonly used language in the world and if you are reading this, you probably speak it.
Concentrate on your pronunciation – it will pay dividends – and it may help to save lives.
The United Nations Secretary General Speaks Up For Palestine and The Palestinians
Antonio Guterres’s first language is not English.
However, he has made it his business to sound clear and compelling in English – and if has his way – there might just be… a cease fire for the Palestinians.