Public Speaking: Basics, Lessons and Techniques to Become a Good Public Speaker

Who is a speaker

An orator is a person who has oratory abilities, which consist of the ability to speak beautifully and convincingly, to master the tools of acting, and to have psychological knowledge.

The talent of eloquence can be innate. It is even believed that each of us has it, only to varying degrees. This means that anyone can develop this gift, taking into account individual characteristics and working on themselves.

With the development of oratorical skills comes the skill of public speaking, which has its own properties:

special content of speech - linguistic and non-verbal, in the form of facial expressions and gestures, methods of influencing the listener;
focus - receiving feedback from the audience;
effectiveness - as a result of the psychological state of the speaker and his authority among the public.

But you can structure your speech competently if you use the rules of oratory:

The presentation should be structured for better assimilation and accessible to understanding.
Speech that is correct, expressive and without filler words is capable of capturing the attention of the public for a long time.
The information provided must be useful and truthful.
The emotional content of the speech and the dry language of numbers will create balance and will not allow the listener’s interest to evaporate.
His attention should not be abused; conciseness and informational capacity of speech are welcome.
The beginning of a speech and its final part have a greater effect on the audience than the content - this should be taken into account in the compositional structure of the speech.
You need to speak to the audience in a language they understand, taking into account their intellectual level, age category, and social affiliation.

And then she will have the qualities necessary for oratory:

The image of a talented speaker is charismatic and closely associated with such characteristics and traits as self-confidence, inspiration, erudition, the ability to improvise, vividness of thought, strong voice, and expressive gestures.

We’ll talk later about how to learn public speaking on your own.

Classic

How to become a speaker and achieve beautiful speech? One of the most basic exercises has not changed since the time of Demosthenes. It is suitable for both theatergoers and future managers. First, you need to put nuts in your mouth and pronounce tongue twisters, trying to do it correctly and clearly. But you shouldn’t immediately resort to this method. This is undoubtedly an important exercise, but it’s better to start by correcting speech difficulties. Nowadays even announcers on television channels do not speak completely correctly. We advise you to find recordings of Soviet-era announcers (who actually spoke correctly) and take their speech as an example.

Types of eloquence

Depending on the composition of the audience and the topic, eloquence is divided into types:

Oratory speech can have different goals of influencing the listener and it happens:

informational, introduces new facts, information, knowledge;
entertaining, has a fun character;
persuasive, in which the speaker seeks the listener's agreement with his point of view;
uplifting, emotionally inspiring;
calling to action, agitating to take action.

"33 Egorki"

When giving a speech, you need to hold your breath, especially if you have to speak for a long time. To train your breathing, you can turn to an interesting exercise called “33 Egorki”. It is necessary to pronounce the following text: “in the yard, on the hill, there are 33 Egorki.” Then we count: one Yegorka, two... There can be as many Yegorkas as there is enough air for. Of course, it's better if you get to 33. This exercise will help you not get exhausted quickly, and after a speech that lasts half an hour, you will be in shape.

To speak beautifully, you need to know the rules of the Russian language. In this case, your best friend will be a dictionary with accents. Regularly perform exercises with pronouncing words in which you make mistakes, and bring this process to automaticity. It is also worth looking for common speech errors. Next, you should deal with the stress in phrases, for example the word “quarter” with stress on the first syllable.

The structure of oratory speech

In order for a public speech to achieve its goal and leave no one indifferent, it is built according to the plan and content in a certain order, which is called composition.

The introduction should attract attention, interest, establish contact with the audience, and give an idea of the topic of the upcoming message with a brief description of the issue.

The main part of a public speaking speech is the presentation of the material itself, argumentation, and the use of facts and logical evidence.

The conclusion is intended to summarize and generalize what has been said, emphasize the main idea, draw conclusions, and inspire listeners.

It is advisable to approach creatively when working on a composition. While maintaining a clear sequence and consistency of its elements, it is important not to lose your individual style.

Features of oratory

Oratory speech is characterized by the following features:

Oral presentation. The process of communication with the audience occurs directly when voicing thoughts. Texts for public speaking are learned by ear and structured in such a way as to be easy to understand.

Availability of feedback. A good speaker feels the audience. He distinguishes mood, catches reactions to what is said, guesses emerging questions and flexibly builds further dialogue.

Use of various means of communication. The use of gestures, pantomime, intonation and other non-verbal methods is inherent in oratory, which distinguishes it from ordinary oral speech.

The relationship between the text prepared for speech and its oral interpretation. Choosing the right tone of communication helps to present information in an intelligible form and find contact with the audience.

Correct breathing training

To avoid stuttering and shortness of breath during speech, it is recommended to perform special breathing exercises. Deep breathing is important for an expressive and deep voice. To do this, you need to slowly inhale and exhale while holding your breath.

There is also an exercise to train the diaphragm. It is necessary to pronounce a piece of small text without closing your mouth. You need to breathe with your diaphragm, not your chest.

Good posture allows you to breathe properly. The chin should be raised and the shoulders should be pulled back.

Oratorical techniques

Oratory techniques are used to improve the perception of information. They work either by orienting the listener to figurative perception, or by stimulating his mental activity.

For example:

visual comparisons and short illustrative examples are especially appropriate when conveying numerical material;
repeating what has already been said in other words creates a new image;
the allegory clearly illustrates the speaker’s ideas and thoughts;
antithesis by contrast enhances their perception;
hyperbole exaggerates those points that need to be paid attention to;
rhetorical questions do not require an answer, but stir up interest;
an insertion when a casual remark made draws attention to what was said;
unexpected words and actions heighten the listener's curiosity.

Example, similarity and comparison

Comparison is probably the main, most basic technique of oratory. The most important rule of rhetoric is that everything abstract must be presented visually with the help of comparisons and examples, images, or even short stories-illustrations included in the speech. This technique sounds especially advantageous in cases where you want to convey numerical information to the listener.

For example, the well-known Mikhail Khodorkovsky, commenting on the court’s conviction, which stated that he stole 347 million tons of oil, compared this amount of fuel with the volume that could fit in “a train that circles the earth three times along the equator.” It is difficult for an ordinary person to imagine how much 347 million tons of oil is.

But we all know what a train looks like, and we can roughly imagine the circumference of the Earth, which means we know that this is a lot of oil. Such a comparison, used by the speaker, helps listeners to imagine numerical data and mentally relate them to quantities familiar to them, making abstract numbers tangible.

In addition to the usual comparison, there are also its individual forms, such as image and metaphor. Unlike the usual juxtaposition of two things in speech, these oratorical techniques have a creative flavor. As a rule, images are not created artificially by us. They come when we observe the world around us and build associations.

If you want to decorate your speech with images, but are experiencing certain difficulties in producing the necessary imagery, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with a special lesson on our website aimed at developing associative thinking, and also practice solving doodles.

In some cases, to create images and analogies, you can even resort to short stories, if your speaking time allows, of course. However, you should not delay the moment of illustration; it is important to create a clear and vivid image that will remain in people’s memory, without overloading their attention with abstract reasoning.

A similar method of comparison, which is based on the relationship of a part to the whole, is synecdoche (renaming)

. This is a way of expressing thoughts in which a word is used in a figurative meaning, namely, the concept of a known object or group of objects is replaced by a concept denoting a part of the named object or a single object.

For example, when we hear the phrase “The White House and the Kremlin have different opinions,” we understand that we are not talking about architectural structures, but about representatives of certain political forces in the United States and Russia who did not agree on some issue. Synecdoche gives the speaker the opportunity to briefly and expressively convey his thought to the audience, leaving in their memory a certain image of what was said.

How to develop speaking skills

To master the secrets of oratory, you can enroll in courses and trainings on rhetoric, take lessons for beginners, choose online training, or study a self-instruction manual on eloquence. All these options are offered to our attention by the vast Internet.

If you like independent training in the development of public speaking, let's work on the technique of delivering a speech, prepare for a speech, learn how to interact with the audience and take on board some practical tips.

Speech technique

The sound of speech you want to listen to depends on the following components:

Breath. The pace should be measured, with the inhalation being shorter than the exhalation. Do not inhale “all the way” so that you have the opportunity to take a breath. It's the same with exhalation. Special exercises help improve speech. For example, developing the skill of breathing from the bottom of your lungs will make your voice stronger and your speech fluent.
Volume. By controlling his voice, a speaker influences the audience's perception of what he says. If your voice is naturally quiet, you can make it louder. To do this, read expressively out loud, count to ten as you exhale, gradually increasing the volume of your voice.
Diction. Tongue twisters will help you speak clearly, clearly pronouncing sounds, if you are not lazy and do not forget to load your articulatory apparatus with them.
Pace. We must try to express our thoughts at an average pace, without sputtering words or stretching them out. Since the temperament and internal state of a person at the time of the performance plays an important role here, it is important to calm down and tune in to a fruitful dialogue with the audience.
Intonation. With its help, your speech will be remembered by the listener because it will be alive. Practice reading works of art aloud with expression, just like in school.

Preparing for the performance

At this stage, the text of the speech is prepared. We already know what a properly composed public speech should be. In order not to read from what is written, you should first of all memorize the text, and draw up a plan and main points for the meeting with the audience.

To be ready for improvisation, you must have developed logical and imaginative thinking, have a rich vocabulary and a broad outlook. Read different literature, keep abreast of social events.

To maintain the proper mood among the audience, stock up on a number of interesting facts, light jokes, and entertaining short stories.

To avoid being caught off guard by the technical side of your presentation, be aware of organizational issues: hall, audio equipment, video materials.

What exercises will help you become more eloquent?

Rarely are people immediately born with the ability to come up with original speech patterns; most people have to learn this skill for a long time. It is to train this skill that the following exercises are presented:

A text is taken from any source and different words are crossed out in it with a pencil. Then the passage is read aloud, and as you go you need to replace the crossed out words with synonyms.
Any topic is chosen, and for 4-5 minutes you need to speak only on this topic. Moreover, the story must be told without hesitation and smoothly.
A creativity exercise will help develop eloquence. It is necessary to talk about fantastic and most unusual topics. For example: if electricity had not been invented, if fairy tales had come to life, or if dinosaurs lived in the modern world. When answering, you need to fully disclose the topic with all the smallest details.
You need to take words from the explanatory dictionary, starting with simple ones, and independently define them in your own words.
An important exercise is to look for adjectives. You need to take any word and select five adjectives that fit its meaning, and then five that do not.

All these exercises will help you understand how to develop eloquence. Experts advise reading the meaning of a new word every day, selecting many synonyms for random words, and recording your speech on a voice recorder.

Oratory for children

Today, rhetoric, as a scientific discipline about the art of oratory, is also in demand for the harmonious development of children. It develops the child’s personal qualities, teaches them the ability to communicate, express their thoughts competently and confidently, conduct a dialogue using intonation and facial expressions, and acquire the first skills of public speaking.

The objectives of teaching rhetoric are:

You can also work with your children at home:

work on your speech technique, pronouncing tongue twisters;
learn polite communication;
read and talk a lot on different topics to increase your vocabulary;
organize theatrical performances to develop acting skills;
learn and read poetry with expression;
practice performing in front of family and friends.

These classes will help your child become more confident and not be shy at public events, teach them how to establish contacts with people, and reveal their creative potential.