120 THE COUNTY AGENT'S SERVICES 



to inspire confidence. Direct open frankness which invites 

 questions usually wins the favor of an audience. The 

 speaker 's attitude must not be patronizing or superior. It 

 should always indicate sympathy and understanding but 

 never pity. The dress and manner of the speaker should 

 be dignified but not affected. 



The effective public speaker will also avoid antagonizing 

 people in the audience or discussing in a partizan way 

 argumentative questions upon which people are divided or 

 over which they are contending. It is better to advise and 

 exemplify mutual agreement and understanding and the 

 necessity of working together than to take sides. A neutral 

 conciliating attitude will put the speaker in a stronger 

 position and make his judgment and advice more sought 

 after. Yet the county agent should never hesitate to hold 

 decided views on the side which he feels to be right when he 

 has firm convictions on a subject. He should be able to do 

 this without being offensive or stirring up antagonisms. 



A public speaker should always keep cool. When he 

 loses his temper he usually says things that he will be sorry 

 for later on. A county agent's success depends as much 

 01 his ability to get along with people and to make friends 

 without arousing undue antagonism, as upon any other one 

 factor. Most county agents have enough experience and 

 technical training to succeed. A less number have those 

 personal qualities that command support alike from public 

 and coworkers and which are just as essential to success 

 as a county agent. 



It is always well to avoid the use of the personal pro- 

 noun "I" as much as possible. A county agent in common 

 with all public servants should forget his own personal 

 interests and status and devote himself to service. He 

 must be broad-minded, conscientious, liberal and forgetful 

 of self. This is the best way to establish confidence in one's 



