Letters | From US elections to nursery interviews, is the gift of gab overrated?
- Readers discuss the value attached to presentation and charisma, why election debates signify little, and the art of global expansion
As someone educated locally, my memories of gruelling preparation for the Chinese and English oral exams in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination and A-levels have come flooding back. Our local education system, which demands rigour, drilled into us the art of presentation. We learned to structure thoughts, exude confidence and master time management. Like presidential candidates, we crafted every word, inflection and pause, knowing there were no second chances.
Panning out from the examination hall, it is unfortunate that in our attention-starved world, the ability to captivate an audience often eclipses other competencies. From toddlers facing nursery interviews to teenagers vying for coveted school spots, those blessed with the gift of the gab are frequently described as “outstanding” or “smart”.
But as we navigate this landscape of snap judgments and viral sound bites, it may be time to pause and reflect. Are we inadvertently nurturing a generation of silver-tongued orators at the expense of our quiet geniuses? Picture the aspiring geneticist or the innovative software engineer, whose contributions spring from meticulous attention to detail and groundbreaking thinking, not their prowess at the podium. Yet they are the bedrock of societal progress.
While we can’t deny the importance of the United States president possessing oratorical skills, should we demand the same from every professional, student or child? Perhaps we could reimagine our classrooms, our workplaces, our very definition of success.