We have all been urged to read voraciously – whether it is an X feed, or a text excerpt, or even an old-fashioned book – reading is always a good thing. Reading, they say, opens the mind and expands your horizons. I won’t disagree with this.

What I would like to add to the discourse about reading is that there is also a necessity to READ ALOUD. The usual benefits to reading aloud include: the opportunity to correct one’s pronunciation, the ability to hone one’s intonation and voice modulation, and the generosity of sharing a reading material with others.

What is not said is that reading aloud also helps a person in their oratory skills, or their public speaking. Many people ignore the immense advantages that reading aloud can have on the delivery skills of a speaker.

Take a look at some of our speakers today. I know that for many, the speeches are prepared by someone else. That is fine, but the least you can do is to read it properly, with the right amount of pauses, melody and emphasis, that would not only make it sound interesting, but would also be able to drive home whatever message you were meant to deliver.

We owe it to the hardworking speechwriters who spend so many hours and days just trying to find the right word and in the right context. All they ask is for the orator to deliver the speech as if he was delivering his own. If you study the world leaders – UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres, President Erdogan of Turkey, Lord Cameron of the United Kingdom – all of them have one thing in common: they can deliver speeches as if they are speaking directly to the audience. Their message resonates loud and clear. They have mastered the art of reading aloud.

Diplomats have to deliver speeches all the time. In some cases, you don’t have the luxury of writing your own speech. This is why it is imperative that the art of reading aloud, of being able to mesmerize the audience with your words, is taught as a valuable tool in the diplomat’s arsenal.

Next time you listen to a speech, watch the orator. A good orator is one who has that ‘connection’ with the audience, and whose message you remember long after he has left the stage.