Criticism In Norman Vincent Peale's The Power Of Positive Thinking

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Norman Vincent Peale, minister and author of “The Power of Positive Thinking”, once declared: “the trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism”. The majority of people do not take pleasure in receiving criticism; this is especially the case in the world of public speaking. Criticism in public speaking assists with refining skills and supports personal growth, but it is not without challenges. There are ways to overcome the challenges which accompany receiving and giving criticism. The ability to bounce back from criticism is a key skill amongst accomplished public speakers; they did not start out being the best public speakers. Being able to accept criticism is a difficult skill to learn, but it is imperative to the growth of a speaker. Criticism comes from the Latin word “criticus”, which means “to judge”. According to Joseph A. DeVito, author of “Essential Elements of Public Speaking”, speech criticism is “the process of evaluating a speech, of …show more content…

Through criticism, speakers learn what specific areas they need to improve on. These benefits stand twofold because the critic also learns from the experience. Devito points out, “when you give criticism….you’re telling the speaker that you’ve listened carefully and that you care enough about the speech and the speaker to offer suggestions for improvement” (39). By offering constructive suggestions, the critique is helping the speaker by providing a fresh perspective. Constructive criticism has rewards but it does not come without challenges, both for the critic and the speaker. As a speaker, it is grueling to work hard on a speech and be met with criticisms. It can be a challenging task to separate the criticism from self-worth. As a critic, it may feel embarrassing to offer criticism or the critic may feel awkward since they themselves are not an

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