Sin of Monotony

Monotony is Sin

Monotony, the most common sin of the public speaker, is not a transgression—it is rather a sin of omission, for it consists in living up to the confession of the Prayer Book: “We have left undone those things we ought to have done.”

Emerson says, “The virtue of art lies in detachment, in sequestering one object from the embarrassing variety.“ That is just what the monotonous speaker fails to do—he does not detach one thought or phrase from another, they are all expressed in the same manner.

Monotony is deadly. The worst punishment ever invented by the mind of man is extreme monotony—solitary confinement. Lie on a floor, and let droplets of water fall on your forehead for an hour or two, and you will know what torture means. Lay a marble on the table and do nothing eighteen hours of the day but change that marble from one point to another and back again, and you will go insane if you continue long enough.

Most people do earn a living by doing monotonous jobs. But nature did not say that they must also be monotonous before and after that. In fact, monotonous jobs do not order us to do monotonous jobs.

Monotony shortens life, used as the most cruel of punishments in our prisons, also destroys all the life and force of a speech. Avoid it as you would shun a deadly dull bore.

Monotony is poverty, whether in speech or in life. Strive to increase the variety of your speech as the business man strive to create wealth.

Bird-songs, forest glens, and mountains are not monotonous. Nature in her wealth gives us endless variety; man with his preoccupation invents monotony. To communicate better, we must get back to nature when we make speeches.

Variety brings pleasure. The great truths of the world have often been couched in fascinating stories—”Les Miserables,” for instance. If you wish to teach or influence people, you must please them, first and last.

Jef Menguin facilitates people skills seminars and teambuilding and leadership workshops in Metro Manila, Philippines. Visit his website at http://jefmenguin.com to learn more about his seminars.