Evaluation of the King’s Speech 1. Identify two of internal barriers to Public Speaking that the king faced. State what they are and analyze their origins. Use what you know of public speaking anxiety and the textbook’s description of psychological barriers to public speaking [include citations]. Two internal barriers that King George VI faced were his lack of confidence and anxiety. King George VI lacked confidence when he spoke because of his speech impediment. His stammering caused him to have anxiety; his stammering was a subject of ridicule by his brother and father growing up, so as an adult, the embarrassment of his stammering caused him to have anxiety; in turn, he stammers more. “Habitual responses are a psychological reference to negative thoughts that we think about ourselves. These were judgments that were spoken to us by someone who had some form of power over us. They were intentionally or unintentionally hurtfully delivered by those we trusted and looked to for direction. We painfully received and internalized messages from our parents, teachers, clergy, relatives, friends, or strangers who pointed out to us some way in which we did not measure up. We replay these negative connotations about who we were and are in our minds when stressed. We feel certain that our “flaws” are obvious to everyone and will be seen as the defining characteristics of who we are." (Carson,2022, ch.2 p.3). George's father is the King of England, and his brother is next in line to the throne; the two most powerful people in his life constantly berate and mock him do to his stammering, which causes him to lack confidence in himself. 2. Name two ways that Edward and Logue addressed and overcame these barriers. Analyze how these physical, structural, or psychological things helped counter the public speaking problems he had. When Lionel first begins working With King George VI, he gets on a personal level with him to establish trust. He first has King George address him by his first name rather than being formal and addressed by his last name Mr. Logue, and in turn, he addresses George not by his title name but by the nickname he had growing up, Bertie. The first strategy Lionel used with Bertie was covering up his hearing while he recited a line from a book, and while reciting those lines, he recorded Bertie. At first, Bertie was hesitant but hearing himself speak without stuttering on the recording gave him the confidence to learn how to work through his stuttering while speaking. Another technique that Lionel was singing, when Bertie is having trouble speaking because of his stammering, Lionel asks him to sing what he is trying to say using the rhythm of a familiar song; Bertie is able to say what he wants to deliver without stammering fluently. Bertie uses the rhythm of the song to flow the words together in order to say what he wants to.
