Fundamentals of public speaking: rules for speaking at a speech

The ability to win over an audience is the most important skill for a person striving for success in various areas of life. All studies of the phenomenon of first impression confirm one thing: our brain perceives the initial assessment as the most complete and correct. The first impression is very stable; everything that contradicts it is considered an exception by the brain. To erase a negative opinion about yourself, you will have to correct the situation many times in different contexts, otherwise the unpleasant impression will remain dominant.

The Roman patricians placed the basics of oratory above knowledge of the laws. Since then, little has changed. The ability to speak effectively and impress the public is a necessary quality of a leader. A person who masters rhetoric expresses his thoughts clearly and clearly, listens and hears opponents, is able to convince skeptics and come to an agreement with opponents.

A charismatic leader is a success for the company. Some bright personalities are charismatic by nature, but this is very rare, so entire PR departments work on the image of top managers. And yet, no PR person can speak in front of the public or negotiate for his boss, so the manager has no choice but to learn the art of public speaking. This is necessary not only for top managers and public politicians; public speaking skills are necessary for managers at any level, teachers, and anyone who plans to advance their career.

Content

• What a speaker should be able to do
• What is the basis of oratory?
• Development of public speaking skills
• Composition of oratorical speech
• How to structure a speech according to the rules of oratory. A clear structure of the speech.
• Competent and expressive language
• Objective and useful information
• Balance between emotions and facts
• Laconic speech
• Appropriate pauses
• Portrait of the audience
• Improvisation
• Prepared jokes, quotes, stories
• Sense of humor
• Narrative style

What other qualities should a speaker have? What criteria should I meet?

To be heard (in the literal sense of the word) by the audience, the speaker must make a clear, absolutely understandable speech for the audience, delivered in a loud, well-produced voice. Clear pronunciation of consonants, clear pronunciation of vowels and other components of good diction are those “basic” qualities that a skilled speaker cannot do without. The content of the speech and the form of its presentation should captivate the audience. Therefore, the speaker must understand the essence of his speech and understand it well in order to be able to answer any question from the audience. If a discussion ensues on controversial points in the speech, then we must try to diplomatically maintain neutrality. You cannot show signs of aggression in a dispute.

But managing an audience requires certain human character traits from the speaker: self-confidence and in what you are saying, education and intellectual ability, goodwill and sincerity. An insecure, poorly educated person who does not believe in what he wants to convey to the public, even if he has read the prepared text, will never be understood and convincing. His speech will be boring, and most importantly, meaningless. Namely, the “persuasiveness” of a speaker is a qualitative criterion in assessing the effectiveness of his speech. The speaker must sense the mood of the audience and notice when they are starting to get tired or bored. It is at this moment that you need to be able to create a spontaneous, informal atmosphere: joke, step away from the main topic for a while, maybe answer questions. In addition, the speaker must have such personal qualities as inner composure, calmness, rich imagination, insight and good memory. And, of course, it is impossible to master the art of oratory without communication skills. This character trait will allow you to feel free in any audience. And this is very important, since any speaker must find contact with his audience, find the right form of communication with him, the right “tone”. He must know exactly the “qualitative” composition of the audience: education, age, gender of the audience. Only then will the speaker be able to find the right approach to the audience.

What a speaker should be able to do

An orator is a speaker who knows how to speak in front of an audience and has a whole arsenal of rhetorical skills. The speaker can be called a man-orchestra, he:

• knows the techniques of oratory - competently, beautifully and intelligibly conveys his thoughts to the public;
• knows the psychological mechanisms of influence on the audience;
• has acting skills - understands the laws of stage speech, controls gestures and facial expressions;
• feels the response of the audience and knows how to improvise;
• He is well versed in the topic he is talking about.

Back in Ancient Greece, where rhetoric was born and flourished, there was debate as to whether eloquence was an innate talent of the elite, or a skill that could be developed. Many people are still convinced that successful public speaking is the destiny of charismatic leaders, while this option is not available to others. But the story of the famous ancient Greek orator Demosthenes is a lesson for everyone who considers oratory abilities to be exclusively a gift from God.

Demosthenes was tongue-tied, had a quiet voice and constantly twitched his shoulder. It is difficult to imagine a person more unsuited to rhetoric. But the dream of becoming a famous speaker came true thanks to exceptional perseverance and endless training. So the fame of Demosthenes’ talent has survived for a couple of millennia and has become an example of how to develop oratory, having obvious contraindications to public speaking.

Strategic Listening

The first thing a good speaker does is look carefully at the audience and pause before he begins to speak. This helps create a good impression on the public. Throughout the speech, he should maintain eye contact with the audience.

Otherwise, they may feel that they are being ignored, and they may very well ignore everything that is being tried to convey to them.

Clear and intelligible speech

Variations in emotion and voice tempo will certainly enhance the experience.
Clear pronunciation of words with correct stress is necessary. And one more absolutely important thing when communicating: your voice should be loud enough so that the audience can hear you well. A loud voice is an important part of a successful speech.

Knowing the Audience

Concentrate on your ideas and do not be distracted by the smiles and movements of those listening when they laugh or whisper. To succeed in communication, you must know:

• age
• gender
• origin of people

Pay attention to whether the audience is patient enough to endure your hours-long performance.

Try to understand how friendly or hospitable she is.

Gestures and posture

Your facial expression reflects the thoughts in your head.
Therefore, make sure that the expression on your face reflects your interest in the subject you are talking about. Body movements should be coordinated with your belief, adding a more effective visual emphasis.

Consider the level of formality of speech

If you want to improve the impression of your speech, focus on matching your nonverbal cues to the level of formality in the situation. It is clear that some situations require more formal behavior, which viewers may understand differently in a different situation.

Always take into account the circumstances under which you are communicating with your audience.

Use silence

Don't be afraid to pause and take a breath. Listeners also need time to digest what you have said. We need pauses when we speak, just as we need spaces, commas, and periods in writing. Talking without stopping is a known failure.

A short pause of a few seconds attracts attention much better!

Smart clothes

Appearance is an important point “when going out into the world.”
Those who wear clothes that fit well always look attractive. Appearance can influence the communication process. Clothes should not be too fashionable for the people you will be communicating with. However, she should definitely impress them positively.

Good luck with your communication!

As you can see, if you already know that the ability to speak convincingly, beautifully, intelligibly and interestingly was highly valued not only by the ancient Greeks, but is still appreciated today, then use this skill to reach a new stage in your career and the path to your success. A lot depends on a high-quality public performance: new clients, a signed contract, your own rating and recognition in society. As always, the main thing is to act correctly, and you will succeed. It is better to act together and together with those people who already have experience and results. Come to our programs and earn more at the same time!

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What is the basis of oratory?

Rhetoric was born in Ancient Greece as the science of oratory. Even then, it united the art of eloquence itself, the science that studies oratory techniques, and the very process of persuasion with the help of words.

In short, what public speaking is is the skill of public speaking in front of an audience. Rhetoric teaches how to effectively influence the public based on three main factors:

1. Ethos - the conditions for delivering a speech: time, place, composition of the audience.
2. Pathos is the message of the speaker, the topic and goals of his speech.
3. Logos - linguistic means and oratorical techniques in speech.

Depending on the specific situation (ethos), different types of eloquence :

• academic rhetoric - lectures, scientific reports;
• socio-political rhetoric - parliamentary speeches, diplomatic speeches, manifestos and reports, rallies, military-patriotic speeches;
• judicial rhetoric - speeches of prosecutors and defense attorneys;
• theological rhetoric - sermons, the word of the pastor;
• social and everyday rhetoric - table and welcoming speeches, civil funeral services, commercial eloquence.

Pathos determines the purpose and features of the style of oratory :

• informational speech communicates new facts or knowledge to the audience;
• entertaining - designed to amuse and captivate the audience;
• persuasive - has the goal of convincing listeners that the speaker is right;
• agitating - calls on the audience to take some action;
• inspiring - infects with emotions.

Techniques for successful public speaking or how to speak in public?

In order for public speaking to be successful, it is necessary to become familiar with techniques that contribute to this skill.

So, tips for speaking in front of an audience.

Smile

When entering the hall where a speech is planned, the lecturer is recommended to smile, this will help to win over the audience.

Calm

Speakers often cannot hide their own excitement from those present. But how can you speak in public and not worry?

It is recommended to use the following technique: you need to put an ordinary paper clip, preferably an iron one, in the pocket of your suit or dress. Standing behind the podium (the raised platform for speaking), quietly put your hand in your pocket and squeeze a paper clip. This hand movement will help reduce anxiety.

Speech rate

The pace of speech at which you are supposed to read a report or speak should be calm. You should prepare for the speech in advance. You need to read it at home several times, rehearsing your speech in front of the mirror. Speaking in front of people will become easier.

You need to develop and use one of the most important social skills: calm down and not tense up. This is a great talent for any person. This skill allows a person to remain calm in any situation.

Calm-sounding speech without tension or strain not only encourages the audience to listen, but also calms them down. During a public speech, mutual evaluation of the lecturer - by the public and the public - by the lecturer occurs. Therefore, if a person has a fear of speaking in public, listeners will immediately recognize it.

Cloth

Lecturer clothing should be formal but elegant. In accordance with modern fashion.

According to external perception, a first impression is formed, as a result of which a contact is formed. When forming contact with the public, the following stages of acquaintance are observed that occur while listening to a lecture:

• Entry and formation of mutual interest. This happens at the very beginning of the lecture.
• By the middle of the speech, a trusting atmosphere is established, which is facilitated by the use of humor to attract the attention of the audience.
• Towards the end of the lecture, you can use the technique of telling a life story that is logically related to the topic of the speech.

Through these stages, listeners will better remember the entire concept of the report. This will also allow the lecturer to leave the audience on friendly terms, this will give hope that the same people will come to him more than once.

Remember in parts

You should not try to memorize your entire speech. It is better to break it into small pieces and memorize each separately. But, if there is even the slightest opportunity, then it is better to put the text of your speech before your eyes. You should definitely take advantage of this opportunity, since there is a high probability of forgetting significant parts of your speech (from extreme excitement).

Checking terms

It is necessary to clearly check all the meanings of “smart” words used in the speech in all dictionaries. Find out and learn the correct pronunciation.

Errors in the “language” can cause ridicule of the lecturer and ruin the entire presentation, no matter how wonderfully brilliant and meaningful it may be.

Diction

When test reading your speech, you should carefully monitor your articulation and gestures, and very clear pronunciation of sounds. Diction must be practiced. This will help you gain even more attention from your audience.

“If you're not going to make eye contact with your listeners, you might as well contact them by mail.”

Ron Hoff

Thesis plan

In order not to get confused in your speech and not to interrupt yourself, you should draw up a detailed “thesis” plan. It should consist of main thoughts, following one after another point by point.

For example, when speaking on a thesis, at its defense or trial pre-defenses, you can use the following structure of a thematic thesis plan:

• Introduction;
• Elements of the research program;
• Presentation with colorful pictures and diagrams.

Such a thesis plan will be quite sufficient to defend any diploma (bachelor/master/candidate).

Currently, according to the new standard for defending diploma projects, graduates (together with theses) are asked to write an abstract that fully takes into account the thesis plan of the work performed, which greatly simplifies the process of preparing students for a presentation.

Find out everything about the audience

You need to “work out” the audience you are planning to speak to. That is, it is necessary to know exactly the approximate range of problems, age and possible marital status of the people to whom you plan to report or to whom you will need to speak with your prepared text.

It is worth considering that once a speech is delivered in front of different groups of people, it can be perceived ambiguously, since each person has his own opinion and forms his own view on the proposed problem covered by a specific speech.

Don't be intimidated by questions from the audience

Questions are an indicator of interest in the speech. It’s better to try to “figure out” for yourself a list of sample questions that might be asked during the speech and prepare for them. The usual recommendation for composing such possible questions is a little more than 50 pieces.

Speaking "through the diaphragm"

When preparing for speech, you need to learn how to pass the spoken sounds through the diaphragm. This muscle “supports” a strong and loud voice.

To learn this, you need to place your hand between your stomach and sternum. Next - take a deep breath, the stomach should rise, now you need to speak small phrases directly from the depths of the stomach. These could be short poems or sentences from a speech.

After several trainings, the timbre of your voice will become more saturated, and your speech will sound confident.

This exercise is very familiar to opera singers, especially male tenors and women with mezzo-soprano voices.

Read the speech in advance

Before speaking, it is necessary to read your speech more than 20 times in about a day. Then, before going to bed, put the outline of the speech under your pillow and sleep peacefully until the morning. It is not recommended to open the notes and list of prepared questions any further until the very start of the presentation.

Food

A person speaking in front of an audience must be well-fed.

Before a speech, you need to eat well to improve cognitive processes, which are greatly activated during the stressful situation that a public lecture can be, especially for the first time.

“Speaking simply and clearly is as difficult as being sincere and kind.”

​Somerset Maugham

The food that should be included in your diet before a performance should be rich in protein, which promotes the production of the amino acid tyrosine. It is better to eat three hours before speaking in public.

14. Physical activity before the performance

It is necessary to “burn” the hormone cortisol, the excess of which is produced by the adrenal glands during nervous tension. Because of his education, his ability to create and work with information, and quickly evaluate it, is limited.

During its development, it is impossible to correctly respond to communication with the audience and understand what is happening to it, how the performance is perceived.

In order to reduce the amount of this hormone (cortisol) in your body, physical education is necessary. The best way in the morning, if the performance is in the afternoon, or the night before, if the performance is in the morning, work out in a fitness club or gym, and then take a contrast shower.

Also, before the performance itself, you can shake your legs, arms, squat, jump - any available physical activity will help. And to relieve facial muscle tension, you can make faces in front of the mirror, at the same time it will cheer you up!

Backup plan

When speaking in front of a large audience, you always need to have a plan B.

It is necessary to create two backup plans for presentations at the time of possible failure. For example, a plan of what to do if the computer and projector, so necessary during the report, suddenly break down.

Having a plan in place helps give a better presentation by adding confidence to the lecturer.

Habits that give you confidence

This is a kind of superstition. For example, a lucky dress/suit or shoes that bring good luck. By putting on such a thing “for good luck”, you can try to attract “magic” to your side in order to influence the upcoming event, which instills anxiety and fear in the soul.

Actions for confidence

Choose a few unique, truly useful specific actions for yourself. By getting used to doing them before each performance, you can gain confidence in yourself and your abilities. This could be, for example, calling a loved one just before going out in public or listening to your favorite music.

Looking back to the past

You should begin your speech with a short excursion into the history of those events to which the entire lecture will be devoted. When referring to past events, it is difficult to leave the audience indifferent.

Pauses in speech

You need to learn to pause for 10-12 seconds during a speech.

If you stop for a couple of seconds, the audience will decide that the idea that the lecturer is trying to convey to them is lost. If you take a pause of 5-7 seconds, the public will decide that the stop is intentional. After a pause of 10-12 seconds, those who did not listen at all will raise their heads and wonder what happened, where the lecture went.

When the lecturer continues his speech, the entire audience will gain confidence that this is an advanced speaker, completely confident in himself, and that he paused deliberately.

An experienced, competent speaker always feels comfortable in a moment of silence. If you take such a long pause in order to “gather your thoughts,” the audience will be captivated.

No excuses

You should never make excuses to your audience. Even if the performance failed or went very badly.

“In our world, when a man has something to say, the difficulty is not in getting him to say it, but in preventing him from repeating it too often.”

​Bernard Shaw

​21. Readable slides

Don't overload your presentation slides. It is necessary to strictly follow the presentation rules: “the font size on the slide should be twice the average age of the audience.”

This means that the font size should be between 60 and 80 pixels. If you can’t fit all the necessary words onto the slide, then the message will have to be shortened.

Don't read text from slides

Slides cannot be read during the presentation. Students must independently follow the flow of the lecture on the slides.

23. Interesting and relevant topic of speech

The hardest thing to do is speak in front of an audience that is not at all interested in the topic of the speech.

Instead of asking people to turn off their mobile devices (no one will do this), you need to try to completely gain their attention so that they don’t even think about checking their social media. network during the performance.

You need to make your presentation and speech so interesting and inspiring that people will be captivated from beginning to end.

The audience is not obliged to listen to the lecturer; it is the lecturer's responsibility to force them to listen to themselves.

Repetitions in speech

You always need to be able to correctly place repetitions in your speech. You should repeat all questions asked by the audience before you begin to answer them. Repetitions of all key points of the narrative are required.

No one is ever able to remember absolutely every aspect after the first listen. The more repetitions of key aspects of the story, the greater the chance that these points will be able to be imprinted in the memory of listeners and will be used by them in life.

Clarity and brevity in presentation

You need to be “succinct and concise.” There is no denying the truth of the saying “brevity is the sister of talent.”

If half an hour is allotted for a speech, then 25 minutes should be used. If an hour is allotted for speaking, then you should speak for 50 minutes. You should always respect your audience's time and end a little early.

“The human brain is an amazing organ. It starts working from the moment you are born and doesn’t stop until you are ready to speak publicly.”

​George Jessel

You should absolutely not delay your speech. This moment can destroy not only the positive impression of the lecture, but also leave the audience with an unpleasant aftertaste from the speech.

Pause at the beginning of the speech

Before the very start of the speech, you also need to take a short pause so that people can escape from their thoughts and fully concentrate on the lecture.

Audience "Name"

You need to come up with a “name” with which to address the audience in order to inspire confidence in them. For example, “dear friends”, “colleagues”, “men”.

Development of public speaking skills

The definition of oratory in the modern sense is, in essence, the culture of speech and psychological skills that make a person effective in the field of public speaking and interpersonal communication. Rhetoric uses emotional and psychological techniques to influence listeners and takes into account the portrait of the audience. Its main task is not so much to convey knowledge as to form an opinion and convince.

Why is public speaking necessary today? A speaker who has mastered the skills of eloquence not only controls himself during a speech, he completely controls the situation. Developing skills is impossible without constant training. Rhetoric has never been a mere theory; in this discipline, quantity of practice develops into quality.

The speech of a trained speaker has special properties:

• contains linguistic and non-verbal methods of influencing the listener;
• focused on receiving feedback from the audience;
• The effectiveness of influencing the public is achieved through the interaction of the psychological state of the speaker and his authority among the audience.

Online Rhetoric Lessons

The public speaking training posted on this website is an integration of many techniques described by public speaking experts. Each of the lessons involves the development of a specific skill that contributes to the development of your public speaking abilities. Naturally, each person can master these skills differently, so try to pay attention to those lessons that seem most useful to you.

Lesson 1. Preparing a speech

This lesson provides general guidelines for preparing a public speech. Speech preparation is the most important secret of oratory. Many rhetoric experts call preparation the main rule of successful speech. Dale Carnegie wrote that a well-prepared speech is nine-tenths a delivered speech. However, the process of preparing a speech is not only good content material, but also a set of certain stages of its design, structuring, and presentation, which allows you to avoid standard mistakes of a novice speaker.

Lesson 2. Speech plan

As you learned from the previous lesson, to prepare a good speech, it is important to know what to talk about and how to convey your thoughts to the audience. To do this, you need to draw up a plan for your speech, based on which you will be able to deliver an excellent oratorical speech. Naturally, the structure of each public speech is individual and depends on many things, which include: the number and characteristics of listeners, their interest, time of speech and much more. This lesson shows the basic rules for creating a public speaking plan that you can apply under any circumstances.

Lesson 3. Oratorical techniques

Having collected the necessary material and understood what you want to talk about in a public speech, as well as drawing up a plan, you can move on to the substantive design of the speech. To do this, it is useful to use special oratorical techniques that are aimed at improving the perception of information by listeners. There are a lot of oratory techniques. This lesson describes the main and most popular of them. In addition, here you will find examples and recommendations for using these techniques to develop your public speaking skills.

Lesson 4. Speech technique

In the last lesson, you were introduced to rhetorical techniques that help better reveal the content of your speech. In order to give a speech in front of an audience, it is important to use methods of presenting material from which speech technique is created: intonation, diction, articulation, tempo, gestures, etc. This lesson covers oratorical techniques that will help you when delivering your speech.

Lesson 5. Memorizing text

In the process of preparing for a speech, you often have to memorize important parts of your speech, the structure of the speech, various facts and quotes. Sometimes there is a lot to remember, and this can cause some difficulties. In addition, during a speech, due to anxiety, important things can simply fly out of your head. The ability to keep key details of a speech in mind and attention is a very useful skill for any speaker. This lesson provides important techniques and programs for memorizing the text of a public speech, and also suggests some useful techniques for developing memory.

Lesson 6. Working with the audience

Every occasion you give a speech is unique. If this is a work report at a meeting, you will be listened to by default. But it also happens when you need to fight for the audience’s attention, try to convey your views to them, and get support. The success of not only a specific performance, but also the realization of your global goal may depend on this. Remember how in the movie “Wall Street” the young broker, played by Ch. Sheen, had only 5 minutes to convince the “shark” of the stock market (M. Douglas) to take him on his team? And in fact, no matter how competently the speech is composed, no matter what artistic means and techniques are used, no matter what the preparation, the final success depends largely on how interested you are in the audience in perceiving what is said. Undoubtedly, the speech should be appropriate, but there are times when apathy, or even unfavorability, needs to be overcome not only by relevance or beautiful words. You need a strategy for working with the audience that will increase the significance of the speech, convey its message and turn the listener into a follower of your views. We want to talk about some mechanisms and tricks of interaction with the audience in this lesson.

Composition of oratorical speech

The composition of an oratorical speech is the structure of a speech, where each part works to present the speaker’s idea in the most convincing way. A thoughtful composition keeps the audience in constant suspense. Any speech must have an introduction, a main semantic part and a conclusion. One of the secrets of oratory is that a successful beginning and ending can “stretch out” a weak middle.

1. The purpose of the introduction is to win over the audience, arouse interest, and establish the necessary form of interaction with the public. A bright opening draws attention to the speaker. It is good form to outline the topic and issues of the speech at the very beginning. To hook the audience, tell a relevant life story, an interesting fact, a paradox, or ask an unexpected question on the topic.
2. The purpose of the main part of the oratorical speech is to convince listeners of the legitimacy of the thesis presented with the help of arguments, examples, and refutations. Facts, logic and oratory techniques that hold attention work here.
3. The conclusion is not just a summary of what has been said and summing up. In conclusion, pathos is important, since here an emotional impression is formed, the reaction the speaker needs to all of the above. The listener may not remember all the points and arguments, but the strong emotion at the end leaves a strong impression of the speech as a whole. The main thing is not to end on a minor note. Regardless of the topic, the ending should inspire optimism.

Fear of public speaking

Anxiety and self-doubt prevent a speaker from expressing his thoughts clearly. He often gets confused, his speech becomes confused and the viewer has to strain to catch the essence of what is being said. Excitement and fear of an audience can lead to failure of any performance. How not to be afraid of public speaking?

The first step to solving the problem is to analyze and identify those factors due to which a person experiences discomfort before going on stage and is afraid of the audience. Most often, the reasons for such a reaction are psychological in nature. Uncontrollable fear and anxiety can occur due to:

1. childhood memories (unsuccessful performance at an early age);
2. strict upbringing (prohibitions and restrictions on the part of parents, the belief that one should not attract the attention of other people);
3. complexes (dissatisfaction with oneself, expectation of laughter from the audience);
4. painful pride (fear of criticism, desire to be perfect in everything).

Fear of public speaking is a very common phenomenon, familiar to almost everyone who has worked with a large audience. A little anxiety makes a speech more emotional and interesting, but it is very important to ensure that it does not develop into panic.

How to avoid anxiety before public speaking

There are many techniques known to help you cope with emotions and overcome stage fright. Exercising and playing sports before a performance helps you relax and relieves nervous tension. A cup of warm milk or herbal decoction with honey soothes and makes the voice softer and clearer.

5 ways to overcome anxiety

There are ways to help you calm down before going on stage:

• Auto-training - you need to convince yourself of the absence of fear, believe in yourself, understand that everyone can make mistakes. It is best to combine auto-training with visualization of your performance, presenting your success and positive reaction to the audience.
• Good memories - you can distract yourself from worries by resurrecting your past successes and victories, remembering the brightest moments of your life.
• Meditation - complete relaxation, deep breaths and exhalations help to calm down and get rid of nervousness.
• Rest – on the eve of the performance, you need to get enough sleep and rest well. This allows you to put your thoughts in order, to be more collected and calm.
• Preparation – confidence in your knowledge makes it easier to relate to what is happening. A person who is well versed in the topic of the report is much more likely to arouse interest among the audience.

How to structure a speech according to the rules of oratory

In order to catch and hold the attention of the audience, competent speech must obey the rules of oratory, regardless of the goals, composition and conditions of the speech.

Briefly, the basics of oratory can be formulated as the basic rules to which any direction of rhetoric is subject.

Clear structure of the speech.

The structure and purpose of the speech delivered must be clear not only to the speaker, but also to the audience. The narrative is constructed in a logical sequence, when each subsequent thought follows from the previous one. In this case, the law of amplification is observed, when each subsequent argument is more weighty and convincing than the previous one.

Competent and expressive language.

Nothing kills a performance like speech with grammatical and spelling errors. Another disease of speakers is parasitic words that can drive listeners to white heat. The basis of oratory speech is its purity and literacy.

Objective and useful information.

The speaker has the right to his own point of view, which he convincingly conveys to the audience, but the information must be verified, truthful and objective.

Balance between emotions and facts.

Bare emotions do not inspire confidence in anyone, while at the same time, dry facts and figures are boring to listen to even for a trained public. Dilute the numbers with emotions and interesting stories, this will make the presentation balanced.

Laconic speech.

A long, confusing monologue with a lot of deviations from the topic causes boredom in listeners at best, and irritation at worst. Aerobatics when brevity is combined with information capacity. They say about such performances that “every word is worth its weight in gold.” Learn to strictly adhere to the rules, this is how you show respect for the audience and practice speaking strictly to the point.

Appropriate pauses.

Give special attention to pauses in oral speech. Short stops after key points or before particularly important information set a certain rhythm, the listener gets the opportunity to think about what he heard, and the speaker gets to collect his thoughts. Don’t be afraid of pauses and don’t fill them with mooing, groaning and other parasitic interjections.

Portrait of the audience.

Any speaker must take into account the nature and composition of the audience to which he speaks. There is a fine line here: you need to raise your listeners to your level, but at the same time speak in such a way that people understand you. The power of words in oratory depends on the impression the speaker makes on the audience. This includes intonation, appearance, and demeanor. It is necessary to maintain a balance, without stooping to familiarity or ingratiation, but also without raising the bar of demands on the audience.

Improvisation.

The speaker must take into account the response of the audience. A speaker who does not feel the “breath of the audience” will not convince anyone of anything. One of the essential qualities of a good speaker is flexibility and the ability to improvise. To develop the skill of improvisation, you need to work on logical and imaginative thinking, expand your horizons and vocabulary. The more immersed you are in the topic of your speech, the more natural the improvisation will be.

Prepared jokes, quotes, stories.

“Not a single improvisation comes to me as well as the one that I prepared for three days.” Mark Twain.

To liven up the presentation, experienced speakers do “homework” that helps defuse the situation, find the key to a difficult audience, or fill a forced pause due to a technical failure. It could be a funny story, a paradoxical fact, a joke or an anecdote on the topic.

The speech is decorated with quotes from recognized leaders. Jokes shouldn't be sight-read, but reading quotes is fine. To enhance the effect of a bright saying, write it down on a card, pause during your speech, take out the card and read out the quote.

Sense of humor.

A good joke relieves tension, puts the audience at ease with the speaker, and smoothes out the rough edges of speech. Witty speeches are remembered better. But humor must be appropriate and resonate with the situation.

Narrative style.

The style of oratory should take into account the situation, the type of rhetorical speech and the nature of the audience. The style should be appropriate and not cause confusion among the audience.

Exercises

Oratory skills help not only to control the situation, but also to manage it. The positive outcome of any case depends on the speaker’s communication skills and correctly structured dialogue with listeners.

Eloquence is not an innate ability, but an acquired one. This skill needs to be developed and trained. You can learn to freely express your thoughts using words, speak easily and naturally, and arouse interest and trust in your audience by performing fairly simple but effective exercises.

8 exercises for speech training

Reading out loud

In order to develop the strength and flexibility of your voice, you need to read any text out loud every day. In this case, you need to change the tonality of each sentence, moving from loud to quiet pronunciation and vice versa. You can pronounce drawn-out vowels using a similar technique, but your voice should sound lower than usual;

Retelling what you read

You can learn to formulate thoughts by regularly retelling the texts you read in your own words. In this case, it is necessary to pay special attention to details, try to remember and reproduce as much information as possible;

Keyword Search

Searching for keywords helps develop verbal thinking. You need to determine which phrases and sentences are key in the text and try to find new wording for them. At the same time, the meaning and information content of the words must be preserved. Another version of the exercise suggests, after reading only the first part of the sentence, completing it in your own words;

Paraphrasing

This exercise teaches you to highlight the main idea in the text. After reading a short article or message, you need to convey the information contained in it in your own words, while reducing the text size to one sentence;

Simplicity of speech

To eliminate the frequent use of the same words (the words “parasites”), the retold text is recorded on a voice recorder. Having discovered sentences containing such words while listening, they must be spoken several times, but in the correct form;

Tongue Twisters

With the help of tongue twisters, you can learn to speak faster while maintaining clear pronunciation;

Reading by warehouses

Reading by vocabulary is used to develop free, clear pronunciation. It is necessary to read any text slowly, step by step, paying attention to the correctness and clarity of the pronounced sounds. This exercise allows you to get rid of another common drawback - hasty pronunciation, in which individual sounds or endings of words are lost (swallowed), and speech turns out to be crumpled and slurred;

Reading poetry

When reading rhymed works, the correct placement of stress in words is easier to remember.

Exercises should be performed as often as possible, but it is important to take a break and rest if you feel tired. In addition, clarity of speech and clarity of pronunciation depend on proper breathing, which can be developed with the help of breathing exercises.

Oratorical techniques

Features of oratory are associated with the mechanisms of influence of the speaker’s speech on the audience here and now. Rhetoric is oral speech, and most people do not perceive information well by ear. Oratorical techniques stimulate the attention and imaginative thinking of listeners, and help to assimilate the material.

• When presenting complex material or dry digital data, use visual comparisons and examples that evoke figurative associations.
• Explain a complex concept several times , coming up with new images and comparisons. Use different forms of repetition to reinforce the material.
• Use means of artistic expression that make speech figurative and help the perception of information: allegory - an explanation of an abstract concept through a concrete image, all fables are based on allegories;
• antithesis - a sharp opposition of concepts, the contrast of images makes speech bright and emotional;
• hyperbole - deliberate exaggeration helps to place emphasis, but the main thing here is not to go too far.

Techniques of a good speaker

Oratory techniques - what are they? These are well-known tricks that a speaker uses to make a speech accessible to the audience and to increase the digestibility of information. There are a huge number of such techniques. Below are two basic public speaking techniques.

1. Comparison. Often the speaker's speech is replete with abstract descriptions that are difficult to imagine in the mind. Since information is better perceived when it receives a figurative projection in the mind, the speaker resorts to comparisons that make the abstract more material. To convey a certain mood, the speaker sometimes uses hidden comparisons - metaphors.
2. Repeat. Everyone knows the expression “Repetition is the mother of learning.” The art of public speaking often refers to this saying, because the more often a person receives the same information, the more firmly it is fixed in his mind. It is very important for a speaker to convey to the listener the main idea of ​​his speech, which is helped by appropriate repetition of the key idea.

In addition to comparison and repetition, the rules of oratory also advise resorting to allegories, rhetorical questions, appeals, hyperboles, irony and other means of speech expression.

Two ways to develop speaking abilities

Every person without serious speech pathologies is capable of learning rhetoric; all it takes is time and perseverance. Perhaps the only quality that does not contribute to mastering the art of oratory is laziness.

Honed eloquence skills play into our hands in different areas of life and situations: during an interview, project presentation, answering an exam, when delivering ceremonial speeches, reports, etc.

There are 2 ways to master rhetoric:

• Regular self-study will help you master the skills of oratory, as they once helped even the tongue-tied Demosthenes. First of all, this is work on the technique and culture of speech. The more you practice in front of a mirror or phone camera, the freer, cleaner and more harmonious your monologues will be. What you can work on at home: Practice calm, measured breathing, low speech rate, lively intonation without falsehood.
• Develop the strength of your voice and clear diction.
• Learn to work with texts: paraphrase the content of small passages in your own words, concentrating the meaning in one sentence;
• look for key phrases in the texts and formulate them in your own way;
• retell what you read, highlighting only the most important things.

Tips for a speaker

Mastering oratory skills, at first glance, may seem like a difficult task, however, following the rules of the oratory course, learning rhetoric will not be difficult. Some tips for inexperienced speakers will also help in this matter:

• In order for spontaneous speech to flow freely, you need to engage in a kind of “chatterology,” that is, learn to talk about all sorts of nonsense. You can train on anything. For example, for 10 minutes try to talk about only one item (bag, cat, plant, pan, etc.);
• the speaker cannot afford to “traumatize” the audience’s hearing with parasitic words, therefore, if there are any, it is necessary to urgently get rid of them;
• background knowledge and a rich vocabulary are very important in speeches, so it is recommended to read a lot (not only fiction), follow changes in society, communicate with people and, in general, be an active part of society;
• You can only get rid of the fear of public speaking through public speaking, so you need to pull yourself together before every public appearance. Over time, experience will come, performances will seem like a routine and therefore will no longer inspire fear;
• When speaking in front of people, it is important to always remain yourself, without playing or deceiving. Only an honest and open speaker can win the trust of the public.

Any undertaking, at first glance, seems difficult, but do not be afraid. With the right approach and diligent study, any craft or art can be mastered—even one as demanding as rhetoric.

What is rhetoric

Rhetoric

is a philological discipline that studies oratory, eloquence, worldview and the rules of speech construction.

The very first professor from Rome, Quinitilian, called rhetoric as “ the art of speaking well.”

" However, Plato, who lived 500 years before him, said that rhetoric is the art of persuasion. But not art, which is based on knowledge and truth, but on the apparent.

His student Aristotle argued the following. Every time we try to convince someone or talk them out of something, we consciously, subconsciously or unconsciously use rhetoric.

Speaker's task:

1. Learn
2. Entertain
3. Move the public to do something

Types of rhetoric:

1. Political is a management tool in a political system. Possesses journalistic speech with the function of persuading society.
2. Legal - necessary for lawyers to deliver a public judicial speech and influence the legal consciousness of people. It is also needed to build an objectively reasoned argument in court.
3. Military - needed for military culture and adaptation of people to service. With its help, the quality of performing assigned tasks during service increases. For example, the motivation of soldiers for a military task.
4. Pedagogical - used to optimize the process of transferring experience. For example, a good speech by a teacher to students. It creates curiosity and interest in the topic.
5. Diplomatic - necessary for a diplomat in diplomatic missions. This is communication between states through their representatives. Here, too, you need to monitor your speech and follow important rules.

You can look at how rhetoric has developed on an international scale. Or look at different parliaments around the world. Then you quickly find the difference between at what level ( for example, politics

) convince the public and the electorate.

For example, in England and America, where there is a long tradition of the rhetoric of argumentation, parliament is interesting. There are real spontaneous debates there.

And if you look at the German Bundestag or the Russian Duma, then politicians there simply read the speech from the page.

But be that as it may, in different countries there are rules of rhetoric that should be followed. And we will talk about them below.