What Goes into A Thrilling Performance: Dalton Sherman, Age 10, Motivational Speaker

At 10, Dalton Sherman is a speech-making pro. Since winning a big oratory competition in Dallas last January, he’s performed at numerous churches and events all over Dallas. He even opened an event for famed poet Maya Angelou.

Here's a kid who has found his passion: public speaking. A video of the presentation Sherman made to 17,000 teachers of the Dallas Unified School district is making the rounds.

Take note of what Sherman did to prepare:

• His school (Charles Rice Learning Center) has an oratory program, in which Sherman participated
• Dallas has an oratory competition that Sherman won earlier in the year.
• After Sherman won the Gardere MLK competition, Dallas Independent School District contacted the Sherman family to ask if Sherman would address the teachers
• His presentation was written by the district
• His mother and his oratory coach worked with him all summer to prepare for the convocation speech in August.
• Sherman gave the whole speech to live audiences throughout the summer.

In short: preparation, drill, more preparation, and more drill.

Think about that, constructivists.