Interesting blogpost by Danah Boyd about Facebook as a public sphere where young people can "negotiate their peers and learn about the social world." The speeches in Public Speaking about Facebook emphasized its fun and useful qualities (although I have to seriously wonder if anyone really uses it to get notes from a missed class!) but also the risks of providing so much information to an unknown (and unknowable) public. Besides the debate on whether online communication somehow "takes away from" or "substitutes for" face-to-face communication, I'm wondering about differences between online "public speaking" and face-to-face public speaking.
I debriefed (again) with my sub from last week. He was intense about the "speaking" part of being in public - reading instead of memorizing and speaking extemporaneously. It was an interesting discussion - which comes first, form? Or content? I've been more concerned with content, but does form matter? When and how much? For him, poor form interfered with content. I'm thinking I may be too generous about this with my students.... of course I *have* to listen to them, so I try and glean every last possible positive thing out of the experience. But, if I didn't "have to" ... I think this comes down to the bottom line criteria of effect.
My pal says lack of form (appearance) simply gets in the way of possible effect. In real life, he is absolutely right. My bias, I suppose, is that there are ways in which the classroom is not "real life" - it's an insulated space where experimentation can occur if folks are willing to do so. When one "experiments" by putting something out on Facebook, it remains. When one experiments with the attempt to effect (to persuade) others in a public speech, this performance exists only in the space and time in which it is delivered. Is one risk qualitatively less or more than the other?
I think that even though technically the classroom is not "real life" so to speak, it should not be an excuse to have poor appearance. In class, if I am ever to get up in front of people, I try to look presentable. It doesn't mean you have to be dressed up, but looking presentable means clean shaven, no hat, good posture, etc..It helps when trying to be effective.
Now teachers appearance, something different. This is someone you see on a regular basis, a familiarity is formed, and emphasis is less on how they look each class, but it is more on the way they present and actually teach the material.
So I guess my real point is that appearance is important, but on different levels. A one time speech in front of people may require more grooming, whereas a class you have for the semester may allow for some leeway in appearance.