The County Line
By Warren Strandell
Polk County Commissioner, Dist. 2
It was a few years ago now. Well, more like quite a few years ago. At the time, I was living in Albert Lea, Minn., and was city editor at The Evening Tribune daily newspaper there.
It was then that some colleagues and friends invited me to join the local Toastmasters Club. While attending the first meetings, I heard talk about this Aahs Award that could be given out. It sounded like an award for a speech well done, something pretty good.
Soon, it was time for me to give my first speech. I don’t remember the subject but I remember that I had put some time into preparing it. In the process of preparing, I had actually planned to take the liberty of saying aah at times as I took a breath before moving on with the next bit of brilliance.
After all, I had heard people, some of whom I thought quite highly of, say aah quite regularly, use an aah as they sought out their next words. They did it almost all the time, and I thought it was a cool way of holding a thought and/or the floor.
Anyway, as I got into that first speech, I soon uttered an aah, which immediately triggered the sound of a marble falling into the bottom of a big glass jar. Being naturally nervous and not comfortable in a speaking role in the first place, I became quite startled. I hadn’t realized why the marble hit the bottom of that big jar, but I went on with the speech.
I soon uttered another aah. Another marble hit the bottom of that big jar. With that, I became more nervous, but I went on. Another aah. Another marble. More aahs. More marbles. Soon, it sounded like you were in a tin hut during a hailstorm.
Moral of the story: Aahs aren’t really cool. At least the membership in that Toastmasters Club didn’t think so.
In addition to the aahs that many people use so often are other words that are regularly used in today’s communication.
The “you knows” has to be at the top of the list. A good share of the population uses that one. Other words/sounds are popular, too. Take the “likes” that the younger generation really likes to use. Others include uhs, stuff, and the I means. And there are more. Many of us are guilty of something in that line, and we likely have no idea that we are using them.
As for the Toastmasters experience(s), I was briefly in two clubs, and the second came in Grand Forks a few years later. I never got very far through the manual while in either club. I certainly didn’t become good at public speaking, never became comfortable doing it.
Instead, I found that it has always been much easier to communicate with writing instead of public speaking. That way, you have time to think about the next word before putting anything on paper.
And it eliminates the sound of marbles hitting the bottom of big glass jars. Even if you don’t particularly like doing public speaking, using an ah won’t kill you, you know.
Thoughts for the day:
If profanity had any influence on the flight of the ball, most everyone would play better. Truisms of Golf
You spend 90 percent of your adult life hoping for a long rest and the last 10 years trying to convince the Lord that you’re not that actually not that tired. Robert Brault
Disclaimer: Thoughts expressed in this column are those of the author and are not necessarily a reflection of the opinions of the other members of the Polk County Board
