Icebreaker Assignments keep me coming back

One of the assignments I have been using for a long time in Public Speaking is called the Icebreaker. In this assignment students are asked to share something in their lives that was a turning point. Last night in Mullins the students had Icebreakers and my head is still shaking at the amazing things that have gone on in some of these lives. The class is all female and what role models they must be in their communities.

One person, a U.S. Air Force veteran has a baby son with a rare disease. She presented the circumstances, she presented the trauma, she presented the joys, the heartaches and the challenges as if she had been on the speaker circuit for years.

Her's was wone of nine stories that kept me riveted throughout the class. Amazing stories and amazing ability to share and this sharing often causes a strong bonding in a class that is hard to match in other circumstances. And, while they are providing the Icebreakers I hope they are realizing that it is anecdotes and personal stories that give the speaker credibility with an audience to help expand horizons.

As I told this class in an email today there is a sign on my door that reads: "Tell me a fact and I will learn. Tell me a truth and I may believe. Tell me a story and it will live on in my heart for ages." The source is an Indian Proverb.