By Victor Ochieng’
vochieng.90@gmail.com
Sir Vincent Mayienga, the Chief Principal Homa Bay High School, is an orator par excellence. His excellence and eloquence in speech delivery matches that of Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman statesman, lawyer and philosopher. He obeys the wise words penned in the Little Green Book of Getting Your Way.
In that treasure trove, Jeffrey Gitomer contends that any speaker who yearns to evince eloquence must first of all strive to own the material then attain marvellous mastery of the platform presence. The brilliant author puts puissance on the need for total control by the sage standing on stage.
When you visit Homa Bay High School, at the sultry shores of Lake Lolwe, you will meet this principal replete and complete with nyadhi, which in Lep Luo means flamboyance – great style. He evinces flare in everything; dress code, laughter and the way he weaves words.
Other principals can learn a lot from this gem from Gem, whose knack for excellence and eloquence charms plenty of people especially his students and staff. Once upon a time, he apprised me that when he invites a facilitator to address his students, he hardly misses in action. He maintains that pep talks must be delivered in his glorious glare and palpable presence.
This son of the Lake saw serious sense in the cogent argument that when students see their principal and teachers in-attendance during the incisive group counselling sessions, their perception towards those programmes change.
This is imperative, because formational speakers basically visit schools to change attitudes of students. Attitude equals mindsets plus beliefs. Learning cannot take place without a seismic shift in attitude, which is part and parcel of learning.
So, when principal Mayienga picks the microphone to introduce a speaker, he raises the bar of expectation. He understands what Brian Tracy says in his best-selling book titled Speak to Win pertaining the introduction of a speaker: a task that must be taken seriously. On many occasions, because of the time and attention given, the introduction itself should be actually better than the speech.
Mayienga, which in Dholuo means the one who shakes things, is also a spellbinder, who has mastered the art and craft of establishing thraldom as he ushers in any good guest to address the audience. He knows how to set a good mood for the meeting. The anecdotes he employs at the preamble, act as the needle that neatly knits the presenter with listeners. He mentions the moniker and the credentials of the speaker that are related to the event. This legendary leader cites fantastic facts about the person, and points out why the school decided to specifically invite that particular guest.
Even though the guest speaker takes over and informs the students and the staff, it is true that in many cases, Mr. Mayienga stamps his authority by prefacing every presentation. He is not like some principals who invite speakers but miss in action by giving excuses like uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. Such ilk of principals always purport that they are busy bees to an extent that they have scant interest on the messages that guest speakers deliver in their schools. That is how some of them eventually lose grip of the institutions. The shoe begins to tell the leg how to grow and the garment begins to tell the body how to grow.
Principals who want to remain in charge of their schools must learn to use the good gift of the gab to win the hearts of students and staff. They can use their tongues to foster teamwork, unity of purpose, loyalty and discipline.
Principals should deliver serious speeches during school assemblies, annual general meetings and academic clinics. As they do this, they should adhere to the art of rhetoric attributed to the great Greek philosopher Aristotle. This polymath believed in speech and persuasion and called it rhetoric, the ability to see the available means to win hearts.
Aristotle welded everything together as logos, pathos and ethos. Logos refers to the logic, words and reason in the argument. Pathos focuses on the power to stir up emotions in the listeners; the emotional part of the argument which perhaps happens to be the most preponderant part while ethos boils down to the power of personal character.
The best presenters communicate naturally as real people. Most political luminaries know this sweet secret. They strive to create class and clout through speech delivery. This explains why Tom Mboya will remain indelible in our mortal minds. The man from Rusinga Island had a silver tongue.
What of his friend John Fitzgerald Kennedy? His carefully-crafted speech titled We Choose to Go to the Moon, delivered in 1962 at Rice University, inspired and invigorated the American scientist to make a giant leap to the moon.
The good gift of the gab is what made Barrack Obama Jr. to become the 44th President of the United States. Through the Yes We Can speech, he swayed the minds of Americans and made a majestic match to the hallowed house on the hill.
The writer is an orator, editor and author.
