Interpretation is the art of communicating to an audience a work of literary art in its intellectual, emotional, and aesthetic entirety. — Oral Interpretation, Lee & Gura, Tenth Edition, Page 3

The above is a great oral interpretation by Johnny Cash of one of my favorite poems.

Oral interpretation falls somewhere between a speech and a dramatic performance. It’s a way to convey the emotion and essence of a piece of literature, using primarily your voice. In learning to interpret literature this way, you’ll not only get to know the passages you’re interpreting, you may get to know yourself as well. And become more comfortable with your speaking voice.

If you’ve never done any oral interpretation, I’d encourage you to try some for the benefit it will have on your ability to communicate.

In the summer of 2008, my wife and I took a trip to New York City. One of my favorite places we visited was the Museum of Modern Art, particularly because of the exhibition in their Architecture and Design Department at the time called “Humble Masterpieces.” The exhibition was a collection of spectacularly designed objects that don’t get the recognition they deserve due to their ubiquity as “everyday objects.” Legos. Swiss Army Knives. Zippers. Bubble wrap. Items that seem so simple, but which are examples of the perfect blend of form and function. You can see 100 of the items in the collection in the book, Humble Masterpieces: Everyday Marvels of Design, which was written by the curator of MoMA’s Architecture and Design Department, Paola Antonelli.

The humble, yet remarkably well-designed safety pin.

[Image by clovermountain via Flickr]

I came away from the exhibition with the sudden realization that everything around us has been designed. From paper clips, to drywall, to drain plugs, to Scotch tape. Someone designed it.

But taking another step back, everything around us began as an idea. Someone had a thought in their mind about how the world could be different, maybe not in a huge way, but different somehow. And if it hadn’t been for their ability to communicate that idea to others and to get people to help them realize their idea, their dream would never have become a reality, a real object.

You have ideas, I know you do. For a new website, or a new novel, or a new law, or a new process for changing a tire. Your ability to communicate those ideas to others will mean the difference between your idea’s life or death. Even if you haven’t had your great idea yet, now is the time to learn to learn to communicate so that when the idea comes, you’ll have the tools to capitalize on it. The question is, will you realize the importance of communication and make the commitment to master it?

So, will you?