The Blarney Stone is a historical stone, or actually part of the Blarney Castle in Ireland where it was believed that kissing the stone can grant you the gift of gab. Yeah, it seems strange in this day and age, but who are we to question tradition? It’s not like I’m saying that Santa Claus doesn’t exist (OOPS!).

There is so much to know about conversation that anyone, even I, could ever realize. You can go though watching talk shows; radio programs; clubs dedicated to public speaking; ordinary conversations; certain rules still apply when it comes to interaction through words. It may sound tedious, I know, but even though it’s your mouth that’s doing the work, your brain works twice as hard to churn out a lot of things you know. So what better way to start learning to be an effective communication is to know the very person closest to you: yourself.

1. What you know.

Education is all about learning the basics, but to be an effective speaker is to practice what you’ve learned. My stint as guest at every Toastmasters’ meeting I go to taught me that we all have our limitations, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn to keep up and share what we know.

2. Listening.

It’s just as important as asking questions. Sometimes listening to the sound of our own voice can teach us to be a little bit confident with ourselves and to say the things we believe in with conviction.

3. Humility

We all make mistakes, and sometimes we tend to slur our words, stutter, and probably mispronounce certain words even though we know what it means, but rarely use it only to impress listeners. So in a group, don’t be afraid to ask if you’re saying the right word properly and if they’re unsure about it then make a joke out of it. I promise you it’ll make everyone laugh and you can get away with it as well.

4. Eye Contact

There’s a lot to say when it comes to directing your attention to your audience with an eye-catching gaze. It’s important that you keep your focus when talking to a large group in a meeting or a gathering, even though he or she may be gorgeous.

5. Kidding around

A little bit of humor can do wonders to lift the tension, or worse boredom when making your speech. That way, you’ll get the attention of the majority of the crowd and they’ll feel that you’re just as approachable, and as human to those who listen.

6. Be like the rest of them

Interaction is all about mingling with other people. You’ll get a lot of ideas, as well as knowing what people make them as they are.

7. Me, Myself, and I

Admit it, there are times you sing to yourself in the shower. I know I do! Listening to the sound of your own voice while you practice your speech in front of a mirror can help correct the stress areas of your pitch. And while you’re at it you can spruce up as well.

8. With a smile

A smile says it all much like eye contact. There’s no point on grimacing or frowning in a meeting or a gathering, unless it’s a wake. You can better express what you’re saying when you smile.

9. A Role Model

There must be at least one or two people in your life you have listened to when they’re at a public gathering or maybe at church. Sure they read their lines, but taking a mental note of how they emphasize what they say can help you once you take center stage.

10. Preparation

Make the best out of preparation rather than just scribbling notes and often in a hurried panic. Some people like to write things down on index cards, while other resort to being a little more silly as they look at their notes written on the palm of their hand (not for clammy hands, please). Just be comfortable with what you know since you enjoy your work.

And that about wraps it up. These suggestions are rather amateurish in edgewise, but I’ve learned to empower myself when it comes to public or private speaking and it never hurts to be with people to listen how they make conversations and meetings far more enjoyable as well as educational.

(I’ve done the ones in bold; Current count; 52)

-Savannah Cash

He promoted the written word of documents of history, the Bible, and literature, discarding the usual handing down of that information from generation to generation. Patrick’s mission lasted for thirty years, which would have made his death occur around ninety years of age. There are stories that credit St. Patrick with ridding Ireland of its snakes. Whether this is true or not, the fact that Ireland is snake-free is well known.

The modern version of the feast of St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday of  the Roman Catholic Church and the Irish Church, and is celebrated all over the world by the Irish (and non-Irish). It usually falls on a Friday of  Lent (except Good Friday or other holy days). When it falls on one of the holy days, church officials move it to another day around March 15 to 17. History’s first recorded parade occurred March 18, 1763, when an English-Irish soldiers’ band marched through the streets of New York City, playing their instruments and dancing Irish jigs.

The Irish will tell you that if you want the powers of eloquence, persuasion, and the “gift of gab” you must kiss the Blarney stone, which is in the wall of the Blarney Castle (built in 1446, with walls eighteen inches thick at the base) in the Irish village of Blarney. What they won’t tell you, however, is that in order to kiss the stone, you must lie on your back, bend backward and downward, while hanging over the edge about two feet and holding  onto supporting iron bars to keep from falling to the ground. To make matters harder, the stone is between an overhang of the main castle wall and the parapet on the battlement of the castle. This famous stone (four feet X two feet) may be half of the ‘Stone of Scone’, which was given, in 1314, to Cormac McCathy (their family owned the castle at that time) for his support in the Battle of Bannockburn, by Robert the Bruce.

Since Ireland is touted as The Emerald Isle, being verdant, lush, and green, it is associated with the color green and the shamrock, as well as all other Irish things, such as drink, food, etc. Celebrants wear something green (in earlier times, this color was blue and was changed to green later), eat green eggs (and Irish foods), drink Irish beverages, including green beer, sing Irish songs, and throw parades as a way to show their patriotism. The leprechaun (an Irish fairy), the shamrock, and the blarney stone are the symbols of the modern St. Paddy’s Day. This holiday takes place all over the world, and is one of the most popular celebrations of all.

Happy St. Paddy’s Day, and if you do not want to get pinched, don’t forget your green.

Black Stone

Islam’s most sacred artifact, which, according to tradition, was the stone given by the angel Gabriel to Ishmael, the legendary founder of the Arab race. Known as “al-Hajar-ul-Aswad” in Arabic, it was built into the one of the outside corner of Kaaba, a pilgrimage shrine located within the courtyard of the massive “Masjid al-Haram,” the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. During the 10th century, it was taken away and shattered by an Iraqi sect of Qarmatians but was later recovered. The pieces are preserved in pitch and held together by silver wires.

Blarney Stone

A limestone situated high up on the parapet of the Blarney castle near Cork, Ireland. It was given by Robert the Bruce to Cormac McCarthy in 1314 in exchange for his support in the Battle of Bannockburn. According to legend, when this particular limestone is kissed, it will endow its kisser with the gift of persuasive eloquence. Yuck! Imagine kissing an object that has had people’s lips all over it for over 500 years.

Newspaper Rock

A flat sandstone cliff featuring one of the world’s largest known collections of petroglyphs, around two hundred square feet in area. Located in Moab, Utah, United States, this historic monument is believed to have been carved by several Native American cultures between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago.

Rock of Gibraltar

Considered as one of the Pillars of Hercules, this monolithic Jurassic limestone is situated on the south end of Europe of the Iberian Peninsula, lying at the junction of the Mediterranean and the Altantic. Also known as Mons Calpe, it has been used as a complex military fortification that spans over one thousand years of Moorish, Spanish and British history.

Ayers Rock

An enormous sandstone formation that stands 348 meters high, dominating the broad desert plains in central Australia of the Northern Territory, 400 kilometers southwest of Alice Springs. Also known as Uluru, the geological marvel is Australia’s most recognizable natural icon and holds great religious and cultural significance to the Aboriginal people of the area.

Rosetta Stone

(At the British Museum)

A black basalt stone, which discovery in the Egyptian village of Rashid somehow paved the way to the modern understanding of the once forgotten language of Egyptian hieroglyphics. It has been displayed in the British Museum in London since 1802, and contains three distinct bands of engraved inscription: hieroglyphics, demotic and ancient Greek.

Pantuo Rock

Situated in Zhejiang province atop the island mountain of Putuo, one of four sacred Buddhist site in China, is this rock that has its name in Chinese characters (literally “a huge stone on a mountain”) carved on it by a general from Ming Dynasty. It seems to be standing on top of another rock by the smallest contact point and very much likely to fall but has been firmly in place for millenia.

Stonehenge

Britain’s most famous prehistoric site that was erected using sarsens arranged in circles and has been standing in vigil on the Salisbury Plain near Amesbury for over five thousand years. How and why this megalithic monument was constructed has remained a mystery but theories abound that it was built by extra-terrestrials or the Druids, and that it was used for burial rituals or as an astronomical observatory.

Dome of the Rock

The structure sitting atop a plot of elevated platform in Jerusalem Israel identified by the Jews and Christians as the “Temple Mount”, and by the Muslims as “Haram al-Sharif” (”Noble Sanctuary” in Arabic). Inside this Islamic Shrine resides a rock in its center, on which Muslims believe was where Mohammed began his ascent to heaven, while Jews believe was where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac.

Tarpeian Rock

The steep cliff used by the ancient Romans as an execution site from which criminals and traitors were thrown to their deaths. Lying south of the Capitoline Hill overlooking the Forum in Rome, it was named after a vestal virgin, who betrayed Rome to the Sabines in exchange for their gold bracelets but was instead crushed to death with their shields in expression of disgust for her actions.

Other history articles:

·        Warrior Women

·        Mighty Women

·        Man-made Environmental Disasters

·        Famous Teen Deaths

·        Birthday Deaths

·        Bizarre Deaths series

o       10 Bizarre Deaths in History

o       10 (More) Bizarre Deaths in History

o       10 (Ultimate) Bizarre Deaths in History

·        US Presidential Trivia series

o       1^st to the 15^th President

o       16^th to the 30^th President

o       31^st to the new President-elect

·        Holocaust themed series

o       Famous Holocaust Survivors

o       Heroes of the Holocaust & Their Stories of Courage 1

o       Heroes of the Holocaust & Their Stories of Courage 2