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• 11 Tips for Giving a Great Speech

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Chances are you’ll be asked to give speeches or presentations in classes at school. If you get involved in volunteer groups, brief speeches to open events or thank participants are a must. Then there are the speeches at events such as weddings, as well as speeches that you might have to give in the workplace. That amounts to the average person being required to give quite a lot of speeches, even if they don’t get involved in an area such as politics where the ability to give a good speech becomes even more important. You might also have suffered through quite a number of bad speeches from other people – whether that’s at family events where the microphone squeaks the whole way through or a school presentation where the headteacher can’t quite make the jokes work. If you don’t want to inflict the same sort of experience on others, here are our top tips for giving a great speech.

1. Practise your microphone technique

2. Keep it short

Particularly at something like a party or a wedding, no one will be unhappy if your speech runs a little short; it’ll just give them more time to investigate the canapés. If you are giving a speech for a class in school, and it’ll be assessed, you need to prioritise keeping it within the required time limits. But even under these circumstances, if you’ve been tasked – say – with giving a 10-15 minute speech, it’s usually better to come in nearer the 10 than the 15 minute mark. Put simply, even if your speech is terrible, your audience can probably tolerate it for 10 minutes. Much longer, and they’ll be struggling. This shouldn’t limit what you can cover; in the film Up , the whole of Carl and Ellie’s heartbreaking love story is told in under 12 minutes. Do you really need longer to make your points? Achieve brevity by writing out the speech you would give if you had all the time in the world, and then cut anything that seems extraneous or boring.

3. Consider what your audience wants to hear

If you are giving a speech in class because it’s your assignment, what your audience wants to hear is likely to be “the bell ringing for lunch”; you can’t help them there. But under other circumstances, consider what your audience wants to hear and what you want to say, and strive for there to be as much overlap as possible. In the context of a political speech, for instance, what you want to say might be why your party should receive votes; what your audience wants to hear is what your party would do for them, if they won power. Hopefully it should be possible to write a speech that meets both sets of needs, rather than focusing solely on whatever it is that you want to say and leaving your audience disappointed.

4. Pick a theme and stick to it

Here’s a goal for giving a speech: someone sitting near the back, who’s messing around on their phone for at least two-thirds of it and focusing mainly on how long it will be until lunch, should nonetheless be able to give a reasonably accurate answer to the question, “what was it about?” If you’re supposed to be giving a speech in defence of the nuclear deterrent, for example, both the topic and your position on it should be clearly identifiable. This means – to stick with the nuclear deterrent example – not talking for a while about jobs, and then the wider economy, and then the North-South divide, and then Scottish independence, and then Ukraine with a brief digression into South Ossetia before rounding off by squeaking out “and that’s why we should renew Trident!” seconds before you run out of time – no matter how relevant that cornucopia of topics may feel (and they are all relevant, albeit tenuously). It means that even if you do have to take a while to explain a more complex idea, you need to be concise, and bring it back to your theme as quickly as you can.

5. Speak slowly

Most people speak more quickly than they realise when they’re on stage, especially if they’re nervous. But no one will be able to follow your speech if you’re jabbering it out. Thankfully, this one is easy to fix with a little effort and practise. First of all, figure out how quickly you’re actually speaking: do a word count for your speech and then time yourself saying it. A fast speaker will speak at maybe 160 words per minute, a slow speaker at 100 wpm and an average speaker at 130 wpm. For a formal speech, you want to be speaking on the slow side. While this will vary by culture and environment, 120 wpm is a reasonable target to aim for; slow enough that everyone should be able to understand you, and fast enough that you hopefully won’t be sending them to sleep.

6. Tell a couple of jokes

This is a tricky tip because there are lots of pitfalls in the world of telling jokes. For instance, there’s the temptation to include an in-joke that three of your friends will understand and find hilarious, that is utterly baffling to everyone else in the room. Avoid this – if you include any jokes, witty references or anything along those lines, make sure they are accessible to everyone present. All the same, if you can manage a joke or two, it can be a useful way to break up a speech and retain the audience’s interest. A little self-deprecation (not too much!) or the use of classic joke formats such as “the scene was chaotic; it looked as if a bomb had hit and we didn’t know where to start on repairs – but that’s enough about the hen party…” work nicely even if you’re not very confident. Don’t turn it into a stand-up comedy sketch if you’re not a comedian, don’t wait for ages for laughter that’s not showing up, and don’t make jokes at the expense of anyone who you don’t know for sure can take it.

7. Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself if you need to

If you follow US or UK politics at all, you’ve probably heard some of these phrases recently: take back control, make America great again, long-term economic plan, son of a bus driver. Three of these have already led the party or people they’re associated with to electoral victory; the fourth remains to be seen. To take the ‘son of a bus driver’ as an example, this refers to Sadiq Khan, now Mayor of London. There can be hardly anyone in London who doesn’t know what their Mayor’s dad did for a living. Meanwhile, many of them probably can’t remember his rival Zac Goldsmith’s name, let alone anything he said during the campaign. The point is that repetition works. In pursuit of point 4, if you want people to remember your key theme, you’re going to have to say it more than once. Don’t assume that everyone will have paid attention to everything you’ve said, unless you’re in a classroom setting where they’ll get told off if they don’t.

8. Only use the visual aids you need

This tip applies to two things: PowerPoints and notes. If you can do without either (and your assignment allows it), then do. Every time you’re glancing over your notes or up at the screen, fiddling with the laptop to get the slide to move on, fighting with a video that isn’t working or struggling to read your own handwriting, is time that you’re not spending engaging with your audience. A well-written, clear speech delivered without notes is always going to be better than someone awkwardly reading aloud the bullet points on their PowerPoint slides. If you must do a presentation – for instance, because there are photos that need to be included – have as little text on it as possible, preferably none. That way, if there are people at the back who can’t really see the screen through the sea of heads in front of them, they’ll still be able to follow what you’re saying.

9. Get a friend to check for awkward mannerisms

Mannerisms that are entirely fine in normal life become awkward and strange when you’re speaking in public. Perhaps you’re inclined to fiddle with your hair or your cuffs, you rock back and forth on the balls of your feet, or you have a habit of reaching your hand to your cheek when you’re talking. No one would notice in everyday conversation, but when you’re on a stage, it’ll become all they’ll see. Some of this is easily avoidable – for instance, if you have long hair that you’re inclined to twirl or otherwise fiddle with, tie it up. For other mannerisms, get the critical friend who helped you sort out your microphone technique to tell you what they are, and do your best to suppress the more annoying ones.

10. Look around the room

Talking about eye contact usually has the effect of making normal eye contact a lot harder, and so does giving a speech. All of a sudden, you’re up on stage, and you have no idea what a normal way to look at a group of people is. Some speakers deal with this by picking a point in the middle distance and speaking to it; others by picking a particular person near to the back and addressing their entire speech at them. This is obviously no fun for that person, who probably spends the whole thing feeling extremely uncomfortable, but it’s not too weird for everyone else. Better still, though, if you can manage it, is to look slowly and steadily around the room, trying to make eye contact with a decent range of people, before returning to the middle distance for a while, rinse and repeat. This needs to be slow and steady, or you give the impression that you’ve just smelled smoke and are casting about for a fire exit before the stampede beings.

11. Don’t be scared of a good reaction

If your speech is genuinely engaging, funny, inspiring or any of the other things you might hope it would be, your audience will react to it. There might be laughter, or applause, or even a bit of cheering depending on the setting. This can be daunting because when you’re practising your speech in front of your bedroom mirror, there’s no way to prepare for it. And it’s where even the best speakers can go wrong, by launching straight into what they were going to say next without waiting for the laughter or applause to stop, or by looking painfully awkward while it’s going on. It’s a pitfall that’s mostly solved by being aware it might happen. If your audience is applauding you or otherwise reacting well, it’s OK to smile, look up, wait for them to stop and then keep going with your speech – it’s as simple as that. You could even throw in a “thank you” before you continue in the knowledge that it’s all going well. Image credits: microphones ; audience ; boy with microphone ; clock ; winding road ; enjoy a joke ; sticky notes ; 

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14.4 Practicing for Successful Speech Delivery

Learning objectives.

• Explain why having a strong conversational quality is important for effective public speaking.
• Explain the importance of eye contact in public speaking.
• Define vocalics and differentiate among the different factors of vocalics.
• Explain effective physical manipulation during a speech.
• Understand how to practice effectively for good speech delivery.

Christian Pierret – Speech – CC BY 2.0.

There is no foolproof recipe for good delivery. Each of us is unique, and we each embody different experiences and interests. This means each person has an approach, or a style, that is effective for her or him. This further means that anxiety can accompany even the most carefully researched and interesting message. Even when we know our messages are strong and well-articulated on paper, it is difficult to know for sure that our presentation will also be good.

We are still obligated to do our best out of respect for the audience and their needs. Fortunately, there are some tools that can be helpful to you even the very first time you present a speech. You will continue developing your skills each time you put them to use and can experiment to find out which combination of delivery elements is most effective for you.

What Is Good Delivery?

The more you care about your topic, the greater your motivation to present it well. Good delivery is a process of presenting a clear, coherent message in an interesting way. Communication scholar Stephen E. Lucas tells us:

Good delivery…conveys the speaker’s ideas clearly, interestingly, and without distracting the audience. Most audiences prefer delivery that combines a certain degree of formality with the best attributes of good conversation—directness, spontaneity, animation, vocal and facial expressiveness, and a lively sense of communication (Lucas, 2009).

Many writers on the nonverbal aspects of delivery have cited the findings of psychologist Albert Mehrabian, asserting that the bulk of an audience’s understanding of your message is based on nonverbal communication. Specifically, Mehrabian is often credited with finding that when audiences decoded a speaker’s meaning, the speaker’s face conveyed 55 percent of the information, the vocalics conveyed 38 percent, and the words conveyed just 7 percent (Mehrabian, 1972). Although numerous scholars, including Mehrabian himself, have stated that his findings are often misinterpreted (Mitchell), scholars and speech instructors do agree that nonverbal communication and speech delivery are extremely important to effective public speaking.

In this section of the chapter, we will explain six elements of good delivery: conversational style, conversational quality, eye contact, vocalics, physical manipulation, and variety. And since delivery is only as good as the practice that goes into it, we conclude with some tips for effective use of your practice time.

Conversational Style

Conversational style is a speaker’s ability to sound expressive and to be perceived by the audience as natural. It’s a style that approaches the way you normally express yourself in a much smaller group than your classroom audience. This means that you want to avoid having your presentation come across as didactic or overly exaggerated. You might not feel natural while you’re using a conversational style, but for the sake of audience preference and receptiveness, you should do your best to appear natural. It might be helpful to remember that the two most important elements of the speech are the message and the audience. You are the conduit with the important role of putting the two together in an effective way. Your audience should be thinking about the message, not the delivery.

Stephen E. Lucas defines conversational quality as the idea that “no matter how many times a speech has been rehearsed, it still sounds spontaneous” [emphasis in original] (Lucas, 2009). No one wants to hear a speech that is so well rehearsed that it sounds fake or robotic. One of the hardest parts of public speaking is rehearsing to the point where it can appear to your audience that the thoughts are magically coming to you while you’re speaking, but in reality you’ve spent a great deal of time thinking through each idea. When you can sound conversational, people pay attention.

Eye Contact

Eye contact is a speaker’s ability to have visual contact with everyone in the audience. Your audience should feel that you’re speaking to them, not simply uttering main and supporting points. If you are new to public speaking, you may find it intimidating to look audience members in the eye, but if you think about speakers you have seen who did not maintain eye contact, you’ll realize why this aspect of speech delivery is important. Without eye contact, the audience begins to feel invisible and unimportant, as if the speaker is just speaking to hear her or his own voice. Eye contact lets your audience feel that your attention is on them, not solely on the cards in front of you.

Sustained eye contact with your audience is one of the most important tools toward effective delivery. O’Hair, Stewart, and Rubenstein note that eye contact is mandatory for speakers to establish a good relationship with an audience (O’Hair, Stewart, & Rubenstein, 2001). Whether a speaker is speaking before a group of five or five hundred, the appearance of eye contact is an important way to bring an audience into your speech.

Eye contact can be a powerful tool. It is not simply a sign of sincerity, a sign of being well prepared and knowledgeable, or a sign of confidence; it also has the power to convey meanings. Arthur Koch tells us that all facial expressions “can communicate a wide range of emotions, including sadness, compassion, concern, anger, annoyance, fear, joy, and happiness” (Koch, 2010).

If you find the gaze of your audience too intimidating, you might feel tempted to resort to “faking” eye contact with them by looking at the wall just above their heads or by sweeping your gaze around the room instead of making actual eye contact with individuals in your audience until it becomes easier to provide real contact. The problem with fake eye contact is that it tends to look mechanical. Another problem with fake attention is that you lose the opportunity to assess the audience’s understanding of your message. Still, fake eye contact is somewhat better than gripping your cards and staring at them and only occasionally glancing quickly and shallowly at the audience.

This is not to say that you may never look at your notecards. On the contrary, one of the skills in extemporaneous speaking is the ability to alternate one’s gaze between the audience and one’s notes. Rehearsing your presentation in front of a few friends should help you develop the ability to maintain eye contact with your audience while referring to your notes. When you are giving a speech that is well prepared and well rehearsed, you will only need to look at your notes occasionally. This is an ability that will develop even further with practice. Your public speaking course is your best chance to get that practice.

Effective Use of Vocalics

Vocalics , also known as paralanguage, is the subfield of nonverbal communication that examines how we use our voices to communicate orally. This means that you speak loudly enough for all audience members (even those in the back of the room) to hear you clearly, and that you enunciate clearly enough to be understood by all audience members (even those who may have a hearing impairment or who may be English-language learners). If you tend to be soft-spoken, you will need to practice using a louder volume level that may feel unnatural to you at first. For all speakers, good vocalic technique is best achieved by facing the audience with your chin up and your eyes away from your notecards and by setting your voice at a moderate speed. Effective use of vocalics also means that you make use of appropriate pitch, pauses, vocal variety, and correct pronunciation.

If you are an English-language learner and feel apprehensive about giving a speech in English, there are two things to remember: first, you can meet with a reference librarian to learn the correct pronunciations of any English words you are unsure of; and second, the fact that you have an accent means you speak more languages than most Americans, which is an accomplishment to be proud of.

If you are one of the many people with a stutter or other speech challenge, you undoubtedly already know that there are numerous techniques for reducing stuttering and improving speech fluency and that there is no one agreed-upon “cure.” The Academy Award–winning movie The King’s Speech did much to increase public awareness of what a person with a stutter goes through when it comes to public speaking. It also prompted some well-known individuals who stutter, such as television news reporter John Stossel, to go public about their stuttering (Stossel, 2011). If you have decided to study public speaking in spite of a speech challenge, we commend you for your efforts and encourage you to work with your speech instructor to make whatever adaptations work best for you.

Volume refers to the loudness or softness of a speaker’s voice. As mentioned, public speakers need to speak loudly enough to be heard by everyone in the audience. In addition, volume is often needed to overcome ambient noise, such as the hum of an air conditioner or the dull roar of traffic passing by. In addition, you can use volume strategically to emphasize the most important points in your speech. Select these points carefully; if you emphasize everything, nothing will seem important. You also want to be sure to adjust your volume to the physical setting of the presentation. If you are in a large auditorium and your audience is several yards away, you will need to speak louder. If you are in a smaller space, with the audience a few feet away, you want to avoid overwhelming your audience with shouting or speaking too loudly.

Rate is the speed at which a person speaks. To keep your speech delivery interesting, your rate should vary. If you are speaking extemporaneously, your rate will naturally fluctuate. If you’re reading, your delivery is less likely to vary. Because rate is an important tool in enhancing the meanings in your speech, you do not want to give a monotone drone or a rapid “machine-gun” style delivery. Your rate should be appropriate for your topic and your points. A rapid, lively rate can communicate such meanings as enthusiasm, urgency, or humor. A slower, moderated rate can convey respect, seriousness, or careful reasoning. By varying rapid and slower rates within a single speech, you can emphasize your main points and keep your audience interested.

Pitch refers to the highness or lowness of a speaker’s voice. Some speakers have deep voices and others have high voices. As with one’s singing voice range, the pitch of one’s speaking voice is determined to a large extent by physiology (specifically, the length of one’s vocal folds, or cords, and the size of one’s vocal tract). We all have a normal speaking pitch where our voice is naturally settled, the pitch where we are most comfortable speaking, and most teachers advise speaking at the pitch that feels natural to you.

While our voices may be generally comfortable at a specific pitch level, we all have the ability to modulate, or move, our pitch up or down. In fact, we do this all the time. When we change the pitch of our voices, we are using inflections . Just as you can use volume strategically, you can also use pitch inflections to make your delivery more interesting and emphatic. If you ordinarily speak with a soprano voice, you may want to drop your voice to a slightly lower range to call attention to a particular point. How we use inflections can even change the entire meaning of what we are saying. For example, try saying the sentence “I love public speaking” with a higher pitch on one of the words—first raise the pitch on “I,” then say it again with the pitch raised on “love,” and so on. “ I love public speaking” conveys a different meaning from “I love public speaking,” doesn’t it?

There are some speakers who don’t change their pitch at all while speaking, which is called monotone . While very few people are completely monotone, some speakers slip into monotone patterns because of nerves. One way to ascertain whether you sound monotone is to record your voice and see how you sound. If you notice that your voice doesn’t fluctuate very much, you will need to be intentional in altering your pitch to ensure that the emphasis of your speech isn’t completely lost on your audience.

Finally, resist the habit of pitching your voice “up” at the ends of sentences. It makes them sound like questions instead of statements. This habit can be disorienting and distracting, interfering with the audience’s ability to focus entirely on the message. The speaker sounds uncertain or sounds as though he or she is seeking the understanding or approval of the listener. It hurts the speaker’s credibility and it needs to be avoided.

The effective use of pitch is one of the keys to an interesting delivery that will hold your audience’s attention.

Pauses are brief breaks in a speaker’s delivery that can show emphasis and enhance the clarity of a message. In terms of timing, the effective use of pauses is one of the most important skills to develop. Some speakers become uncomfortable very quickly with the “dead air” that the pause causes. And if the speaker is uncomfortable, the discomfort can transmit itself to the audience. That doesn’t mean you should avoid using pauses; your ability to use them confidently will increase with practice. Some of the best comedians use the well-timed pause to powerful and hilarious effect. Although your speech will not be a comedy routine, pauses are still useful for emphasis, especially when combined with a lowered pitch and rate to emphasize the important point you do not want your audience to miss.

Vocal Variety

Vocal variety has to do with changes in the vocalics we have just discussed: volume, pitch, rate, and pauses. No one wants to hear the same volume, pitch, rate, or use of pauses over and over again in a speech. Your audience should never be able to detect that you’re about to slow down or your voice is going to get deeper because you’re making an important point. When you think about how you sound in a normal conversation, your use of volume, pitch, rate, and pauses are all done spontaneously. If you try to overrehearse your vocalics, your speech will end up sounding artificial. Vocal variety should flow naturally from your wish to speak with expression. In that way, it will animate your speech and invite your listeners to understand your topic the way you do.

Pronunciation

The last major category related to vocalics is pronunciation , or the conventional patterns of speech used to form a word. Word pronunciation is important for two reasons: first, mispronouncing a word your audience is familiar with will harm your credibility as a speaker; and second, mispronouncing a word they are unfamiliar with can confuse and even misinform them. If there is any possibility at all that you don’t know the correct pronunciation of a word, find out. Many online dictionaries, such as the Wiktionary ( http://wiktionary.org ), provide free sound files illustrating the pronunciation of words.

Many have commented on the mispronunciation of words such as “nuclear” and “cavalry” by highly educated public speakers, including US presidents. There have been classroom examples as well. For instance, a student giving a speech on the Greek philosopher Socrates mispronounced his name at least eight times during her speech. This mispronunciation created a situation of great awkwardness and anxiety for the audience. Everyone felt embarrassed and the teacher, opting not to humiliate the student in front of the class, could not say anything out loud, instead providing a private written comment at the end of class.

One important aspect of pronunciation is articulation , or the ability to clearly pronounce each of a succession of syllables used to make up a word. Some people have difficulty articulating because of physiological problems that can be treated by trained speech therapists, but other people have articulation problems because they come from a cultural milieu where a dialect other than standard American English is the norm. Speech therapists, who generally guide their clients toward standard American English, use the acronym SODA when helping people learn how to more effectively articulate: substitutions , omissions , distortions , and additions .

• Substitutions occur when a speaker replaces one consonant or vowel with another consonant ( water becomes wudda ; ask becomes ax ; mouth becomes mouf ).
• Omissions occur when a speaker drops a consonant or vowel within a word ( Internet becomes Innet ; mesmerized becomes memerized ; probably becomes prolly ).
• Distortions occur when a speaker articulates a word with nasal or slurring sounds ( pencil sounds like mencil ; precipitation sounds like persination ; second sounds like slecond ).
• Additions occur when a speaker adds consonants or vowels to words that are not there ( anyway becomes anyways ; athletic becomes athaletic ; black becomes buhlack ; interpret becomes interpretate ).

Another aspect of pronunciation in public speaking is avoiding the use of verbal surrogates or “filler” words used as placeholders for actual words (like er , um , uh , etc.). You might be able to get away with saying “um” as many as two or three times in your speech before it becomes distracting, but the same cannot be said of “like.” We know of a student who trained herself to avoid saying “like.” As soon as the first speech was assigned, she began wearing a rubber band on her left wrist. Each time she caught herself saying “like,” she snapped herself with the rubber band. It hurt. Very quickly, she found that she could stop inflicting the snap on herself, and she had successfully confronted an unprofessional verbal habit.

Effective Physical Manipulation

In addition to using our voices effectively, a key to effective public speaking is physical manipulation , or the use of the body to emphasize meanings or convey meanings during a speech. While we will not attempt to give an entire discourse on nonverbal communication, we will discuss a few basic aspects of physical manipulation: posture, body movement, facial expressions, and dress. These aspects add up to the overall physical dimension of your speech, which we call self-presentation.

“Stand up tall!” I’m sure we’ve all heard this statement from a parent or a teacher at some point in our lives. The fact is, posture is actually quite important. When you stand up straight, you communicate to your audience, without saying a word, that you hold a position of power and take your position seriously. If however, you are slouching, hunched over, or leaning on something, you could be perceived as ill prepared, anxious, lacking in credibility, or not serious about your responsibilities as a speaker. While speakers often assume more casual posture as a presentation continues (especially if it is a long one, such as a ninety-minute class lecture), it is always wise to start by standing up straight and putting your best foot forward. Remember, you only get one shot at making a first impression, and your body’s orientation is one of the first pieces of information audiences use to make that impression.

Body Movement

Unless you are stuck behind a podium because of the need to use a nonmovable microphone, you should never stand in one place during a speech. However, movement during a speech should also not resemble pacing. One of our authors once saw a speaker who would walk around a small table where her speaking notes were located. She would walk around the table once, toss her chalk twice, and then repeat the process. Instead of listening to what the speaker was saying, everyone became transfixed by her walk-and-chalk-toss pattern. As speakers, we must be mindful of how we go about moving while speaking. One common method for easily integrating some movement into your speech is to take a few steps any time you transition from one idea to the next. By only moving at transition points, not only do you help focus your audience’s attention on the transition from one idea to the next, but you also are able to increase your nonverbal immediacy by getting closer to different segments of your audience.

Body movement also includes gestures. These should be neither overdramatic nor subdued. At one extreme, arm-waving and fist-pounding will distract from your message and reduce your credibility. At the other extreme, refraining from the use of gestures is the waste of an opportunity to suggest emphasis, enthusiasm, or other personal connection with your topic.

There are many ways to use gestures. The most obvious are hand gestures, which should be used in moderation at carefully selected times in the speech. If you overuse gestures, they lose meaning. Many late-night comedy parodies of political leaders include patterned, overused gestures or other delivery habits associated with a particular speaker. However, the well-placed use of simple, natural gestures to indicate emphasis, direction, size is usually effective. Normally, a gesture with one hand is enough. Rather than trying to have a gesture for every sentence, use just a few well-planned gestures. It is often more effective to make a gesture and hold it for a few moments than to begin waving your hands and arms around in a series of gestures.

Finally, just as you should avoid pacing, you will also want to avoid other distracting movements when you are speaking. Many speakers have unconscious mannerisms such as twirling their hair, putting their hands in and out of their pockets, jingling their keys, licking their lips, or clicking a pen while speaking. As with other aspects of speech delivery, practicing in front of others will help you become conscious of such distractions and plan ways to avoid doing them.

Facial Expressions

Faces are amazing things and convey so much information. As speakers, we must be acutely aware of what our face looks like while speaking. While many of us do not look forward to seeing ourselves on videotape, often the only way you can critically evaluate what your face is doing while you are speaking is to watch a recording of your speech. If video is not available, you can practice speaking in front of a mirror.

There are two extremes you want to avoid: no facial expression and overanimated facial expressions. First, you do not want to have a completely blank face while speaking. Some people just do not show much emotion with their faces naturally, but this blankness is often increased when the speaker is nervous. Audiences will react negatively to the message of such a speaker because they will sense that something is amiss. If a speaker is talking about the joys of Disney World and his face doesn’t show any excitement, the audience is going to be turned off to the speaker and his message. On the other extreme end is the speaker whose face looks like that of an exaggerated cartoon character. Instead, your goal is to show a variety of appropriate facial expressions while speaking.

Like vocalics and gestures, facial expression can be used strategically to enhance meaning. A smile or pleasant facial expression is generally appropriate at the beginning of a speech to indicate your wish for a good transaction with your audience. However, you should not smile throughout a speech on drug addiction, poverty, or the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. An inappropriate smile creates confusion about your meaning and may make your audience feel uncomfortable. On the other hand, a serious scowl might look hostile or threatening to audience members and become a distraction from the message. If you keep the meaning of your speech foremost in your mind, you will more readily find the balance in facial expression.

Another common problem some new speakers have is showing only one expression. One of our coauthors competed in speech in college. After one of his speeches (about how people die on amusement park rides), one of his judges pulled him aside and informed him that his speech was “creepy.” Apparently, while speaking about death, our coauthor smiled the entire time. The incongruity between the speech on death and dying and the coauthor’s smile just left the judge a little creeped out. If you are excited in a part of your speech, you should show excitement on your face. On the other hand, if you are at a serious part of your speech, your facial expressions should be serious.

While there are no clear-cut guidelines for how you should dress for every speech you’ll give, dress is still a very important part of how others will perceive you (again, it’s all about the first impression). If you want to be taken seriously, you must present yourself seriously. While we do not advocate dressing up in a suit every time you give a speech, there are definitely times when wearing a suit is appropriate.

One general rule you can use for determining dress is the “step-above rule,” which states that you should dress one step above your audience. If your audience is going to be dressed casually in shorts and jeans, then wear nice casual clothing such as a pair of neatly pressed slacks and a collared shirt or blouse. If, however, your audience is going to be wearing “business casual” attire, then you should probably wear a sport coat, a dress, or a suit. The goal of the step-above rule is to establish yourself as someone to be taken seriously. On the other hand, if you dress two steps above your audience, you may put too much distance between yourself and your audience, coming across as overly formal or even arrogant.

Another general rule for dressing is to avoid distractions in your appearance. Overly tight or revealing garments, over-the-top hairstyles or makeup, jangling jewelry, or a display of tattoos and piercings can serve to draw your audience’s attention away from your speech. Remembering that your message is the most important aspect of your speech, keep that message in mind when you choose your clothing and accessories.

Self-Presentation

When you present your speech, you are also presenting yourself. Self-presentation, sometimes also referred to as poise or stage presence, is determined by how you look, how you stand, how you walk to the lectern, and how you use your voice and gestures. Your self-presentation can either enhance your message or detract from it. Worse, a poor self-presentation can turn a good, well-prepared speech into a forgettable waste of time. You want your self-presentation to support your credibility and improve the likelihood that the audience will listen with interest.

Your personal appearance should reflect the careful preparation of your speech. Your personal appearance is the first thing your audience will see, and from it, they will make inferences about the speech you’re about to present.

One of the biggest mistakes novice public speakers make is to use the same gesture over and over again during a speech. While you don’t want your gestures to look fake, you should be careful to include a variety of different nonverbal components while speaking. You should make sure that your face, body, and words are all working in conjunction with each other to support your message.

Practice Effectively

You might get away with presenting a hastily practiced speech, but the speech will not be as good as it could be. In order to develop your best speech delivery, you need to practice—and use your practice time effectively. Practicing does not mean reading over your notes, mentally running through your speech, or even speaking your speech aloud over and over. Instead, you need to practice with the goal of identifying the weaknesses in your delivery, improving upon them, and building good speech delivery habits.

When you practice your speech, place both your feet in full, firm contact with the floor to keep your body from swaying side to side. Some new public speakers find that they don’t know what to do with their hands during the speech. Your practice sessions should help you get comfortable. When you’re not gesturing, you can rest your free hand lightly on a lectern or simply allow it to hang at your side. Since this is not a familiar posture for most people, it might feel awkward, but in your practice sessions, you can begin getting used to it.

Seek Input from Others

Because we can’t see ourselves as others see us, one of the best ways to improve your delivery is to seek constructive criticism from others. This, of course, is an aspect of your public speaking course, as you will receive evaluations from your instructor and possibly from your fellow students. However, by practicing in front of others before it is time to present your speech, you can anticipate and correct problems so that you can receive a better evaluation when you give the speech “for real.”

Ask your practice observers to be honest about the aspects of your delivery that could be better. Sometimes students create study groups just for this purpose. When you create a study group of classroom peers, everyone has an understanding of the entire creative process, and their feedback will thus be more useful to you than the feedback you might get from someone who has never taken the course or given a speech.

If your practice observers seem reluctant to offer useful criticisms, ask questions. How was your eye contact? Could they hear you? Was your voice well modulated? Did you mispronounce any words? How was your posture? Were your gestures effective? Did you have any mannerisms that you should learn to avoid? Because peers are sometimes reluctant to say things that could sound critical, direct questions are often a useful way to help them speak up.

If you learn from these practice sessions that your voice tends to drop at the ends of sentences, make a conscious effort to support your voice as you conclude each main point. If you learn that you have a habit of clicking a pen, make sure you don’t have a pen with you when you speak or that you keep it in your pocket. If your practice observers mention that you tend to hide your hands in the sleeves of your shirt or jacket, next time wear short sleeves or roll your sleeves up before beginning your speech. If you learn through practice that you tend to sway or rock while you speak, you can consciously practice and build the habit of not swaying.

When it is your turn to give feedback to others in your group, assume that they are as interested in doing well as you are. Give feedback in the spirit of helping their speeches be as good as possible.

Use Audio and/or Video to Record Yourself

Technology has made it easier than ever to record yourself and others using the proliferation of electronic devices people are likely to own. Video, of course, allows you the advantage of being able to see yourself as others see you, while audio allows you to concentrate on the audible aspects of your delivery. As we mentioned earlier in the chapter, if neither video nor audio is available, you can always observe yourself by practicing your delivery in front of a mirror.

After you have recorded yourself, it may seem obvious that you should watch and listen to the recording. This can be intimidating, as you may fear that your performance anxiety will be so obvious that everyone will notice it in the recording. But students are often pleasantly surprised when they watch and listen to their recordings, as even students with very high anxiety may find out that they “come across” in a speech much better than they expected.

A recording can also be a very effective diagnostic device. Sometimes students believe they are making strong contact with their audiences, but their cards contain so many notes that they succumb to the temptation of reading. By finding out from the video that you misjudged your eye contact, you can be motivated to rewrite your notecards in a way that doesn’t provide the opportunity to do so much reading.

It is most likely that in viewing your recording, you will benefit from discovering your strengths and finding weak areas you can strengthen.

Good Delivery Is a Habit

Luckily, public speaking is an activity that, when done conscientiously, strengthens with practice. As you become aware of the areas where your delivery has room for improvement, you will begin developing a keen sense of what “works” and what audiences respond to.

It is advisable to practice out loud in front of other people several times, spreading your rehearsals out over several days. To do this kind of practice, of course, you need to have your speech be finalized well ahead of the date when you are going to give it. During these practice sessions, you can time your speech to make sure it lasts the appropriate length of time. A friend of ours was the second student on the program in an event where each student’s presentation was to last thirty to forty-five minutes. After the first student had been speaking for seventy-five minutes, the professor in charge asked, “Can we speed this up?” The student said yes, and proceeded to continue speaking for another seventy-five minutes before finally concluding his portion of the program. Although we might fault the professor for not “pulling the plug,” clearly the student had not timed his speech in advance.

Your practice sessions will also enable you to make adjustments to your notecards to make them more effective in supporting your contact with your audience. This kind of practice is not just a strategy for beginners; it is practiced by many highly placed public figures with extensive experience in public speaking.

Your public speaking course is one of the best opportunities you will have to manage your performance anxiety, build your confidence in speaking extemporaneously, develop your vocal skills, and become adept at self-presentation. The habits you can develop through targeted practice are to build continuously on your strengths and to challenge yourself to find new areas for improving your delivery. By taking advantage of these opportunities, you will gain the ability to present a speech effectively whenever you may be called upon to speak publicly.

Key Takeaways

• Conversational style is a speaker’s ability to sound expressive while being perceived by the audience as natural. Conversational quality is a speaker’s ability to prepare a speech and rehearse a speech but still sound spontaneous when delivering it.
• Eye contact helps capture and maintain an audience’s interest while contributing to the speaker’s credibility.
• Vocalics are the nonverbal components of the verbal message. There are six important vocalic components for a speaker to be aware of: volume (loudness or softness), pitch (highness or lowness), rate (fastness or slowness), pauses (use of breaks to add emphasis), vocal variety (use of a range of vocalic strategies), and pronunciation (using conventional patterns of speech formation).
• Physical manipulation is the use of one’s body to add meaning and emphasis to a speech. As such, excessive or nonexistent physical manipulation can detract from a speaker’s speech.
• Good delivery is a habit that is built through effective practice.
• Find a speech online and examine the speaker’s overall presentation. How good was the speaker’s delivery? Make a list of the aspects of delivery in this chapter and evaluate the speaker according to the list. In what areas might the speaker improve?
• Record a practice session of your speech. Write a self-critique, answering the following questions: What surprised you the most? What is an area of strength upon which you can build? What is one area for improvement?

Koch, A. (2010). Speaking with a purpose (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, p. 233.

Lucas, S. E. (2009). The art of public speaking (9th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill, p. 244.

Mehrabian, A. (1972). Nonverbal communication . Chicago, IL: Aldine-Atherton.

Mitchell, O. (n.d.). Mehrabian and nonverbal communication [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.speakingaboutpresenting.com/presentation-myths/mehrabian-nonverbal-communication-research

O’Hair, D., Stewart, R., & Rubenstein, H. (2001). A speaker’s guidebook: Text and reference. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Stossel, J. (2011, March 2). An Academy Award–winning movie, stuttering and me [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=42081

Stand up, Speak out Copyright © 2016 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Definition of giver

Examples of giver in a sentence.

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Word History

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing giver

• Indian giver

Dictionary Entries Near giver

give priority

give/sacrifice one's life

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“Giver.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/giver. Accessed 24 May. 2024.

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Aristotelian Piety for a Liberal Politics

by Mary P. Nichols May 24, 2024

I n recent decades there have been many thoughtful attempts to look beyond liberal political theory for a more satisfactory understanding of political life, and to find resources for combatting the radical individualism, moral relativism, and hedonistic self-gratification to which liberalism’s theories of individual rights and human autonomy may all too easily lead. There are those who argue that liberal practice, in distinction from liberal theory, requires and fosters liberal virtues (for example, self-reliance and toleration) appropriate to free and self-governing individuals. Others appeal to participatory democracy and engaged citizenship as conducive to human and political flourishing, some even finding support in Aristotle’s view of political community. Paul Ludwig shows how civic friendship exists in liberal regimes, especially in widespread civic associations and even in commercial activity, and how it extends to citizen’s shared assumptions about their regime. The ways in which civic friendship supports liberal communities are obscured by liberal theory itself, he argues, but Aristotle’s understanding of political friendship or like-mindedness provides a framework for understanding liberalism—a corrective not for its institutions, but for how we understand them. Such an understanding would nevertheless make a difference for the laws, policies, and practices that we support and reject, and even more important for what we admire in our fellow citizens and statesmen.

Others reject liberalism altogether. “Integralists,” for example, seek to base public life on Christian, often Catholic, principles, and thereby dissolve the separation between religion and politics. Adrian Vermuele, for example, writes that the question is not whether liberalism is desirable—for its demise is inevitable—but whether we can lessen the birth pangs of its successor. He proposes that “nonliberal actors strategically locate themselves within liberal institutions and work to undo the liberalism of the state from within.” Patrick Deneen, in Why Liberalism Failed , argues that the “accumulating catastrophe” of liberalism—its “titanic inequality,” its “uniformity and homogeneity,” its “material and spiritual degradation”—stem from its core understanding of human autonomy and its concomitant denial of any borders or limits, socially, morally, or politically. Unlike Ludwig, who sees the possibility of civic friendship on both the national and the local level, Deneen looks for alternatives to liberalism in local, faith-based communities, in family life, and in their transmission of culture and tradition that enriches human lives. He clearly states that Vermeule’s Catholic integralism is impossible “for the world’s first Protestant nation,” but religion is so integral to Deneen’s position that at least one commentator has observed that his “desire for a viable alternative to liberalism requires that the Christian religion regain an authoritative role in public life.”

The controversy that Deneen’s book aroused suggests that it struck a nerve in the American psyche, as do the series of critiques of liberalism over the last decades attest to a liberalism dissatisfied with itself. Its weakness and self-doubt have become increasingly visible in the United States recently in the inability of its leaders to address obstacles that race presents to our political community. Too often the desire for perfect justice in defining “merit” as the principle of distributive justice or the belief that we can repair past injustices through some perfect formula of corrective justice gets in the way of generating the “like-mindedness” or “civic friendship” that might allow for a healthy diverse community.

My exploration of piety and politics in Aristotle’s Ethics follows in the footsteps of those looking to Aristotle for a richer view of human nature and politics than found in liberal political theory. The alternative to liberal theory that I find in Aristotle provides support for liberal institutions and practices, while justifying them on the basis of higher potentials of human nature and at the same time more modest expectations. A pious understanding of what in us is akin to the divine encourages our virtuous actions and pursuit of the truth, fostered by our thinking and acting with fellow citizens and friends. Beings akin to the divine are capable of virtue, both ethical and intellectual, and beings only akin to the divine should not expect ethical or intellectual perfection, but only the “blessedness” possible for human beings, as Aristotle put it. If our kinship with the divine militates against radical secularism, our distance from the divine checks moral righteousness and impositions of religious orthodoxy. Aristotelian piety, as I have attempted to show, is based not on any divine revelation that dictates truth, or on any authoritative theology, but on inquiries such as Aristotle’s in the Ethics that explore the affinity and distance between human and divine. On such grounds we can justify such liberal institutions and practices as deliberative assemblies, inclusive governing institutions, freedom of speech and religion, fostering a friendly environment for religious communities as well as prohibitions against an established church, and a statesmanship that guides the many components of the political order toward a common good. An Aristotelian understanding of politics can inform how we view our own liberal institutions and practices, elevate our common lives, and provide a basis for their defense against those who criticize the selfishness, hedonism, and general moral bankruptcy of contemporary liberal culture.

I therefore concur with Ludwig that we need less a reform of our institutions than a new way to understand them. To this end, I argue that Aristotle’s “philosophy of human affairs,” which never loses sight of the human relation to the divine, recognizes the religious or spiritual foundation of human life and community that weighs so heavily in critiques of liberalism such as Deneen’s. Whereas Aristotle rejects any strict separation of religion and politics, the linking of piety and politics that he attempts to forge also recognizes the dangers to freedom from integrating the two as closely as integralists might wish. Aristotle’s distinctive understanding of human beings as political and rational elevates them above the beasts and separates them from the divine. The piety growing out of this understanding supports liberal institutions and practices that foster virtue in a way that gives new meaning to a liberal way of life.

Our virtues for Aristotle are manifestations of freedom, but their exercise requires living with others and sharing in speeches and actions. They are not simply the “liberal virtues” sought as instrumental to liberal society, but the virtues that are the conditions for human happiness. They are exercised in our communities, and derive support from them, while they come in part through our own efforts. That is why our virtuous deeds are deserving of praise, and our failures are deserving of blame. Aristotle’s defense of freedom therefore cannot lead to a moral relativism when it insists on the deliberation and choice essential to virtue.

The virtues for Aristotle are both ethical and intellectual. Aristotle’s defense of freedom and community—and their connection—is based not only on ethical virtue but also on our desire to know the truth, especially the truth about the highest beings or being in the cosmos. We are beings who unlike beasts have “longing minds” and “intellectual longings.” Our mind, Aristotle says, is something divine in us, but it is “longing” mind. Longing indicates the absence of what we long for. Aristotle never attributes longing to the divine. Our longing mind supports our trust in a good or divinity that is “beyond us” for which we long and makes us akin to the divine, even though no divine being need pursue truth or deliberate. When Aristotle says that our choices can be understood as longing mind or intellectual longing, he means that we are free beings who are moved to pursue the truth and are capable of doing so and that our longing—our desires, our spiritedness, and our wishing, indeed, our actions, including our politics—can be informed by thought.

Our freedom therefore does not make us the autonomous individuals of liberal theory. That the divine is beyond us means that we are incomplete or imperfect beings whose happiness depends on others and on what is beyond our control. Our incompleteness means that we are political by nature, that friends are goods indispensable for our lives, and that we are indebted to our families and others for our nurture and education and owe them care in turn. As Aristotle says, self-sufficiency does not mean what suffices for someone by himself, living a solitary life, but what is sufficient with respect to parents, offspring, a spouse, and friends and fellow citizens (1097b8–12). Aristotle’s statement that we are “joint causes” of our dispositions and actions (1114b24) acts as a reproach to those who see themselves as sole causes of themselves, who forget what they owe to families and political communities and even to what they have been given by nature. We are like the munificent individual who has resources with which to begin, and the scientist who knows beforehand what he needs for science (1122b29–33, 1139b27). In all these ways, Aristotle’s rejection of human autonomy and defense of community resonates with the concerns of many contemporary critics of liberalism. His defense of community, however, is a defense of a limited government that supports the development of the communal ties that he understands as defining a human life. These include the resources of liberalism for civic friendship that Ludwig explores.

When Aristotle says that we are “joint causes” of our dispositions and actions, he also defends individual freedom against those who emphasize the extent to which human lives are embedded in their communities. Individuals are also causes of their dispositions and actions, not simply their families, political communities, or friends. Aristotle insisted that virtuous action does not simply follow the dictates of prudence but that it be accompanied by prudence (144b22–28), or that to be virtuous we must exercise our own judgment and not just follow the good judgment of another. So too our good does not depend entirely on the communities to which we belong, however much they are necessary to protect and to foster it. Our families are not the only source of our nurture and education, for political communities further the work of the family. Apart from political communities, moreover, there are those with whom we “share in philosophy” (1164b3). However much lawgivers and statesmen arrange matters in their communities, Aristotle warns that they do not command the gods (1145a10–11). That the divine is beyond us leaves us free to pursue our good; indeed, it calls us to do so. Aristotle therefore objects to those who fail to accept any responsibility for their actions but trace them to causes outside themselves, or who understand themselves as simply a part of a whole, as, for example, a father or a citizen rather than as a human being.

That the divine is beyond us suggests our incompleteness, which makes our belonging to communities necessary and desirable. The divine that is beyond us is also beyond the communities that we form with others. Piety so understood cautions us against the dangers of any identification of religion and politics. Such piety would support the separation of church and state not because both are autonomous, their integrity threatened and violated by interference from the other, but because both are incomplete, with the goods they provide necessarily tied to their incompleteness. If the divine is beyond us, religion would support moderation and tolerance, rather than seek to impose its view on others. So too legislators and statesmen who are aware of their own limits in relation to the divine would hold back from trying to dictate to religion. Just as Aristotle questions the completeness of the law, such as its need for the Graces, natural justice, and equity, and clearly insists that politics cannot replace the work of families, piety too would limit politics’ reach. Both religion and politics might work together in fostering the blessings that flow from human incompleteness and in deriving support from the other in doing so. Church is separated from state, but politics and piety are entangled, in the support they need from the other.

Moreover, our incompleteness and longing that leads us to community and the achievements it makes possible also make us aware of ourselves apart from our communities. We are political by nature, but it remains for us to investigate what causes regimes to be governed beautifully or not, and what sort of regime is the best (1181b13–24). We face perplexities, while we wonder at our resources and at their source or cause. Even when we wonder with others, our wonder is our own. We act in light of our wonder, with the encouragement and moderation it gives us, in concert with others, to be sure, but also as distinct individuals who can therefore act as causes. Time after time, we have seen how Aristotle’s discussions in the Ethics attempt to maintain this complex vision that weaves together freedom with community, private with public, and piety with politics. Consider, by way of a summary, his treatments of greatness of soul, justice, philosophy, and friendship.

Aristotle describes the great-souled individual as apparently free of the impediments that circumscribe others and limit their action, as if he could stand alone, as it were, as the best thing in the cosmos. It turns out, however, that he lacks knowledge of his own dependence on others, and that his lack of self-knowledge prevents him from undertaking the activity he craves and that alone makes him worthy of the honor he deems he deserves (e.g., 1124b18, 24–25). By appealing to his desire to perform worthy deeds, to his dependence on honor and his shame, and even to his inclination to truthfulness, and by gesturing toward friendship, Aristotle attempts to bring him into the community, in ways that sustain rather than diminish his freedom. In his treatment of greatness of soul, Aristotle shows that belonging to a community, or living with others, both frees one from the inactivity or idleness of self-sufficiency and checks any presumptions of divinity.

Although Aristotle first speaks of justice as the lawful, and of laws as commanding every virtue and forbidding every vice (1129b1, 1130b24–25), throughout his discussion of justice he shows the limits of law. In addition to the laws, the community is supported by what Aristotle calls reciprocal justice, an exchange of harms for harms and goods for goods (1132b34– 35). In particular, shrines to the Graces are displayed in prominent places, hence public ones, to encourage returning benefits and even initiating them. Not all the Greek gods, to be sure, but these beneficent ones whom Aristotle calls forth, serve to illustrate the reliance of the city on the divine for fostering the beneficent deeds that hold it together and for encouraging human beings to act as causes—to initiate good deeds rather than simply to perform them in return (1133a2–6). Even more than reciprocity is needed, inasmuch as there must be a first giver for there to be giving in return. In Aristotle’s example, the Graces by such encouragement are the first givers who serve as models for human beings to be so. So too there is a natural justice that belongs to political justice and that structures and informs law for those who can share ruling and being ruled in their political communities. Finally, equity, as Aristotle describes it, which corrects the universality of the law in light of individual cases, inclines to pardon (1143a19–24), thereby giving the individual case more than it is strictly or legally due. It is moved by a grace that goes beyond reciprocity.

The most significant and obvious division in the intellectual virtues that Aristotle makes is between prudence and wisdom. The division limits the scope of political life, for although prudence is concerned with only what is good for human beings, wisdom involves the highest or best things in the cosmos (1141a19–b2). At the same time, the division also protects political life against a wisdom that might claim divine-like knowledge, such as possessed by the Republic ’s philosopher-kings, and by implication those who attempt to derive an authority to rule from religious orthodoxy, or even those whose secular orthodoxies entertain no doubt about their own wisdom. Prudence, not wisdom, is the virtue that guides politics. In a sense, however, Aristotle’s own way of philosophizing bridges the gap between these intellectual virtues, for he investigates not only the human goods, but their relation to the best or highest in the cosmos. His focus therefore does not demote politics in light of the higher but rather elevates it by trying to understand its place in a whole larger than itself, and indeed the ways in which human life touches divinity.

Aristotle offers an alternative to modern liberalism’s radical disjunction between public and private life also in his treatment of friendship in the Ethics . There he explores the ways in which families and politics remain distinct but codependent. Good family relations serve as models for good regimes and act as a reproach to deviant ones (1160a31–1161a9). Families serve politics at the same time politics serve families. Politics guards against the oppressive family relations that model deviant or unjust regimes, if only by providing a broader context for human life that limits the reach of the family over its members. More important, political communities also advance the ends of the family—the provision of life, nurturing, and education of the new generation that Aristotle identifies as the work of parents (1161a17–16, 1162a5–8). Politics depends on families to begin this work that is its highest calling.

Friendship, at least some friendships, nevertheless go beyond the scope of the law—friends who “have no need of justice” (1153a26–28), for friends receive not merely their due from each other but more than their due. Like Homer’s heroes, “two [friends] go together,” because they “are better able both to think and to act” (1155a15–16), but unlike Homer’s heroes their thoughts and actions have less to do with war than with their own reciprocal giving and receiving and with the kind of world or cosmos in which their giving and receiving can occur. Once again, Aristotle has drawn the outlines of a limited politics, limited, on one hand, by the families out of which political communities arise and whose ends they advance, and, on the other, by friendships that transcend politics. Those include communities that come together for the sake of worship (1160a19–25) and those that “share in philosophy” (1164b3, 1172a5). Although such friendships transcend political life, they arise with the development of political life, when human relations extend beyond family members. Paralleling the relation between piety and politics, private and public for Aristotle remain distinct but are also inseparable. Because Aristotle holds that they remain distinct, he can speak to liberals. Because he holds that they are inseparable, he has something to say.

Our Declaration of Independence speaks the language of liberal political theory, even echoing Locke when it proclaims our inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But it also says that we are endowed with these rights by our Creator. Our rights are a divine gift, whether from our Creator or from Nature’s God, which the Declaration also mentions. Even if such phrases were included for their rhetorical appeal, that appeal recognized the beliefs of many Americans. They became inscribed in what became one of our fundamental documents that declared our political principles. “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” That our inalienable rights are God-given qualifies human autonomy, even though they mean that how we choose to live, what we do with our freedom, and how we pursue happiness are “up to us,” to use Aristotle’s words. Indeed, such freedom means that all things are arranged “in the most beautiful way,” since only if we achieve our happiness will it be truly our own. That we are free to earn our happiness is a divine gift (1099b12–24). Our happiness is not by nature, nor contrary to nature, but like the ethical virtues themselves, our natures allow us to receive it. The proper human response is gratitude. It is also an acceptance of responsibility. We have been given, and we should give in return. In this way, Aristotle fosters a reverence for life, not because we can make it what we will, but because we can make it good. A political community that recognizes this could pledge allegiance to a nation as “under God,” and might print on its coins “In God We Trust.” As Aristotle said, we should acknowledge what we owe and make whatever return we can, even though such debt can never be repaid.

Such moderation that emerges from Aristotle’s teaching in the Ethics is one that is proper for those engaged in political life, since it means that politics serves something higher than itself, and proper for those concerned with what is highest, whether religion or a philosophy that is open to the divine. Their pursuit of the highest does not merely require respect and protection from political life for its flourishing. That pursuit, as Aristotle suggests by his deeds in the Ethics , requires investigating the relation between the highest (whether understood as the highest good, the divine, or the cosmos) and human longing, and therewith actions that aim at the just, the beautiful or the noble, and the good. That pursuit requires, in other words, attention to political life, to its highest reaches and to its limits. Learning about both requires experience, from our own attempts to contribute and from those of others. Only then should we accept limits, while never ceasing to demand the highest from ourselves and others.

EDITORIAL NOTE: This essay is excerpted from the chapter, “Afterthoughts: Aristotelian Piety for a Liberal Politics,” in Aristotle’s Discovery of the Human: Piety and Politics in the “Nicomachean Ethics” by Mary P. Nichols. It is part of an ongoing collaboration with the University of Notre Dame Press . You can read our excerpts from this collaboration here . All rights reserved.

Featured Image: Botticelli, Primavera, 1572; Source: Wikimedia Commons, PD-Old-100. 

Mary P. Nichols

Read more by Mary P. Nichols

We Are Family: On Fraternal Liberalism

June 16, 2022 | Terence Sweeney

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Definition of giver noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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Meaning of giver in English

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• giver Women are the primary gift givers in households.
• donor One anonymous donor contributed $1 million.
• benefactor Pip is told he has a mysterious benefactor and is going to be very well off.
• philanthropist The philanthropist has given a large chunk of his fortune to good causes.
• sponsor London Fashion Week is funded by corporate sponsors.
• backer They were lucky to find two wealthy backers.
• She was always a generous giver of her time .
• It is good to be both the giver and receiver of pleasure .
• Both the bribe giver and taker should be punished .
• A plaque could be put up on a bench of the giver's choice .
• Are you an impulse giver or do you only make planned donations ?
• bring something back
• claw something back
• regain consciousness
• reintroduce
• reintroduction
• send something back
• syndication
• take something back
• turn something over to someone

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Speech evaluation: getting good feedback

How to give & get useful feedback, plus a printable public speaking evaluation form

By:  Susan Dugdale   | Last modified: 06-08-2023

Did you know that receiving an informed speech evaluation is an invaluable part of developing public speaking competence and confidence?

Even though it might seem scary to ask for, and then to receive, specific suggestions and comments about what you've done, how else do you learn what worked and what needs further refinement?

If you want to move forward, to improve your presentation skills, receiving, and giving, good feedback is vital.

Use this page to find out more

If you want informative feedback and you're not a member of a public speaking club, this page is for you. 

You'll find out how a speech is formally assessed:

• the aspects/areas focused on  in an evaluation,
• the 5-point sliding scale used to rate performance ,
• how to get a meaningful speech evaluation ,
• how to use an evaluation to improve your performance
• and there's a  printable public speaking evaluation form to download.

What is a good speech evaluation? 

And how do you get one.

Unfortunately there are few situations outside of specialist public speaking programs, like those in schools, or clubs like Toastmasters International , where you can get a thorough and useful speech evaluation.

Despite the ability to present well being recognized as a desirable skill it's seldom encouraged with careful, thoughtful feedback. Often the most you can hope for is a generalized " It was OK ", " Great ", or the dreaded: " Mmm, perhaps we'll give xxx a turn next time " type of comment.

Nice or nasty, it doesn't tell you anything useful.

What is rated in a speech evaluation?

The areas most commonly focused on are:

• Did it capture attention & interest?
• Was the topic introduced clearly?
• Was the topic related to the audience?
• Did the speaker have topic-credibility?
• Was the body of the speech previewed?
• Were the main points clear?
• Were the main points supported?
• Were the main points logically presented?
• Were the transitions between main points clear & effective?
• Was the transition to the end of the speech signaled?
• Was there a summary of principal points?
• Was there an effective close and/or call to action?
• Was the language used appropriate for the topic & the audience
• Was the language varied?
• Were the notes, visual aids etc. organized before the start?
• Was the beginning poised?
• Was there good use of eye contact?
• Was the body language (posture & gesture) controlled & effective?
• Was the speaking rate flexible & effective?
• Was the speaking volume appropriate & varied?
• Was there fluency, an absence of fillers like 'ahs' & 'ums'?
• Was vocal variety used, changes in pitch & tone, & good use of pausing?
• Did the speaker show enthusiasm for the topic?
• Were there visual aids & were they appropriate & integrated into the speech?
• Did the speech finish with poise?

Overall evaluation

• Did the speaker achieve the assignment's purpose?
• Was the topic researched?
• Did the topic adapt well to the audience?
• Were the audience interested?
• Was the speech completed within the time limit?

How are these areas/aspects rated?

In a formal speech evaluation , such as one done by a teacher in a high school public speaking class, variations on a sliding scale are used.

The most common is a  5 point scale :

• P  (poor)
• F  (fair)
• A  (average)
• G  (good)
• E  (excellent)

You can see this scale in use on the downloadable public speaking evaluation form available from the link at the foot of the page.

The person doing the rating will actively listen and watch the speech evaluating each element.

The final assessment will generally show a range (up and down the scale) over most of the aspects. Therefore a speech can be seen to be  'good'  in some areas,  'excellent'  in others and perhaps  'fair'  in one or two.

Getting a thorough speech evaluation

If you're not in a public speaking class or a member of an organization like Toastmasters International and the people you work with don't provide criteria-based feedback you have two options.

• find a class or a  Toastmasters  group in your area.
• organize your own feedback givers using the information outlined above with the suggestions below.

Organizing you own speech evaluators

• Ask a person whose judgement and maturity you respect whether they'll accept the role, and be present at your next speech or presentation. Perhaps you can team up with them and trade evaluations taking turn about. 
• Download and print off several copies of the speech evaluation form.
• Go through the form with your evaluator explaining the process. Highlight any areas you particularly want noticed.
• Establish how you want the rating scale interpreted. A good way to set the benchmark is to listen to an excellent speaker. You could choose one from here:  The Top 100 American Speeches
• Have your evaluator listen to your speech and provide feedback  before  you give it in front of an audience. This will provide a foundation for their comments when they complete your speech evaluation 'proper'.

Working with your speech evaluation

You've got your evaluation. Now what do you with it?

Go through it with your evaluator. Bear in mind  before  you do:

• that an evaluation is an opinion. At best it is an informed one with knowledge and experience behind it.   If you find areas you disagree over, do try and understand them from the evaluator's point of view. Often what we  think  we do and what we  actually do  are two completely different things.
• that a poor or fair rating represents an opportunity to develop rather than a reason to give up public speaking.

Use the ratings as a guide on where to focus your energy.

For example, if you're rated well on the delivery items but have fallen on the content, (introduction, body, conclusion), you know that for your next speech you'll spend the bulk of your preparation time organizing your content.

Keep your completed speech evaluation forms. It's great to be able to refer back to them to see how far you've come and it's interesting to compare how different evaluators pick up on different aspects to comment on.

Toastmasters International

For more information on the importance of evaluations and the role they play in improving public speaking skills visit Toastmasters International - Effective Evaluation .

I got my first really helpful feedback once I joined Toastmasters. It didn't happen as part of my teacher training, which is extraordinary given that teaching IS presentation.

Neither was it part of other work places I got to know. 

Good presentation skills are not innate. Like other skills they need to be learned.  Giving and receiving evaluations will speed your progress. 

Download a printable speech evaluation form

It's simple to use & suitable for:

• students  wanting to know more about the assessment criteria for their prepared speeches
• anybody wanting structured feedback on their public speaking.

The form lists all the important elements that collectively make a successful speech alongside a 5 point rating scale. Download the speech evaluation form

Do you want to know more about planning, writing and rehearsing speeches?

• Here's a sample speech outline page. It has a handy downloadable blank speech outline form ready and waiting for your notes.
• You'll find more about planning your speech here. This page takes you through the sequence of planning decisions and shows you how they are guided by knowledge of your audience.
• When you've done all your planning you can find out about how to write your speech
• And then it's fun time. Find out how to rehearse. Yes, practice does make perfect!
• Return to top of the speech evaluation page

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The Giver: A Newbery Award Winner (Giver Quartet, 1) Paperback – July 1, 1993

Purchase options and add-ons.

In Lois Lowry’s Newbery Medal–winning classic, twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does he begin to understand the dark secrets behind his fragile community.

Life in the community where Jonas lives is idyllic. Designated birthmothers produce newchildren, who are assigned to appropriate family units. Citizens are assigned their partners and their jobs. No one thinks to ask questions. Everyone obeys. Everyone is the same. Except Jonas.

Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. Gradually Jonas learns that power lies in feelings. But when his own power is put to the test—when he must try to save someone he loves—he may not be ready. Is it too soon? Or too late?

Told with deceptive simplicity, this is the provocative story of a boy who experiences something incredible and undertakes something impossible. In the telling it questions every value we have taken for granted and reexamines our most deeply held beliefs.

The Giver has become one of the most influential novels of our time. Don't miss the powerful companion novels in Lois Lowry's Giver Quartet: Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son .

• Print length 240 pages
• Language English
• Grade level 7 - 9
• Lexile measure 760L
• Dimensions 5.5 x 0.62 x 8.25 inches
• Publisher Clarion Books
• Publication date July 1, 1993
• ISBN-10 0544336267
• ISBN-13 978-0544336261
• See all details

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From the publisher, editorial reviews.

“A powerful and provocative novel." — New York Times

"Wrought with admirable skill—the emptiness and menace underlying this Utopia emerge step by inexorable step: a richly provocative novel." — Kirkus Reviews   (starred review)

“Lowry is once again in top form raising many questions while answering few, and unwinding a tale fit for the most adventurous readers.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The simplicity and directness of Lowry's writing force readers to grapple with their own thoughts.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Lois Lowry has written a fascinating, thoughtful science-fiction novel. The story is skillfully written; the air of disquiet is delicately insinuated. And the theme of balancing the virtues of freedom and security is beautifully presented." — Horn Book (starred review)

" The Giver  has things to say that cannot be said too often, and I hope there will be many, many young people who will be willing to listen. A warning in narrative form." — Washington Post

About the Author

Lois Lowry is the author of more than forty books for children and young adults, including the New York Times bestselling Giver Quartet and the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, Number the Stars and The Giver .

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

1 It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened. No. Wrong word, Jonas thought. Frightened meant that deep, sickening feeling of something terrible about to happen. Frightened was the way he had felt a year ago when an unidentified aircraft had overflown the community twice. He had seen it both times. Squinting toward the sky, he had seen the sleek jet, almost a blur at its high speed, go past, and a second later heard the blast of sound that followed. Then one more time, a moment later, from the opposite direction, the same plane.

At first, he had been only fascinated. He had never seen aircraft so close, for it was against the rules for Pilots to fly over the community. Occasionally, when supplies were delivered by cargo planes to the landing field across the river, the children rode their bicycles to the riverbank and watched, intrigued, the unloading and then the takeoff directed to the west, always away from the community.

But the aircraft a year ago had been different. It was not a squat, fat-bellied cargo plane but a needle-nosed single-pilot jet. Jonas, looking around anxiously, had seen others—adults as well as children—stop what they were doing and wait, confused, for an explanation of the frightening event.

Then all of the citizens had been ordered to go into the nearest building and stay there. IMMEDIATELY, the rasping voice through the speakers had said. LEAVE YOUR BICYCLES WHERE THEY ARE.

Instantly, obediently, Jonas had dropped his bike on its side on the path behind his family’s dwelling. He had run indoors and stayed there, alone. His parents were both at work, and his little sister, Lily, was at the Childcare Center where she spent her after-school hours.

Looking through the front window, he had seen no people: none of the busy afternoon crew of Street Cleaners, Landscape Workers, and Food Delivery people who usually populated the community at that time of day. He saw only the abandoned bikes here and there on their sides; an upturned wheel on one was still revolving slowly.

He had been frightened then. The sense of his own community silent, waiting, had made his stomach churn. He had trembled.

But it had been nothing. Within minutes the speakers had crackled again, and the voice, reassuring now and less urgent, had explained that a Pilot-in-Training had misread his navigational instructions and made a wrong turn. Desperately the Pilot had been trying to make his way back before his error was noticed.

NEEDLESS TO SAY, HE WILL BE RELEASED, the voice had said, followed by silence. There was an ironic tone to that final message, as if the Speaker found it amusing; and Jonas had smiled a little, though he knew what a grim statement it had been. For a contributing citizen to be released from the community was a final decision, a terrible punishment, an overwhelming statement of failure.

Even the children were scolded if they used the term lightly at play, jeering at a teammate who missed a catch or stumbled in a race. Jonas had done it once, had shouted at his best friend, “That’s it, Asher! You’re released!” when Asher’s clumsy error had lost a match for his team. He had been taken aside for a brief and serious talk by the coach, had hung his head with guilt and embarrassment, and apologized to Asher after the game.

Now, thinking about the feeling of fear as he pedaled home along the river path, he remembered that moment of palpable, stomach-sinking terror when the aircraft had streaked above. It was not what he was feeling now with December approaching. He searched for the right word to describe his own feeling.

Jonas was careful about language. Not like his friend, Asher, who talked too fast and mixed things up, scrambling words and phrases until they were barely recognizable and often very funny.

Jonas grinned, remembering the morning that Asher had dashed into the classroom, late as usual, arriving breathlessly in the middle of the chanting of the morning anthem. When the class took their seats at the conclusion of the patriotic hymn, Asher remained standing to make his public apology as was required.

“I apologize for inconveniencing my learning community.” Asher ran through the standard apology phrase rapidly, still catching his breath. The Instructor and class waited patiently for his explanation. The students had all been grinning, because they had listened to Asher’s explanations so many times before.

“I left home at the correct time but when I was riding along near the hatchery, the crew was separating some salmon. I guess I just got distraught, watching them.

“I apologize to my classmates,” Asher concluded. He smoothed his rumpled tunic and sat down.

“We accept your apology, Asher.” The class recited the standard response in unison. Many of the students were biting their lips to keep from laughing.

“I accept your apology, Asher,” the Instructor said. He was smiling. “And I thank you, because once again you have provided an opportunity for a lesson in language. ‘Distraught’ is too strong an adjective to describe salmon-viewing.” He turned and wrote “distraught” on the instructional board. Beside it he wrote “distracted.”

Jonas, nearing his home now, smiled at the recollection. Thinking, still, as he wheeled his bike into its narrow port beside the door, he realized that frightened was the wrong word to describe his feelings, now that December was almost here. It was too strong an adjective.

He had waited a long time for this special December. Now that it was almost upon him, he wasn’t frightened, but he was . . . eager, he decided. He was eager for it to come. And he was excited, certainly. All of the Elevens were excited about the event that would be coming so soon.

But there was a little shudder of nervousness when he thought about it, about what might happen.

Apprehensive, Jonas decided. That’s what I am.

“Who wants to be the first tonight, for feelings?” Jonas’s father asked, at the conclusion of their evening meal.

It was one of the rituals, the evening telling of feelings. Sometimes Jonas and his sister, Lily, argued over turns, over who would get to go first. Their parents, of course, were part of the ritual; they, too, told their feelings each evening. But like all parents—all adults—they didn’t fight and wheedle for their turn.

Nor did Jonas, tonight. His feelings were too complicated this evening. He wanted to share them, but he wasn’t eager to begin the process of sifting through his own complicated emotions, even with the help that he knew his parents could give.

“You go, Lily,” he said, seeing his sister, who was much younger—only a Seven—wiggling with impatience in her chair.

“I felt very angry this afternoon,” Lily announced. “My Childcare group was at the play area, and we had a visiting group of Sevens, and they didn’t obey the rules at all . One of them—a male; I don’t know his name—kept going right to the front of the line for the slide, even though the rest of us were all waiting. I felt so angry at him. I made my hand into a fist, like this.” She held up a clenched fist and the rest of the family smiled at her small defiant gesture.

“Why do you think the visitors didn’t obey the rules?” Mother asked.

Lily considered, and shook her head. “I don’t know. They acted like . . . like . . .”

“Animals?” Jonas suggested. He laughed.

“That’s right,” Lily said, laughing too. “Like animals.” Neither child knew what the word meant, exactly, but it was often used to describe someone uneducated or clumsy, someone who didn’t fit in.

“Where were the visitors from?” Father asked.

Lily frowned, trying to remember. “Our leader told us, when he made the welcome speech, but I can’t remember. I guess I wasn’t paying attention. It was from another community. They had to leave very early, and they had their midday meal on the bus.”

Mother nodded. “Do you think it’s possible that their rules may be different? And so they simply didn’t know what your play area rules were?”

Lily shrugged, and nodded. “I suppose.”

“You’ve visited other communities, haven’t you?” Jonas asked. “My group has, often.”

Lily nodded again. “When we were Sixes, we went and shared a whole school day with a group of Sixes in their community.”

“How did you feel when you were there?”

Lily frowned. “I felt strange. Because their methods were different. They were learning usages that my group hadn’t learned yet, so we felt stupid.”

Father was listening with interest. “I’m thinking, Lily,” he said, “about the boy who didn’t obey the rules today. Do you think it’s possible that he felt strange and stupid, being in a new place with rules that he didn’t know about?”

Lily pondered that. “Yes,” she said, finally.

“I feel a little sorry for him,” Jonas said, “even though I don’t even know him. I feel sorry for anyone who is in a place where he feels strange and stupid.”

“How do you feel now, Lily?” Father asked. “Still angry?”

“I guess not,” Lily decided. “I guess I feel a little sorry for him. And sorry I made a fist.” She grinned.

Jonas smiled back at his sister. Lily’s feelings were always straightforward, fairly simple, usually easy to resolve. He guessed that his own had been, too, when he was a Seven.

He listened politely, though not very attentively, while his father took his turn, describing a feeling of worry that he’d had that day at work: a concern about one of the newchildren who wasn’t doing well. Jonas’s father’s title was Nurturer. He and the other Nurturers were responsible for all the physical and emotional needs of every newchild during its earliest life. It was a very important job, Jonas knew, but it wasn’t one that interested him much.

“What gender is it?” Lily asked.

“Male,” Father said. “He’s a sweet little male with a lovely disposition. But he isn’t growing as fast as he should, and he doesn’t sleep soundly. We have him in the extra care section for supplementary nurturing, but the committee’s beginning to talk about releasing him.”

“Oh, no ,” Mother murmured sympathetically. “I know how sad that must make you feel.”

Jonas and Lily both nodded sympathetically as well. Release of newchildren was always sad, because they hadn’t had a chance to enjoy life within the community yet. And they hadn’t done anything wrong.

There were only two occasions of release which were not punishment. Release of the elderly, which was a time of celebration for a life well and fully lived; and release of a newchild, which always brought a sense of what-could-we-have-done. This was especially troubling for the Nurturers, like Father, who felt they had failed somehow. But it happened very rarely.

“Well,” Father said, “I’m going to keep trying. I may ask the committee for permission to bring him here at night, if you don’t mind. You know what the night-crew Nurturers are like. I think this little guy needs something extra.”

“Of course,” Mother said, and Jonas and Lily nodded. They had heard Father complain about the night crew before. It was a lesser job, night-crew nurturing, assigned to those who lacked the interest or skills or insight for the more vital jobs of the daytime hours. Most of the people on the night crew had not even been given spouses because they lacked, somehow, the essential capacity to connect to others, which was required for the creation of a family unit.

“Maybe we could even keep him,” Lily suggested sweetly, trying to look innocent. The look was fake, Jonas knew; they all knew.

“Lily,” Mother reminded her, smiling, “you know the rules.”

Two children—one male, one female—to each family unit. It was written very clearly in the rules.

Lily giggled. “Well,” she said, “I thought maybe just this once.”

Next, Mother, who held a prominent position at the Department of Justice, talked about her feelings. Today a repeat offender had been brought before her, someone who had broken the rules before. Someone who she hoped had been adequately and fairly punished, and who had been restored to his place: to his job, his home, his family unit. To see him brought before her a second time caused her overwhelming feelings of frustration and anger. And even guilt, that she hadn’t made a difference in his life.

“I feel frightened, too, for him,” she confessed. “You know that there’s no third chance. The rules say that if there’s a third transgression, he simply has to be released.” Jonas shivered. He knew it happened. There was even a boy in his group of Elevens whose father had been released years before. No one ever mentioned it; the disgrace was unspeakable. It was hard to imagine.

Lily stood up and went to her mother. She stroked her mother’s arm.

From his place at the table, Father reached over and took her hand. Jonas reached for the other.

One by one, they comforted her. Soon she smiled, thanked them, and murmured that she felt soothed.

The ritual continued. “Jonas?” Father asked. “You’re last, tonight.”

Jonas sighed. This evening he almost would have preferred to keep his feelings hidden. But it was, of course, against the rules.

“I’m feeling apprehensive,” he confessed, glad that the appropriate descriptive word had finally come to him.

“Why is that, son?” His father looked concerned.

“I know there’s really nothing to worry about,” Jonas explained, “and that every adult has been through it. I know you have, Father, and you too, Mother. But it’s the Ceremony that I’m apprehensive about. It’s almost December.”

Lily looked up, her eyes wide. “The Ceremony of Twelve,” she whispered in an awed voice. Even the smallest children—Lily’s age and younger—knew that it lay in the future for each of them.

“I’m glad you told us of your feelings,” Father said.

“Lily,” Mother said, beckoning to the little girl, “go on now and get into your nightclothes. Father and I are going to stay here and talk to Jonas for a while.”

Lily sighed, but obediently she got down from her chair. “Privately?” she asked.

Mother nodded. “Yes,” she said, “this talk will be a private one with Jonas.”

2 Jonas watched as his father poured a fresh cup of coffee. He waited.

“You know,” his father finally said, “every December was exciting to me when I was young. And it has been for you and Lily, too, I’m sure. Each December brings such changes.”

Jonas nodded. He could remember the Decembers back to when he had become, well, probably a Four. The earlier ones were lost to him. But he observed them each year, and he remembered Lily’s earliest Decembers. He remembered when his family received Lily, the day she was named, the day that she had become a One.

The Ceremony for the Ones was always noisy and fun. Each December, all the newchildren born in the previous year turned One. One at a time—there were always fifty in each year’s group, if none had been released—they had been brought to the stage by the Nurturers who had cared for them since birth. Some were already walking, wobbly on their unsteady legs; others were no more than a few days old, wrapped in blankets, held by their Nurturers.

“I enjoy the Naming,” Jonas said.

His mother agreed, smiling. “The year we got Lily, we knew, of course, that we’d receive our female, because we’d made our application and been approved. But I’d been wondering and wondering what her name would be.”

“I could have sneaked a look at the list prior to the ceremony,” Father confided. “The committee always makes the list in advance, and it’s right there in the office at the Nurturing Center.

“As a matter of fact,” he went on, “I feel a little guilty about this. But I did go in this afternoon and looked to see if this year’s Naming list had been made yet. It was right there in the office, and I looked up number Thirty-six—that’s the little guy I’ve been concerned about—because it occurred to me that it might enhance his nurturing if I could call him by a name. Just privately, of course, when no one else is around.”

“Did you find it?” Jonas asked. He was fascinated. It didn’t seem a terribly important rule, but the fact that his father had broken a rule at all awed him. He glanced at his mother, the one responsible for adherence to the rules, and was relieved that she was smiling.

His father nodded. “His name—if he makes it to the Naming without being released, of course—is to be Gabriel. So I whisper that to him when I feed him every four hours, and during exercise and playtime. If no one can hear me.

“I call him Gabe, actually,” he said, and grinned.

“Gabe.” Jonas tried it out. A good name, he decided.

Though Jonas had only become a Five the year that they acquired Lily and learned her name, he remembered the excitement, the conversations at home, wondering about her: how she would look, who she would be, how she would fit into their established family unit. He remembered climbing the steps to the stage with his parents, his father by his side that year instead of with the Nurturers, since it was the year that he would be given a newchild of his own.

He remembered his mother taking the newchild, his sister, into her arms, while the document was read to the assembled family units. “Newchild Twenty-three,” the Namer had read. “Lily.”

He remembered his father’s look of delight, and that his father had whispered, “She’s one of my favorites. I was hoping for her to be the one.” The crowd had clapped, and Jonas had grinned. He liked his sister’s name. Lily, barely awake, had waved her small fist. Then they had stepped down to make room for the next family unit.

“When I was an Eleven,” his father said now, “as you are, Jonas, I was very impatient, waiting for the Ceremony of Twelve. It’s a long two days. I remember that I enjoyed the Ones, as I always do, but that I didn’t pay much attention to the other ceremonies, except for my sister’s. She became a Nine that year, and got her bicycle. I’d been teaching her to ride mine, even though technically I wasn’t supposed to.”

Jonas laughed. It was one of the few rules that was not taken very seriously and was almost always broken. The children all received their bicycles at Nine; they were not allowed to ride bicycles before then. But almost always, the older brothers and sisters had secretly taught the younger ones. Jonas had been thinking already about teaching Lily.

There was talk about changing the rule and giving the bicycles at an earlier age. A committee was studying the idea. When something went to a committee for study, the people always joked about it. They said that the committee members would become Elders by the time the rule change was made.

Rules were very hard to change. Sometimes, if it was a very important rule—unlike the one governing the age for bicycles—it would have to go, eventually, to The Receiver for a decision. The Receiver was the most important Elder. Jonas had never even seen him, that he knew of; someone in a position of such importance lived and worked alone. But the committee would never bother The Receiver with a question about bicycles; they would simply fret and argue about it themselves for years, until the citizens forgot that it had ever gone to them for study.

His father continued. “So I watched and cheered when my sister, Katya, became a Nine and removed her hair ribbons and got her bicycle,” Father went on. “Then I didn’t pay much attention to the Tens and Elevens. And finally, at the end of the second day, which seemed to go on forever, it was my turn. It was the Ceremony of Twelve.”

Jonas shivered. He pictured his father, who must have been a shy and quiet boy, for he was a shy and quiet man, seated with his group, waiting to be called to the stage. The Ceremony of Twelve was the last of the Ceremonies. The most important.

“I remember how proud my parents looked—and my sister, too; even though she wanted to be out riding the bicycle publicly, she stopped fidgeting and was very still and attentive when my turn came.

“But to be honest, Jonas,” his father said, “for me there was not the element of suspense that there is with your Ceremony. Because I was already fairly certain of what my Assignment was to be.”

Jonas was surprised. There was no way, really, to know in advance. It was a secret selection, made by the leaders of the community, the Committee of Elders, who took the responsibility so seriously that there were never even any jokes made about Assignments.

His mother seemed surprised, too. “How could you have known?” she asked.

His father smiled his gentle smile. “Well, it was clear to me—and my parents later confessed that it had been obvious to them, too—what my aptitude was. I had always loved the newchildren more than anything. When my friends in my age group were holding bicycle races, or building toy vehicles or bridges with their construction sets, or—”

“All the things I do with my friends,” Jonas pointed out, and his mother nodded in agreement.

“I always participated, of course, because as children we must experience all of those things. And I studied hard in school, as you do, Jonas. But again and again, during free time, I found myself drawn to the newchildren. I spent almost all of my volunteer hours helping in the Nurturing Center. Of course the Elders knew that, from their observation.”

Jonas nodded. During the past year he had been aware of the increasing level of observation. In school, at recreation time, and during volunteer hours, he had noticed the Elders watching him and the other Elevens. He had seen them taking notes. He knew, too, that the Elders were meeting for long hours with all of the instructors that he and the other Elevens had had during their years of school.

“So I expected it, and I was pleased, but not at all surprised, when my Assignment was announced as Nurturer,” Father explained.

“Did everyone applaud, even though they weren’t surprised?” Jonas asked.

“Oh, of course. They were happy for me, that my Assignment was what I wanted most. I felt very fortunate.” His father smiled.

“Were any of the Elevens disappointed, your year?” Jonas asked. Unlike his father, he had no idea what his Assignment would be. But he knew that some would disappoint him. Though he respected his father’s work, Nurturer would not be his wish. And he didn’t envy Laborers at all.

His father thought. “No, I don’t think so. Of course the Elders are so careful in their observations and selections.”

“I think it’s probably the most important job in our community,” his mother commented.

“My friend Yoshiko was surprised by her selection as Doctor,” Father said, “but she was thrilled. And let’s see, there was Andrei—I remember that when we were boys he never wanted to do physical things. He spent all the recreation time he could with his construction set, and his volunteer hours were always on building sites. The Elders knew that, of course. Andrei was given the Assignment of Engineer and he was delighted.”

“Andrei later designed the bridge that crosses the river to the west of town,” Jonas’s mother said. “It wasn’t there when we were children.”

“There are very rarely disappointments, Jonas. I don’t think you need to worry about that,” his father reassured him. “And if there are, you know there’s an appeal process.” But they all laughed at that—an appeal went to a committee for study.

“I worry a little about Asher’s Assignment,” Jonas confessed. “Asher’s such fun. But he doesn’t really have any serious interests. He makes a game out of everything.”

His father chuckled. “You know,” he said, “I remember when Asher was a newchild at the Nurturing Center, before he was named. He never cried. He giggled and laughed at everything. All of us on the staff enjoyed nurturing Asher.”

“The Elders know Asher,” his mother said. “They’ll find exactly the right Assignment for him. I don’t think you need to worry about him. But, Jonas, let me warn you about something that may not have occurred to you. I know I didn’t think about it until after my Ceremony of Twelve.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, it’s the last of the Ceremonies, as you know. After Twelve, age isn’t important. Most of us even lose track of how old we are as time passes, though the information is in the Hall of Open Records, and we could go and look it up if we wanted to. What’s important is the preparation for adult life, and the training you’ll receive in your Assignment.”

“I know that,” Jonas said. “Everyone knows that.”

“But it means,” his mother went on, “that you’ll move into a new group. And each of your friends will. You’ll no longer be spending your time with your group of Elevens. After the Ceremony of Twelve, you’ll be with your Assignment group, with those in training. No more volunteer hours. No more recreation hours. So your friends will no longer be as close.”

Jonas shook his head. “Asher and I will always be friends,” he said firmly. “And there will still be school.”

“That’s true,” his father agreed. “But what your mother said is true as well. There will be changes.”

“ Good changes, though,” his mother pointed out. “After my Ceremony of Twelve, I missed my childhood recreation. But when I entered my training for Law and Justice, I found myself with people who shared my interests. I made friends on a new level, friends of all ages.”

“Did you still play at all, after Twelve?” Jonas asked.

“Occasionally,” his mother replied. “But it didn’t seem as important to me.”

“I did,” his father said, laughing. “I still do. Every day, at the Nurturing Center, I play bounce-on-the-knee, and peek-a-boo, and hug-the-teddy.” He reached over and stroked Jonas’s neatly trimmed hair. “Fun doesn’t end when you become Twelve.”

Lily appeared, wearing her nightclothes, in the doorway. She gave an impatient sigh. “This is certainly a very long private conversation,” she said. “And there are certain people waiting for their comfort object.”

“Lily,” her mother said fondly, “you’re very close to being an Eight, and when you’re an Eight, your comfort object will be taken away. It will be recycled to the younger children. You should be starting to go off to sleep without it.”

But her father had already gone to the shelf and taken down the stuffed elephant which was kept there. Many of the comfort objects, like Lily’s, were soft, stuffed, imaginary creatures. Jonas’s had been called a bear.

“Here you are, Lily-billy,” he said. “I’ll come help you remove your hair ribbons.”

Jonas and his mother rolled their eyes, yet they watched affectionately as Lily and her father headed to her sleeping room with the stuffed elephant that had been given to her as her comfort object when she was born. His mother moved to her big desk and opened her briefcase; her work never seemed to end, even when she was at home in the evening. Jonas went to his own desk and began to sort through his school papers for the evening’s assignment. But his mind was still on December and the coming Ceremony.

Though he had been reassured by the talk with his parents, he hadn’t the slightest idea what Assignment the Elders would be selecting for his future, or how he might feel about it when the day came.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Clarion Books; Reprint, Media Tie In edition (July 1, 1993)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0544336267
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0544336261
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 10+ years, from customers
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 760L
• Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 9
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.62 x 8.25 inches
• #1 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Values & Virtues (Books)
• #1 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Emotions & Feelings
• #3 in Teen & Young Adult Dystopian

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Everyone Obeys. Everyone is the Same. Except Jonas. Why?

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Excellent read for your kids or students!

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I Love This Book! Well Written, Great Characters, Good Story

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About the author

Lois Lowry is known for her versatility and invention as a writer. She was born in Hawaii and grew up in New York, Pennsylvania, and Japan. After studying at Brown University, she married, started a family, and turned her attention to writing. She is the author of more than forty books for young adults, including the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader's Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, NUMBER THE STARS and THE GIVER. Her first novel, A SUMMER TO DIE, was awarded the International Reading Association's Children's Book Award. Several books have been adapted to film and stage, and THE GIVER has become an opera. Her newest book, ON THE HORIZON, is a collection of memories and images from Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, and post-war Japan. A mother and grandmother, Ms. Lowry divides her time between Maine and Florida. To learn more about Lois Lowry, see her website at www.loislowry.com

author interview

A CONVERSATION WITH LOIS LOWRY ABOUT THE GIVER

Q. When did you know you wanted to become a writer?

A. I cannot remember ever not wanting to be a writer.

Q. What inspired you to write The Giver?

A. Kids always ask what inspired me to write a particular book or how did I get an idea for a particular book, and often it’s very easy to answer that because books like the Anastasia books come from a specific thing; some little event triggers an idea. And some, like Number the Stars, rely on real history. But a book like The Giver is a much more complicated book, and therefore it comes from much more complicated places—and many of them are probably things that I don’t even recognize myself anymore, if I ever did. So it’s not an easy question to answer.

I will say that the whole concept of memory is one that interests me a great deal. I’m not sure why that is, but I’ve always been fascinated by the thought of what memory is and what it does and how it works and what we learn from it. And so I think probably that interest of my own and that particular subject was the origin, one of many, of The Giver.

Q. How did you decide what Jonas should take on his journey?

A. Why does Jonas take what he does on his journey? He doesn’t have much time when he sets out. He originally plans to make the trip farther along in time, and he plans to prepare for it better. But then, because of circumstances, he has to set out in a very hasty fashion. So what he chooses is out of necessity. He takes food because he needs to survive. He takes the bicycle because he needs to hurry and the bike is faster than legs. And he takes the baby because he is going out to create a future. Babies—and children—always represent the future. Jonas takes the baby, Gabriel, because he loves him and wants to save him, but he takes the baby also in order to begin again with a new life.

Q. When you wrote the ending, were you afraid some readers would want more details or did you want to leave the ending open to individual interpretation?

A. Many kids want a more specific ending to The Giver. Some write, or ask me when they see me, to spell it out exactly. And I don’t do that. And the reason is because The Giver is many things to many different people. People bring to it their own complicated beliefs and hopes and dreams and fears and all of that. So I don’t want to put my own feelings into it, my own beliefs, and ruin that for people who create their own endings in their minds.

Q. Is it an optimistic ending? Does Jonas survive?

A. I will say that I find it an optimistic ending. How could it not be an optimistic ending, a happy ending, when that house is there with its lights on and music is playing? So I’m always kind of surprised and disappointed when some people tell me that they think the boy and the baby just die. I don’t think they die. What form their new life takes is something I like people to figure out for themselves. And each person will give it a different ending. I think they’re out there somewhere and I think that their life has changed and their life is happy, and I would like to think that’s true for the people they left behind as well.

Q. In what way is your book Gathering Blue a companion to The Giver?

A. Gathering Blue postulates a world of the future, as The Giver does. I simply created a different kind of world, one that had regressed instead of leaping forward technologically as the world of The Giver has. It was fascinating to explore the savagery of such a world. I began to feel that maybe it coexisted with Jonas’s world . . . and that therefore Jonas could be a part of it in a tangential way. So there is a reference to a boy with light eyes at the end of Gathering Blue. Originally I thought he could be either Jonas or not, as the reader chose. But since then I have published two more books—Messenger, and Son—which complete The Giver Quartet and make clear that the light-eyed boy is, indeed. Jonas. In the book Son readers will find out what became of all their favorite characters: Jonas, Gabe, and Kira as well, from Gathering Blue. And there are some new characters—most especially Claire, who is fourteen at the beginning of Son— whom I hope they will grow to love.

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Why Charitable Giving Should be Part of Financial Planning

Transcript of the video:

This is a transcript of unscripted speech, rather than written prose, and therefore should not be relied on for grammatical accuracy. This is not a verbatim transcript. Parts have been slightly modified to improve readability.

Americans are among the most generous people in the world. Our commitment to supporting charities and worthy causes with both financial resources and volunteerism is unsurpassed. This year, Americans are on track to potentially break records with their charitable giving.

By applying the same thoughtful approach to philanthropy as we do to investments and savings, we can truly maximize the impact on causes that are meaningful to us.

Much of America’s wealth is in non-cash assets, such as private business interests, publicly traded stock, or real estate. As a regular part of your financial planning process, you may consider selling a portion of your appreciated assets to help diversify your portfolio. You might also move some of these assets out of your taxable estate in an effort to reduce the financial impact to your heirs.

Selling non-cash assets that have appreciated in value will usually generate capital gains taxes. To help offset those taxes, consider donating a portion of them directly to charity by using a donor-advised fund, for example. By donating appreciated assets to a donor-advised fund versus selling them first and donating the proceeds, you can receive both a same-year income tax deduction and potentially eliminate capital gains tax, which can mean even more resources going to the charities you support.

Contributing non-cash assets to a donor-advised fund can also reduce the administrative burden to charities that may not necessarily have the same resources to accept them directly. Once the assets are liquidated and the fair market value proceeds are deposited into your account, you will have the flexibility to make charitable grants at any time.

Tax-smart, flexible giving through a donor-advised fund will enhance your financial planning and significantly increase the impact of your philanthropy.

On behalf of Schwab Charitable, thank you. Our donors are making an even bigger impact on the lives of others through their commitment to giving wisely.

• Find charities  that align with your giving goals
• How to reduce taxes and increase charitable impact by donating  appreciated non-cash assets  to charity
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A mega-gift for an HBCU college fell through. Here's what happened — and what's next

Bill Chappell

Florida A&M University announced a "transformative" donation earlier this month — but the school said it ceased contact with the donor after questions arose about the funds. Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images hide caption

Florida A&M University announced a "transformative" donation earlier this month — but the school said it ceased contact with the donor after questions arose about the funds.

Transformative financial donations don't come along often in higher education. So when a donor promised a $237.75 million gift to Florida A&M University, school officials were understandably excited.

The donor was Gregory Gerami, a 30-year-old businessman from Texas who said he wanted to make sure the historically Black school's windfall would help students who needed the money most. Funds were also designated for FAMU's athletics department.

"This is more than $100 million more than we have currently in our endowment," FAMU President Larry Robinson said as he unveiled the donation at the school's spring commencement ceremony in Tallahassee, Fla. "This is just incredible."

But amazement at the large gift soon gave way to shock as questions arose about Gerami's donation. And as word of the surprise donation spread, FAMU leaders were confronted with news reports that linked Gerami to an earlier transformative gift to another school — a donation that never came to fruition.

Nation's Largest HBCU Sees Record-Breaking Donations

In an interview with NPR, Gerami refused to confirm or deny his role in that earlier donation to a university in South Carolina. As for FAMU, Gerami says he fulfilled his part of the arrangement.

But FAMU's Robinson now says it was a mistake to accept Gerami's gift — and the school's board wants to know why Robinson and a small circle in his administration agreed to keep the donation a secret.

The fallout has begun: Robinson said last Wednesday that Shawnta Friday-Stroud, who as the vice president for university advancement played a key role in the donation, was resigning from that post. She will retain her job as dean of the school of business and industry, he said.

Mysterious graduation speaker announces a massive gift

Gerami announced the donation during a May 4 commencement ceremony, in an elaborate event where he delivered a fairly standard graduation speech — before giving Robinson a belt buckle and saying he should buckle up for what was coming.

As a gigantic nine-figure check was brought onto the stage, the PA system played a montage of songs, including The O'Jays' "For The Love of Money" and "Grateful" by Hezekiah Walker.

About the $237.75 million donation, Gerami told the crowd: "By the way, the money is in the bank."

Friday-Stroud later said that Gerami's speech was his idea. And last week, Robinson, the university president, apologized for the event, saying it's something that should not have happened.

The university has removed the video of the commencement from its YouTube page, along with other mentions of the donation from its website and social media channels.

Gregory Gerami stands with Florida A&M University President Larry Robinson and other leaders at a commencement ceremony on May 4, unveiling a large donation. Robinson now says the announcement shouldn't have happened. FAMU/Screenshot by NPR hide caption

Gregory Gerami stands with Florida A&M University President Larry Robinson and other leaders at a commencement ceremony on May 4, unveiling a large donation. Robinson now says the announcement shouldn't have happened.

How the events unfolded

After the May 4 commencement, skeptics such as Jerell Blakeley, writing for the Education News Flash Substack on May 6, raised questions about Gerami, highlighting news reports connecting him to at least one earlier big college donation that fell apart.

FAMU then put the donation on pause, with Kristin Harper, chair of the board of trustees, stating in a public meeting on May 10 that "serious concerns have been raised regarding the validity of the gift, the adequacy of the due diligence processes and whether the foundation board and board of trustees have been provided ample oversight opportunity."

Last week, Robinson said engagement with Gerami had "ceased," and he began referring to the gift as a "proposed donation" that was stopped in its tracks.

As the school's foundation and board of trustees held public Zoom meetings to discuss the matter, more details about the donation emerged:

• While Gerami said the money was "in the bank," Friday-Stroud said the donation was made in the form of 15 million shares of stock in Batterson Farms, Gerami's privately held company.
• As for the gift amount of $237.75 million, Friday-Stroud told FAMU's foundation on May 9 that the sum reflected the stock being valued at $15.85 a share. But in that board meeting, it also emerged that FAMU did not have a third party analyze the valuation.
• When asked why FAMU hadn't independently verified the stock's value during discussions about the donation, Friday-Stroud said a decision was made to hold off on a third-party valuation of the stock until the university's annual financial audit, scheduled for early summer.
• Friday-Stroud said that she and Robinson were among the people who signed nondisclosure agreements requiring them to keep the donation secret from other leaders. She also cited donors' rights to privacy and confidentiality under state law.
• Robinson says he didn't tell the chair of either the school's foundation or board of trustees, who have legal and financial oversight for the institution, because he was worried that doing so might "jeopardize this transformational donation."

Friday-Stroud told the foundation board that Gerami contacted the university in the fall of 2023 about making a donation. After an initial wealth screening review, she said, "a more expansive second screening" of Gerami made the small circle of FAMU officials aware of potential concerns — "pretty much all of which is what has been put out now in social media," she said, seemingly referring to reports alleging Gerami was linked to failed donations to South Carolina's Coastal Carolina University and another school.

HBCUs have been underfunded by $12 billion, federal officials reveal

But around the same time officials became aware of those allegations, Friday-Stroud said, Gerami's stock certificates were transferred to the university's account. She and Robinson discussed the matter and chose to move forward, she said. The school recently released the gift agreement it signed with Gerami, listing the transaction as taking place in April.

"I wanted it to be real and ignored the warning signs along the way," Robinson told the board of trustees on May 15. But it wasn't until after the donation was announced, he said, that he decided "engagement with Mr. Gerami should cease."

"I take full responsibility for this matter and ensuing fallout. I apologize," Robinson said.

Board members are now seeking an investigation into how the donation became a debacle , including the university president's failure to disclose the deal to the board before commencement, the nondisclosure agreements, the donor-vetting process, and other questions about who knew what about the deal, and when.

Gerami responds to the allegations

"The stock was transferred [to FAMU] and that's really all that I have to say," Gerami said in an interview with NPR, adding that his gift agreement with FAMU was made public .

He also said he's the subject of stories that are inaccurate, without identifying any information that was incorrect.

His remarks to NPR are in reference to news stories that emerged in 2020, when Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C., announced a $95 million donation pledge. But within a few months, the school said it had "ended its relationship with an anonymous donor who .... has not fulfilled an early expectation of the arrangement."

In an email to NPR, the university refused to confirm or deny the donor's identity. But The Sun News in Myrtle Beach, S.C., reported that the donor was Gerami, citing data gained from a Freedom of Information Act request, its own research and multiple interviews with him.

"Gerami reluctantly confirmed he was the donor," the paper reported last June, adding that in Gerami's telling, he pulled the plug on the deal because he felt disrespected by some Coastal Carolina officials, alleging racism in one instance.

When NPR asked him about the Coastal Carolina University donation, Gerami acknowledged knowing about the gift, which he called "a planned gift."

He also gave NPR conflicting accounts of what his ties to the gift were. At one point, he said "I don't know who the donor at Coastal is" and "There's no documentation to show that I'm the donor at Coastal." Moments later, he said "I'm not going to confirm or deny that I'm the donor at Coastal."

Coastal Carolina's initial statement about the proposed gift, which is no longer on its website, said its new donor was also a supporter of Miles College , a private HBCU in Alabama. But, The Sun News reported last year, "Gerami said a planned donation to Miles College was also never made."

Officials from Miles College did not reply to NPR's requests for comment.

Code Switch

For black college prospects, belonging and safety often top ivy prestige.

When NPR asked Gerami why — if he wasn't the donor at Coastal Carolina — he didn't seek a correction to last year's Sun News article, Gerami replied, "that story did not carry much weight ... it didn't pick up much traction. ... So why would I feed into that traction? ... I didn't feel like I needed to jump in there."

"I have no issues with Coastal," he said. Later, he added, "I don't have any issues with anyone that is out there. So no, I'm not going to touch on things just because somebody writes a story."

When asked how he feels about FAMU ending its plan for a donation from him, Gerami replied, "Things are being taken out of context." He ended the conversation shortly afterward.

What we know about Gerami's business

In his speech at FAMU, Gerami said he had overcome "formidable challenges," including being born with an opiate addiction and fetal alcohol syndrome and diagnosed with cerebral palsy and ADHD. He was raised by a foster family, he said, after being born to "a single mother who was 24 with eight kids," according to NPR's transcript of the now removed video.

In portions of their commencement-day remarks that closely echoed each other, Gerami and Robinson mentioned two mentors: an unidentified Merrill Lynch banker; and a former Arlington, Texas, mayor named Robert Cluck (who did not reply to NPR's requests for comment).

In 2015, Gerami ran for public office, challenging an incumbent city council member in Arlington, Texas. He finished a distant fourth , trailing a university student and a part-time mail carrier.

Then, in recent years, came reports linking him to eye-popping college donations.

At FAMU, Gerami didn't go into much detail about how he purportedly accrued a fortune. He said only that he had harnessed his "entrepreneurial spirit, transforming a small lawn care business into a successful property management company" before becoming the founder and CEO of Batterson Farms Corp.

Batterson grows industrial hemp in warehouses, using hydroponics, Gerami said during this speech. The venture also researches bioplastics and "cultivating industrial hemp for cancer research," he added.

Batterson Farms has a website , but it offers few details about the company's scale. The only available product it lists is HempWood, a composite material produced by a company in Kentucky that says all its hemp fiber is grown within 100 miles of its location in that state. NPR reviewed Batterson Farms' public Facebook page and records from the Texas Department of Agriculture to learn more about Gerami's company.

On its Facebook page, Batterson Farms displays its license as a hemp producer in Texas. The company also says it operates multiple Texas locations, including in Van Horn; the Dallas area; Austin; San Antonio; Houston; and El Paso. In April 2023, Gerami was featured in a news story in Lubbock, Texas , saying his company had taken control of seven warehouses on 114 acres of land to grow hemp there.

In response to a records request from NPR, the Texas Department of Agriculture Hemp Program said on Monday that it has a contact address for Batterson Farms in San Antonio, and a business address in Austin, and that there is "no registered hemp production" at those locations.

The state agency confirmed that Batterson Farms has a current hemp producer license (the first step in the state's commercial hemp licensing process ), and a lot crop permit, both of which are tied to an address in Paradise, a small town in Wise County, northwest of Fort Worth.

"A Hemp Producer is required to purchase a lot crop permit anytime they plan to grow hemp under the TDA Hemp Program. A lot crop permit is good for one hemp crop," according to the Texas agriculture department, which also confirmed that this location is registered to grow hemp.

"Batterson Farms Corp does not have any other license or permit with the TDA Hemp Program," the agency said. The company isn't on the state's most recent list of hemp processors, for instance.

The agency also said that it "does not have any information for [Batterson Farms] locations in Van Horn, TX; Dallas County, TX; Houston, TX; or El Paso, TX."

The available information provided few details about whether Gerami's company is operating at a scale making its stock worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

At the time of publication, Gerami had not responded to NPR's request for more information about his donation and his business.

What does this mean for Florida A&M University now?

It's an embarrassing setback for FAMU, at a time when its leaders are touting the school's successes as one of the country's top HBCUs and in fundraising and sports.

HBCU institutions have been getting more money as donors realize their importance in preparing Black Americans for success, Amir Pasic, the dean of Indiana University's Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, told NPR. In his view, it makes sense to invest in a school like FAMU.

"Spelman in particular just a few months ago got a $100 million gift," he said. "And Mackenzie Scott has been investing in HBCU and community colleges as well."

Goats and Soda

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But, Pasic added, the school should have been alerted to a potential problem due to how quickly the mammoth gift proposal took shape, in only about six months.

"It is rare that these gifts aren't part of a long-term conversation that donors have had over multiple years and sometimes even decades with the university," he said, particularly from a first-time donor.

Pasic said he agrees that the now-canceled donation would have been "transformative" for FAMU. He also has ideas about the fallout for FAMU and what its leaders should do now.

"It's something of an embarrassment. But on the other hand, I think the silver lining for them is that it demonstrated their ambition and that they really want to do more and achieve more for their students, faculty and staff," he said.

"So I think they should just embrace that."

• Florida A&M
• philanthropy