Oratory: the art of speech: what it is, types, how to learn

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.

Contents of classes

Different trainers practice different techniques; they may coincide in some ways, but not in others. Here, for example, is a plan on how to master public speaking, designed for 8 lessons.

The first lesson introduces terminology - rhetoric, stylistics, logic, the art of argumentation, oratory skills. The areas of application of skills are discussed, and it is clarified why it is necessary to master a literate literary language. Usually, at the end or beginning of the lesson, the lecturer gives everyone present the opportunity to make a brief greeting statement about themselves, their habits, hobbies, and character traits. Possible errors in speech are discussed, the concept of rhythm, pronunciation norms, intonation and articulation, and stress is given.

Lesson 2 is devoted directly to the beginning of teaching eloquence. Exemplary exercises and ways to improve the natural abilities of a speaker are described. It turns out who the person imitates (if he has an idol among famous people) and why. Workshops are held, one’s own and others’ mistakes are discussed, examples from the classics (writers, poets, actors) are studied. The role of posture, gestures, facial expressions in oratory is studied, voice strength, tempo, articulation and intonation are studied - when to use them and how. In lesson 3, we study congratulatory speech (social and everyday eloquence) - what it is, when it is pronounced, what the emphasis is on. What does it mean for the listener and the speaker, what is the difference.

The main canonical examples of such speeches, how to learn public speaking on your own, are examined in detail; at the end of the lesson, all those present try to deliver a congratulatory speech on a given topic. Errors are discussed, stress, intonation, and rhythm are checked.

Lesson 4 is devoted to business negotiations: how to prepare for them, how to conduct them, what you can (and cannot) do. The tactics of making compromises are studied. The concept of business communication is given as a complex skill in the ability to speak, give the interlocutor the opportunity to speak, offer mutually beneficial conditions (with argumentation), reach an agreement, use body language, gestures, facial expressions. The skill of using arguments in business speech must be considered: when to present them, what to emphasize.

Subsequent lessons are devoted to the ethics of business speech, the concept of the image of a business person, the correctness and accuracy of the words used, and political eloquence (with examples). Skills are consolidated, all errors are analyzed in detail, and adjustments are made.

The training ends with the formation of an individual style for each student, a thematic presentation according to an independently prepared plan.

Speech technique and voice

Those who have set themselves the goal of learning public speaking must definitely pay attention to the technique of public speaking: the ability to pause, the practice of setting intonations, body language, facial expressions, gestures, posture, and the general manner of speech of the speaker. The voice is no less important - its strength, timbre, overtones, attractiveness to listeners

The speaker must be able to captivate those present, literally captivate them, just as a professional reciter makes the audience in the hall listen to what he says. To do this, you will have to seriously train, correcting speech errors, expanding your vocabulary, working on facial expressions and intonations.

The voice is no less important - its strength, timbre, overtones, and attractiveness to listeners. The speaker must be able to captivate those present, literally captivate them, just as a professional reciter makes the audience in the hall listen to what he says. To do this, you will have to seriously train, correcting speech errors, expanding your vocabulary, working on facial expressions and intonation.

Behavioral techniques

It’s a good idea to take as a basis the behavior of a politician, public figure, or outstanding personality. To do this, you need to analyze the performance, analyze in detail what position the person is standing (sitting), the position of the head and body, hand gestures, changes in his facial expressions.

Working with the audience

The science called oratory, which teaches how to learn to speak beautifully, involves mandatory public speaking. Only by repeatedly polishing your skill as a speaker until the fear of an audience disappears and your speech becomes smooth and easy, like the singing of a nightingale, can you achieve some serious results. The main examples can be found on our website - these are workshops, video lessons, interviews with actors. But it is better to develop your own, unique style over time, summarizing the experience of famous speakers.

Principle 5. Motivation is important

People must have an incentive. And this is not just a solution to their problems. They should feel like they want to follow you. The most popular incentive is an appeal to civic duty. If the public is confident that what they are doing is a truly important human and heroic act, they will follow you without question.

Be careful that if what you ask of people will cost them money or time, the outcome of their loss must be consistent with their expectations.

For example, in one of the texts people are required to take the time to stand in line and sign a petition. But in return they will receive their health and the health of their loved ones. You remove the threat of disease from them, this is motivation.

Who will benefit from the courses?

There is an opinion that rhetoric is needed only for those who are going to connect their lives with the theater. At least for future film actors. But the lessons will benefit not only future actors.

Mastering the intricacies of oratory will come in handy:

For managers, clear, expressive speech will make encouraging speeches more pleasant, and edifying ones more convincing;

HR managers, even if they do not deal with employees personally, but by correspondence, will never be hindered by coherent written speech and the ability to accurately formulate a thought;

therapists will benefit from the habit of oratory to formulate what needs to be said briefly and as clearly as possible for the interlocutor, without general phrases, but with the necessary amount of emotionality;

For those who like to be the center of attention all the time, such classes will give them the skill to colorfully talk about any event, describe any subject in such a way that they will be listened to endlessly;

Missionaries and preachers should include a course in public speaking as part of their compulsory curriculum, because their success depends on how emotional, persuasive and attention-holding the speech is.

There is no area where rhetoric is not useful

In life or professional activity, in personal relationships or business - the ability to beautifully and accurately convey a thought to an interlocutor occupies an important place in the list of skills

Art as the highest degree of skill

Art is a high, perhaps even the highest degree of skill and mastery in any sphere of human activity: literature, music, painting, dance, architecture, but the art of human communication is a particularly complex and very responsible sphere of existence. The word has unlimited power over a person, over society. Only later, in adulthood, do we begin to understand that behind a word there must be an action, a deed... But “in the beginning was the Word...”, and a word, speech can inspire, call to heroism, or they can kill. Think about the heartfelt words of Jesus Christ about kindness, love, tolerance, service... But remember also the speeches of the leaders of the world proletariat or fighters for the purity of the Aryan race - how many millions of lives were destroyed and maimed by them!

Numerous tests, surveys, experiments have proven that a person is most concerned about two questions: his health and the question of how to understand people, how to influence them, how to guide them and their actions? Interest in one’s health is understandable, and it is precisely this weakness of the human soul that sorcerers, shamans, “traditional healers” and psychics of all stripes so successfully exploit. But with the ability to understand people, the situation is more complicated, although everyone claims to possess this art! What's so difficult about it? It is wisely noted that any person is a little dissatisfied with his appearance, but is completely satisfied with his mind. And since a person is smart, then assessing another, gossiping about him is a favorite and exciting activity for the development of analytical talents, and this is enough for self-affirmation (cogito, ergo.sum - I think, therefore I exist). But the problem, alas, is very complex, and understanding a person, convincing him, and influencing his actions is not at all easy.

A leader of any rank who communicates with people every day, hourly, has nothing but the Word and knowledge of the principles and methods of the art of management. But this is a great power if you are a Master. America, and the whole world, were stunned by the conclusions of the Carnegie Institute of Technology: if a specialist in the field of industrial production has achieved major success, then he owes his achievements 15% to his special knowledge, and the remaining 85% to his ability to manage people, leadership talent, knowledge human nature. So, the manager’s task is to create conditions so that the team works with maximum efficiency. It seems that the simplest and most understandable way is a reasonable system of material rewards. But it turns out that the actual motives for work, the motivation of activity are very complex, and at times they are difficult to determine

It is important to understand the basic patterns of motivation, e.g. ways to motivate yourself and others to act to achieve personal goals (self-motivation) and to achieve organizational goals (corporate motivation)

I would not like to narrow the scope of the art of management only to its utilitarian functions - the methods of this art are equally applicable to any life situations: relationships in the family, speaking at a meeting or joking congratulations at a friend’s birthday, the ability to conduct an argument (or maybe the ability to avoid it?) , the ability to convince an employee, and even the entire team, to give maximum effort to work or to say words to a girl that will make her heart tremble.

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 the speaking time allows you, 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.

Repeat

In one of the lessons on memory development on our website, there is an entire section devoted to repetition, because repetition is the most important principle of memorizing information. In oratory, repetition is used, which more deeply cements the main idea of ​​the speech in the minds of the audience, increases the persuasiveness of the speaker’s speech, evokes memories in the listeners, helps to correctly organize the speech, and present new information as already familiar. So if you want your listeners to remember the necessary information well, repeat it and get the desired effect.

However, it should be borne in mind that ordinary word-for-word repetition of material is effective only in certain circumstances; in most cases, repetitions become an effective technique for a speaker only if they are skillfully framed in speech. The following types of repetitions can be distinguished:

• Verbatim repetition. This type is used quite rarely: only when quoting verbatim, or for deliberate emphasis on a specific phrase, especially an exclamation. For example, Martin Luther King exclaimed in almost every sentence of his famous speech: “I have a dream!” In addition, in both prose and poetic speech, a technique close to literal repetition, anaphora, is often used. The essence of anaphora is the repetition of similar sounds, words or groups of words at the beginning of separate phrases. Anaphora also plays a big role in the formation of a clear, established image of the expressed idea in the minds of the listeners.
• Variable repeat. More often, to repeat important thoughts in oratory, variable repetition is used, that is, returning to what has already been said earlier in a different verbal form, expressing the same thought in different words. The semantic content of the repetition in this case will be presented to listeners with different shades, which will make the idea more vivid and expressive.
• Extended repetition (clarification or recursion) - repetition of an already spoken thought with the inclusion of new words to develop the main ideas and images of your speech. If the expression of thought you initially chose does not seem convincing enough to you, you should return to it during the course of your speech and supplement it and explain it. However, it is better not to overuse this technique, since your words and ideas that are repeated too often may seem intrusive and tiresome to listeners (remember the famous humorous poem “The House That Jack Built” translated by Samuil Marshak or the song “Night Watch” by Alexander Pushny with an endless number of extended repetitions). Try to use more concise and concise images instead of frequent repetitions with detailed explanations.
• Partial repetition and refining (generalization) is used to briefly orient the listener in previously presented material, for example, before moving on to a new part of the speech. This is a general repetition, in the form of several precise brief statements. This technique is especially suitable for educational presentations (lectures), when the lecturer needs to periodically summarize previously obtained conclusions.

What books are worth reading?

When answering the question of how to learn eloquence, it is useful to study special literature. To do this, it is not necessary to study the dictionary; there are various educational and interesting manuals.

The following educational books will be useful for self-study:

• Irina Golub’s book “The Art of Rhetoric. A manual on eloquence."
• Practical advice and recommendations are presented in the work of Radislav Gandapas “The Kama Sutra for the Orator”.
• “Oratory for Beginners” by O. Bolsunov is popular due to its thorough analysis of the mistakes that speakers make.
• Black Rhetoric by Carsten Bredemeier includes exercises and techniques to help you speak persuasively and negotiate with the right arguments.

Regular reading of fiction also enriches your vocabulary. Classical fiction allows you to study the stylistic presentation of thoughts and, to some extent, adopt the beauty of the presentation of the syllable.

Specialized business literature will help you learn to communicate competently and professionally in your field of activity.

Literature on the psychology of communication will help you correctly formulate the logic of speech. There are different categories presented here: negotiation techniques, communication skills and public speaking.

Literature on the psychology of communication teaches the correct formulation of the logic of speech. There are different categories presented here: negotiation techniques, communication skills and public speaking.

Principle 2. Focus on the listener

Any audience adheres to some attitudes. Attitude is the audience’s feelings associated with some occasion, object, person, question, etc. Attitude is a kind of opinion. For example, the phrase “I believe that it is necessary to seriously study foreign languages” means that a person has a positive attitude towards mastering foreign languages.

Persuasive speech obliges the speaker to find out what opinion the listeners hold on a specific issue. Correct analysis of the target audience helps to more adequately assess the chances of success of a public speech. Having collected all the necessary information about people’s orientation towards your installation, you can formulate a rough action plan:

• If your listeners have a positive attitude towards your attitude, that is, they share your opinion on a specific issue, then it is worth considering what you would like from them. Your job is to develop a specific speech plan that will help motivate people to take the action you want.
• If the audience's opinion is neutral or simply absent, you need to shape it, and in a light favorable to you. If people are not aware of the issue you are voicing, you need to inform them and then persuade them to your beliefs. If people have the necessary information, but take a neutral position, your task is to provide as many arguments as possible that support your point of view. With this strategy, getting your audience on your side won’t be difficult.

Separately, it is worth discussing a situation in which listeners do not agree with your point of view:

• If the audience does not accept your goal, but is moderate, not hostile, it is worth trying to win them over with the help of arguments and facts. Information must be presented objectively and concisely. There should be no vagueness, lies or understatement. Imagine yourself in the place of the listeners. A good speech is those words that, if not change the point of view to the opposite, then at least force skeptical people to begin to believe the speaker and consider his opinion.
• If the audience is hostile, any attempt to immediately change their minds through public speaking will most likely end in fiasco. In this case, it is better to approach the topic of conversation from afar, starting the speech with an insignificant but adequate proposal to people. You must show that even your small idea is worth something. Later, in another speech, you can invite people to move forward. It is likely that by this point they will already perceive you as a person who offers worthy goals.

But don't rely too much on speech alone. Sometimes even the best words do not lead to the desired goal if we are talking about a hostile audience.

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, not to waste words and not to draw 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.

Don't forget that people are greeted by their clothes. Make sure you look appropriate and appropriate for the moment.

Interaction with the audience

A good speaker knows how, from the first minutes of meeting with listeners, to please them with his appearance and friendly manner of communication. With qualities such as honesty, openness, and politeness, the speaker wins the trust of the listener.

He feels the audience, predicts their reactions, controls the course of his speech and masterfully achieves his goal.

Tips for a beginner speaker

Here we will answer the most frequently asked questions.

1. How to learn to speak in front of an audience? Only by speaking repeatedly can you gain experience in public speaking. At work, at home, meeting with friends, participating in various events, you should try to develop this skill. To do this, you will need to expand your horizons so that you have something to tell; train your memory to remember unusual facts and stories.
2. How to present information in an interesting way? Learn to master public speaking tools. Facial expressions, gestures, body language, intonation, voice timbre will arouse genuine interest among listeners. Give it a try. Create a video of your performance. Assess its level. Praise yourself.
3. How to overcome fear of an audience? Such a necessary quality as self-confidence is acquired with oratory experience. A little excitement can even help you make your speech memorable and inspire the room. Develop leadership qualities in yourself, tune in to positive communication with the listener. This will help overcome the strong excitement that arises at first.

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.

Types of performances

The purpose of public speaking is to motivate the audience to take certain actions.

The main criterion for the effectiveness of a speech lies in the actions of the audience. Based on this, there are four formats for performances.

Inspirational speeches

Speeches should sound like they encourage some action. For example, you are a seller of a certain product, and sales of this product depend on your performance.

You give a presentation that encourages the audience to sign an agreement with you or vote for your candidacy. These speeches require a serious approach and oratory skills.

Ritual performances

Ritual speeches are most often made by the compere when introducing someone, or opening speeches, and toasts also belong to ritual speeches.

The purpose of ritual performances is to change the attitude of the audience

If we are talking about a birthday person, then listeners should pay attention to him. If a speaker introduces himself, the audience should treat him better

Oratory in such a speech is necessary, since you need to be able to attract the audience and prepare them for further actions.

Informative speeches

Speeches that have the lowest form requirements are lectures. They do not oblige the speaker to be interesting, eloquent, prim and intriguing, since the audience is dependent on the speaker, and not vice versa.

Everyone must pass the session, everyone has the right to listen or not listen to the speaker. Unfortunately, not all modern lecturers master the art of oratory.

Entertaining Speeches

This is a professional art that requires certain knowledge, which is used by actors, theater-goers and comedians. Although among them there are also worthy speakers.

Jim Carrey gave a stunning and hilarious speech to university graduates that they will remember for a long time. We can only draw conclusions that no matter who you are, oratory skills will not harm, but will only help in any current situation.

Author of the article Elena Zhuk

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.

Basics of public speaking

Oratory is understood as the creative activity of speaking in public, which skillfully combines rhetoric, psychology and acting. All this in place contributes to the persuasion of the listeners. Rhetoric and the basics of oratory are supposed to be mastered by every person. However, an exceptionally purposeful and talented person is able to skillfully apply knowledge in practice, using the right quotes and correctly spoken words. Nowadays, this art is divided depending on the scope of application:

1. Socio-political eloquence is associated with performances, reports and speeches in the political and economic spheres, as well as with the social side of society.
2. Academic - this includes lectures, reports and speeches with the aim of conveying information of a scientific or educational nature to the audience. The presentation of such reports occurs according to a specific plan and requirements.
3. Social and everyday eloquence - implies speeches aimed at congratulations, remembrance, etc.
4. Judicial - these include judicial, accusatory and defensive speeches, the professionalism of which determines the success of a lawyer’s career.
5. Theological - associated with sermons in churches of different denominations.

In addition to this classification, we can highlight speeches on television and radio, advertising and other areas of life in which oratory is successfully used. In short, the basics of oratory include:

• High communication, ability to speak in public, convey information and listen to other people.
• The ability to treat your partner’s words with respect and objectivity.
• The ability to find contact with any person, find out what connects you and what common interests you have, after which you can build effective interaction.

The basic concepts of the theory of oratory include ethos, logos and pathos. Ethos refers to the ethnic part of the speaker’s image, which plays a small role in our time. Rules of conduct, moral norms and values ​​determine his attitude towards listeners and the goals of his work. The moral and ethical requirements of the speaker in relation to the audience are considered fundamental in any speech.

The concept of logos describes the use of such verbal means and figures of speech that will reach the mind of the audience. That is, it includes a thorough knowledge of its subject, mastery of the art of argumentation and logic of statement.

The third category, pathos, includes the emotional side - the extent to which a person can emotionally influence the audience and express concern for his subject. You can add expressiveness to your speech through intonation - pauses, different timbres, changes in the tempo of speech. Thus, the basic concepts of oratory combine the qualities that define a good speaker.

The psychological foundations of oratory can be briefly described as follows:

1. The ability to make a good impression on a partner or audience.
2. Express your thoughts or ideas in a way that interests the other person.
3. The ability to adapt your speech and the topic of the report (communication) so that the listener understands everything.
4. Creating comfortable conditions for communication.
5. The ability to objectively evaluate the listener.

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.

Practical advice

When studying on your own, you should use the following tips:

It is necessary to monitor your speech and carefully choose your social circle. Reading books will allow you to develop a rich vocabulary and increase your knowledge. It’s better to talk a little, but only to the point. We must strive to ensure that every phrase spoken is bright and complete. It is recommended to prepare a speech for a public speech in advance.

It is important to prepare mentally for improvisation. You need to speak clearly, calmly and loudly, but not loudly. When reading a report, you need to look at people, not at papers. Using pauses, it is necessary to highlight formulations and important words.

A professional approach involves finding your own style in oratory. A delivered speech helps to affirm your beliefs and influence people, but you cannot impose your opinion.

It is important to convince the audience that is ready to listen

It is necessary to gain experience, because only practice will help hone your skills.

No less important is the question: how to improve the beauty of speech in your child. Such a skill will allow you not only to answer well at the board, but also to become a successful person in the future. To do this, it is recommended to read books, listen to audio fairy tales and arrange home performances. It is necessary to encourage the child to speak and ask him leading questions.

Regular classes and hard work in developing eloquence can turn almost any person into a real speaker.

Oratory in life

The skill of public speaking is the use of tools against the background of psychological stress. And no matter what books we read, no matter how hard we try to apply our knowledge, we cannot do without a psychological understanding of a person.

In public speaking, the likelihood of something going wrong is high. No matter how a person manages the situation, the success of his speech depends on the number of listeners who have their own habits and motivation. The level of tension during a speech is extremely high, so the speaker’s skills tend to be blocked.

The art of oratory does not have prescribed laws for high-quality performance, but it is clear that it is a tool of influence on others that has no equal. No motivation system can give such an effect as an energizing motivational speech. No amount of effort to relieve tension and instill confidence in a crisis situation will provide such a boost as one inspiring speech.

A person who applies and improves the art of oratory simultaneously develops a higher degree of self-confidence, emancipation, and freedom.

Speaking in public, we hone our skills of argumentation, eloquence, and persuasion. In one-on-one communication, these skills work in the same way, but in a slightly simpler way.

The Art of Eloquence of Ancient Rome

The Romans wisely dealt with the history of oratory, the legacy of outstanding Greek orators, gradually developing the achievements of their predecessors and increasing them. Already in the 2nd century BC, there were humanitarian schools on the territory of the Roman Republic, in which boys, future politicians, public figures, and judges were taught the art of public speaking. The study of classical disciplines was divided into several stages:

1. Reading classical literature.
2. Correct writing based on grammar requirements.
3. Mastering eloquence by composing your own speeches.

What was taught in Roman schools was told in his work “Rhetorical Instructions” by Marcus Quintilian, who himself had extensive experience as a teacher, as well as a trial lawyer. His study of sciences and books was accompanied by an in-depth knowledge of the rules of oratory, including the history of its origin.

A philosopher and teacher who became famous in this field, much more than as a judicial figure, Quintilian devoted his life to a detailed, methodical analysis of the qualities necessary for an orator, and the means by which they can be developed

His books give advice on how best to accumulate quotes from famous authors, popular expressions, with special attention paid to constant oral conversations that form syllables, a sense of rhythm, and experience in conducting discussions.

A good speaker, as the eminent Roman believed, can be recognized by his coherent, beautiful speech and special sophistication of phrases. In his works, he came up with a number of recommendations aimed at practical improvement of speech, elaboration of facial expressions, posture of the speaker, and mandatory adherence to logic.

Another famous figure from the Roman Republic, Cicero, achieved significant success in his career by improving the qualities of a rhetorician. The speeches of the judge, and later of the consul, amaze with the impeccability of logic and carefully selected arguments. He considered Aristotle and Plato his teachers, going back to the Greek school of discussion. Cicero’s views were reflected in his treatises (“The Orator”, “On the Construction of Speech” and others).

Principle 4. Controlling people's reactions

The structure of a persuasive speech must be logical and consistent; this is the only way to remain in charge and attract attention. You don’t need to look for long for ways to optimally structure a speech; they have long been compiled and voiced by famous psychologists and speakers, and you can also read them in our article - public speaking

To control the situation, you can use several methods.

Method of presenting evidence

If the audience has not yet formed certain positive or negative attitudes regarding your question, you can use this method. In accordance with it, you describe your goal and then voice the evidence you have collected

In this case, the second most important evidence is stated at the beginning of the speech, the most important argument is voiced at the end, and all the rest are stated in any order in the middle.

Here is an example of a persuasive text built using this method:

Problem solving method

This is an equally effective method that is suitable when communicating with an audience that is neutral or even slightly negative. It assumes:

• Formulation of the current problem.
• The belief that your proposal can solve it.
• The belief that your proposal is the best possible because it brings the maximum positive results.

An example of the same text constructed using this method:

Comparative merit method

This method consists of you listing to the public all the benefits of your offer. It is suitable for communicating with an audience that is positively disposed towards you.

An example of text compiled using this method:

These examples are quite general, but from them you can understand the essence of a persuasive speech and compose a good oratorical speech based on similar ones.

Public Speaking course program:

First lesson. Confident speaker.

How to make the right positive impression? Working through the fear of public speaking, techniques for getting rid of anxiety. Creating a basis for confident behavior: we stop being afraid of the audience. We accept feedback. Self-presentation. Facial expressions, gestures, posture, gaze.

Second lesson. Speaker Tools Voice control.

Working with breathing, articulation, tempo and diction. Logical and psychological pause. Practical study of intonation.

Third lesson. Structure of the speech Structure of the speech.

Theme, purpose, awareness. Plan. Audience profile. Elaboration of “entry” options. Competent conclusion of the speech. Ways to attract attention. Creating a speech based on the principle of “problem and overcoming it.” Creating a speech aimed at achieving your own goals.

Fourth lesson. Persuasive speech, thesis, argumentation, working with objections.

Laws of constructing a persuasive speech. Analysis of techniques for motivating listeners to take one or another action. Competent argumentation. Create your own speech that will convince listeners of the correctness of your position. Receiving feedback on which arguments motivated better and which were worse.

Fifth lesson. Working with questions. Creating vivid images.

Integrating your ideas into answers to questions. Avoiding inconvenient questions in the direction you need. Working on the skill of “taking a punch.” Training emotional stability when answering unexpected questions.

Creating your own speech - a bright, interesting story-sketches from your life. This lesson brings together all the skills developed in the course. The main task is to perform taking into account everything you already know.

Receiving feedback on a performance. Identifying further directions for the development of “eloquence” in oneself. Summarizing.

Public speaking courses are designed for all people who have to speak publicly, be it managers, company executives, lawyers, journalists, IT specialists, politicians and those who are planning to become them, students and people looking for work, etc.

In the public speaking course, the main emphasis is on developing your eloquence, confidence in yourself and in what you do. The basis for this confidence will be practice based on theory selected from the best sources on public speaking. The ratio of theory to practice: 1:3.

Only regular exercises give real results to those who are ready to work on themselves!

The “Oratory skills” courses in the training center in Kharkov will help you:

1. overcome the fear of public speaking and master the skill of confident behavior.
2. learn to convey your thoughts in a high-quality, beautiful and understandable manner.
3. learn and practice influence techniques during performances.
4. learn to control yourself, your emotions, intonation, gestures, facial expressions, gaze.
5. learn to create successful performance compositions.
6. develop your speech apparatus

Important! You can take the Public Speaking course in the format of individual lessons!

It is possible to make up a missed lesson (no more than one) in the next group or individually.

The duration of the “Elocution” course is 5 lessons on Saturdays for 4 hours (from 11:00 to 15:00).

The cost of the course “Oratory skills” is 3,500 UAH.

The cost of training includes a workbook with practical tasks and basic theory, a coffee break, and video materials.

The leading trainer of the “Oratory Skills” course is Elena Pochueva, head of the training, philologist-linguist, practical psychologist, certified trainer-consultant, stylist-image maker.

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:

1. The presentation should be structured for better assimilation and accessible to understanding.
2. Speech that is correct, expressive and without filler words is capable of capturing the attention of the public for a long time.
3. The information provided must be useful and truthful.
4. 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.
5. His attention should not be abused; conciseness and informational capacity of speech are welcome.
6. 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.
7. 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.

Types of public speaking techniques

Conventionally, oratorical techniques can be divided into several classes or so-called “types”. The classification allows you to create a more structured plan for study and subsequent practice, so that you can work step by step towards perfection of speech patterns and tricks. So, there are the following techniques of oratory:

Tropes are different types of comparisons that allow you to rid your speech of unnecessary repetition and, if necessary, express the appropriate emotional intensity during the speech. If you want to perfectly study the secrets of oratory, then you should start with epithets, metaphors and allegories, which will allow you to master both journalism and academic speech

In addition, often when it is necessary to explain complex terminology or technology, allegories will always come to the rescue. Repetitions are the opposite of the above-mentioned type of oratorical tricks, allowing you to concentrate the public’s attention on a specific fact or moment of the speech. As with tropes, you need to be able to use them without oversaturating your speech in order to maintain balance

The types of repetitions and tropes used directly depend on the type of speech that you decide to use in a particular case. So, during an academic speech, it is better to use word-for-word repetition of the main points of the plan being read, so that what is said is better fixed in the minds of the listeners. Focusing is one method of tailoring material to the audience. It is necessary to understand who you are speaking to and what will be the main thing in your words for this audience. One of the elements of this type is framing, which translated from English means “Breaking into parts,” remains an important element of neurolinguistic techniques for programming people. This is the ability to present an idea to people so that they think that it is their own idea. A frame is a kind of context in which you present a particular statement. Like placing commas in sentences, it can greatly change the underlying meaning of your speech. On this topic, it is best to read the book “Tricks of Language” by Robert Dilts, in which he describes how you can present the same idea, as well as how to change the angle of people’s perception to suit the speaker. There are 14 basic framing techniques that simplify the presentation of material. Sophistry is a false statement presented under the guise of an axiom. It is often used in philosophical debates and church speeches in order to confuse the opponent. The point is that you deliberately want to mislead the listener in order to then show a way out by concentrating his attention on a particular problem. Sophisms can be divided into logical and terminological; one of the well-known ones is the word “Literally”, which is often used in the wrong interpretation. Sophisms are divided into open and secret, the latter being resorted to as a last resort. Their goal is also diametrically opposite, because in the first case you are trying to gain the trust of the audience by showing your openness and good logic. In the second, the speaker tries to deliberately mislead the audience in order to present this or that thought from the right angle. If you are caught in hidden sophistry, you risk losing the attention and trust of the public, which will lead to a disastrous outcome, so you should be extremely careful with this tool. Other techniques, which include various techniques for embellishing speech and expressing one’s thoughts. These include allegory, which is also used in tropes, but is often not classified as this type of oratorical technique. This type is studied after you have mastered all the others, and is a jewelry tool that allows you to sharpen your technique, ridding your speech of possible ailments or, conversely, embellishing an already formed oratory.

Each type has from 4 to 15 different techniques, and talking about each one will take a lot of time. Let's highlight the basic techniques of oratory and their content, with which it is worth starting to get acquainted with the art of oratory, and which are necessary for every person who speaks in front of the public or wants to improve his speech.

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Today, new economic and social conditions have brought to the fore the need to improve communicative competence, since the pragmatic desire of a modern person for success in life, career growth, and professional competence is unthinkable without the ability to speak reasonedly, competently, convincingly and beautifully. Speech is a person's best passport.

Mastering the art of communication is necessary for every person, regardless of what type of activity he is or will be engaged in. Anyone who strives to achieve success in life, successfully move up the career ladder, and communicate effectively and competently with people must acquire certain knowledge and skills in the field of interpersonal and business communication.

Oratory is the art of public speaking for the purpose of persuasion. Oratory is a harmonious combination of rhetoric, acting techniques and psychological techniques. Oratory and the properties of oratory are studied by the science of rhetoric.

There are situations when a person needs to say something beautifully and convincingly, but the necessary emotions are not present at the moment. This requires special self-management skills, which can be acquired through the practical application of oratory techniques. Oratorical eloquence, as a special form of art, arose in ancient Greece. No other ancient culture - neither Egyptian, nor Akkadian, nor Chinese, nor Indian - pays such close attention to oratory as the Greek, and does not provide high examples of the substantive and stylistic perfection of dialectics and the art of the spoken word. Oratory teaches how to make ordinary speech oratory. The traditions of modern oratory take their origins from the ancient rhetoric of Ancient Greece and Rome. However, modern techniques of oratory are based on the conditions of technological development of mankind. Thus, the speaker today is helped by sound and visual means, which makes his speech more effective than hundreds of years ago.

Properties of oratory speech. Oratorical speech is a type of monologue speech used in a situation where the speaker addresses a large audience for the purpose of persuasion. The speaker’s speech has its own characteristics of composition and style, as well as a special relationship between linguistic and non-linguistic means of communication. There are several main qualities that distinguish oratory from other types of speech.

The speaker addresses the people with an oratorical speech - not only to convey information to the listener, but also to receive a response in the form of interest or some kind of action. Such speech always has a propaganda character. To do this, the speaker must be inspired by the subject of his speech and put into it what he considers necessary and useful for his listeners.

In order for a speech to touch and interest the audience, the authority of the speaker or his special psychological mood is important. To induce listeners to take some action, the speaker, first of all, makes an effort himself, which requires special effort of will. This effort is felt in the speaker’s speech and is transmitted to his listeners, prompting them to action.

The influence of the psyche on the quality of oratorical speech. There is a direct relationship between the human psyche and the vocal apparatus. If the thoughts and feelings that the speaker wants to voice are weak, unclear, timid or uncertain, then his speech will be the same. The speech apparatus will not work fully. Signs of such malfunction are intermittent and shallow breathing, monotonous voice, unclear articulation and false intonation. In order to bring the speech mechanism into full “combat readiness”, bright, lively thoughts and the speaker’s willingness to share them are necessary. According to Paul Soper, the main task of a speaker is to have something to say and to have a deep need to express it.

In conclusion, we note that the mastery of public speech, the art of polemics and communication in any society is the key to popularity, recognition, leadership, self-realization and a high standard of living.

Lecture 14

FEATURES ORAL

PUBLIC SPEECH.

ORATORY

Plan

1. Oratory.

2. Personal qualities, knowledge, skills and abilities of the speaker.

3. Daily preparation for public speaking.

4. The main stages of preparation for a specific performance.

5. Giving a speech: the speaker’s work with the audience.

6. Basic types of oral public speech.

1. The term oratory is of Latin origin; its synonyms are the Greek word rhetoric and Russian eloquence . Classical rhetoric consisted of five parts: finding material, arranging it, verbalizing the speech, memorizing it, and finally delivering it. Rhetoric was developed by ancient scientists Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian, and developed in the Middle Ages and in modern times. “A Brief Guide to Eloquence” by M.V. was of great importance for the development of Russian speech culture. Lomonosov, in which the rich linguistic material was creatively summarized. The scientist subordinated rhetorical rules and linguistic imagery to existing social needs. Rhetoric M.V. Lomonosova enriched oratory and literary Russian speech with a variety of stylistic devices.

Modern experts in rhetoric define oratory as the ability to substantiate a particular point of view, defend a position, prove the correctness of the ideas and positions put forward. The skill of mastering this art is an important factor of professional competence, the key to career growth in professional and social activities. The famous politician and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero wrote: “There are two types of art that can elevate a person to the highest level of honor: one is the art of a good commander, the other is the art of a good orator.” Today, of course, there are other types of art that can provide honor and respect in society. But the art of a good speaker still helps a person achieve high goals and occupy a high position in the social hierarchy.

2.People who want to improve in public speaking often face the question: will it work? What is the art of oratory made of? What qualities should a speaker have to effectively influence an audience? Perhaps a special oratorical talent is needed? Usually in such cases they are reassured by the famous statement of Cicero that poets are born, but orators are made.

What do modern experts think about the opportunity to become a speaker? The first, mandatory quality of a speaker is a high level of speech culture. Oratory is, first of all, the art of speaking, verbal mastery. A good speaker in his public speech uses all the requirements of speech culture: correctness, accuracy, purity, intelligibility, logic, richness, expressiveness, appropriateness.

In addition to high speech culture, the speaker must also have a whole set of personal qualities . Rhetoric experts name the following personal qualities: charm, naturalness, artistry, self-confidence, objectivity, genuine interest in the topic of speech. For the success of public speaking, personal qualities must be supplemented with special knowledge, skills and abilities . Knowledge forms the foundation of public speech. The speaker must know the subject of his speech well and understand all the intricacies of the problem under consideration. However, in order to be a good speaker, professional knowledge alone is not enough. Oratory is inseparable from the general culture of man. The speaker must be a highly erudite person, i.e. well-read, knowledgeable in the field of literature and art, science and technology, understand politics and economics, be able to analyze events occurring in their country and abroad, etc.

Successful public speaking is impossible without special skills and abilities. According to experts, a speaker must possess such skills as: selecting literature, studying literature, drawing up a plan for a speech, writing the text of a speech, the skill of self-control in front of an audience, and the skill of time orientation.

The skill of selecting literature has traditionally been associated with the ability to use catalogs (alphabetical, systematic, subject). Today, due to the widespread use of computers, there are great opportunities to use the worldwide Internet information system for selecting literature.

Literature study skills consist of the ability to identify from selected literature those sources that are subject to the most careful study, make the necessary extracts (synopses), comprehend and systematize the studied material.

The skill of drawing up a plan for a speech presupposes the ability to structure it and compositionally break it down. The plan is the relative arrangement of the parts, a brief program of the speech.

The skill of writing text is formed as a result of systematic work on composing the written text of one’s speeches. Working on a written text activates the speaker’s mental activity, allowing him to delve deeper into the essence of the problem and more accurately express his thoughts. While working on a written text, the speaker has the opportunity to select the most successful words and expressions and eliminate speech errors. You can return to the written text after some time to improve its content and form.

The skill of self-control in front of an audience comes down to the ability to overcome initial nervousness, “pull yourself together” at the beginning of a speech, not succumb to provocations and not lose control over oneself if someone in the audience tries to throw the speaker out of emotional balance through provocative questions or remarks. in order to disrupt the performance. The development of this skill is facilitated by regular practice of public speaking, as well as psychological training, which can be found in specialized literature.

The skill of time orientation presupposes the speaker’s control over the time frame of his speech. The speaker must be able to fit within the allotted time for speaking, give the audience the opportunity to ask questions that interest them and answer these questions. If the time for the speech is not set, then the speaker should be able to determine by the reaction of the audience whether the audience is ready to listen further or whether it is tired and it is time to end the speech.

A speaker’s skills consist of acquired knowledge and skills that allow him to solve complex creative problems in the process of preparing and delivering a speech.

This, for example, is the ability to independently draw up a plan for a speech and prepare a speech. Since a text prepared by other people, even better than the speaker, specialists in this field of knowledge, remains alien. For a text to sound good and have an effective impact on the audience, it must be “your own,” personally suffered through, passed through your mind and feelings.

Another important characteristic of a speaker is the ability to clearly and convincingly present material and answer questions from listeners. This skill is determined by how the speaker knows the subject of speech and to what extent he owns speech culture. The speaker should not avoid answering questions that are unpleasant for him. Answers to questions should be accurate and concise, but sufficiently reasoned. You should also take care of the correct form of answering questions; the answer should not offend the feelings of the author of the question.

One of the most difficult skills, in which, in fact, the art of a speaker is manifested, is the ability to establish and maintain contact with the audience . If there is no contact with the audience, then either the speech itself loses its meaning as a whole, or its effectiveness sharply decreases.

3.In practice, there are successful improvisations of oratorical speeches. However, if there is an opportunity for preparation, then it should definitely be used. Everyday preparation for a performance includes the following elements.

1) Self-education in the broadest sense of the word is the acquisition of new knowledge, replenishing it with information from various fields of technology and social life. The speaker must be aware of current events, expand his general horizons and deepen his knowledge in professional activities.

2) Creating your own archive. For this purpose, it is recommended to make extracts, compile notes of the sources being studied, make clippings from newspapers and magazines, collect proverbs and sayings, accumulate statistical material, and save questions that were asked after the next speech.

3) Improving the culture of public speech . As noted above, a good command of factual material is an important prerequisite for the success of oratory. But this material must be presented and conveyed to the consciousness of the listeners. And here the art of speech, the mastery of words, comes to the fore.

A person who, by the nature of his activity, systematically makes public speeches, must constantly pay attention to the culture of verbal communication, always strive to speak correctly, accurately, clearly and understandably, be able to clearly formulate his thoughts, figuratively and emotionally express his attitude to the subject. This is facilitated by active participation in business conversations, discussions of various problems among friends, relatives, colleagues, in seminars and practical classes, in debates and discussions.

4) Mastery of speech technique. The effectiveness of public speaking is directly related to the speaker’s mastery of speaking technique. The main elements of speech technique: phonation (speech) breathing, voice (correct voice formation skills) and diction (the degree of clarity in pronouncing words, syllables, sounds). Proper breathing while speaking, a well-trained voice, clear diction, and impeccable pronunciation allow the speaker to attract the attention of the audience and influence the consciousness, imagination and will of the listeners.

5) Critical analysis of the speech . Improving oratory skills is also facilitated by critical analysis of both the speeches of other speakers and your own. When listening to the speeches of other speakers, you need to pay attention not only to the content of the speech, but also to the form of presentation of the material: the linguistic design of the speech, oratorical techniques. At the same time, you should determine for yourself what you like and what causes a negative reaction, which words, speech patterns, actions, techniques contributed to the success of the speaker, and which, on the contrary, brought him failure.

6) Mastering public speaking techniques is an integral part of everyday training. It is important to know what stages a speaker’s activity consists of, how to prepare for a meeting with listeners, how to structure a speech, and what techniques to use to manage the audience. All this knowledge is contained in the literature on public speaking.

4. Each speech on topic, purpose, nature of the audience, etc. has its own characteristics and requires special training. Therefore, when preparing for a specific performance, you need to pay attention to the following steps .

1) Choosing a problem and topic for speech is one of the most important initial stages of preparing a public speech. An issue is a thought worthy of discussion, an idea that has social significance or is significant to a particular group of people. A topic is a side, an aspect of the problem chosen for discussion. For example, the problem: “How to improve the well-being of our people?” Topic: “Can private enterprise improve the well-being of the people?” The topic formulation must meet a number of requirements :

– the topic must be formulated clearly and concisely, since long formulations, including unfamiliar words and expressions, can cause a negative attitude towards the upcoming speech;

– the chosen wording should reflect the content of the speech;

– the wording should also attract the attention of listeners and interest them.

2) Determining the purpose of the speech . The goal is what the speaker is striving for, what result he wants to achieve: whether to pose a new problem, refute someone else’s point of view, set people up for a certain line of behavior, etc. So, in the topic of the speech “Can private enterprise improve the well-being of the people?” the speaker can set himself a goal: to convince people not to interfere with private entrepreneurs, but, on the contrary, to support their efforts.

3) Selection of materials for the presentation. The content of the speech, as already noted, plays a critical role in its effectiveness. Therefore, the speaker must collect material that is interesting and useful for the audience. Where can a speaker get it from?

If this is an experienced speaker, then he turns to his own knowledge and experience, to his archive. New ideas, information, facts, examples for your speech can be found by referring to official documents, reference literature, scientific and popular science literature, articles from newspapers and magazines, materials posted on the Internet; radio and television broadcasts, results of sociological surveys, fiction, personal contacts, conversations, interviews, reflections and observations.

4) Development of a speech plan . A speech plan is a brief program that determines the order in which the material will be presented. At different stages of preparation, plans are drawn up that differ in purpose and purpose: preliminary, working, main.

5) Work on the composition . Composition is the structure of a performance, the relationship of its individual parts with the entire performance as a single whole. If the ratio of the parts of the speech is violated, then the effectiveness of speech decreases sharply.

There are general principles for constructing a speech that a speaker should follow:

– principle of consistency . Each thought expressed must follow from the previous one;

– principle of expediency . The speaker and listeners must be aware of the direction of the speech along the following chain: problem - topic - thesis - arguments - purpose of the speech;

– principle of amplification . The speech impact on the listener should increase from the beginning of the speech to its end. Experienced speakers make their strongest points at the end of their speech;

– the principle of economy is the desire to achieve a goal in the simplest, most rational way with minimal effort, time, and verbal means;

– principle of effectiveness . The speech should contain some conclusion offered to the listeners, a call to action, and recommendations for further behavior.

The most common structure of an oral presentation is considered to be three-part , including an introduction, main part and conclusion .

The purpose of the introduction is to interest the audience, to attract the attention of listeners to the topic of the speech. In the introduction, a distinction is made between beginning and beginning. The purpose of the beginning is to prepare the audience for perception, to attract attention. Experienced speakers use proverbs and sayings, popular expressions, and interesting examples as a starting point. The opening is aimed at transitioning to the presentation of the main part of the speech, at introducing the audience to the points of the plan.

The most significant part is the main part of the speech. It sets out the main material, formulates and proves the substantive provisions.

The structure of the main part depends on the speaker’s chosen method of presenting the material. methods of presenting material are traditionally used in oratory :

– inductive (from specific facts to generalized conclusions);

– deductive (from general provisions to specific facts);

– analogies (drawing parallels with what is well known to listeners);

– concentric (arrangement of material around the main problem);

– stepwise (sequential presentation of one issue after another);

– historical (presentation of material in chronological order).

The choice of method is determined by the communication situation. It is recommended to use different methods in one speech. Whatever methods the speaker uses, his speech must be reasoned and demonstrative.

Argumentation . Let's take a closer look at what argumentation is. Argumentation refers to the process of presenting evidence to substantiate an idea. The speaker’s task is not only to offer a certain system of arguments in defense of an idea, but also to ensure its understandability and accessibility for the audience.

Arguments are divided into pros and cons. Arguments in favor should convince the audience that they are truthful, based on authoritative sources, and close to the opinions established in the audience. Arguments “against” should convince the audience that the positions criticized by the speaker do not have the same features that are highlighted for the arguments “for”. The strength of an argument is a relative concept, as it depends on the situation, the emotional and psychological state of the listeners and many other factors - gender, age, professional training of the audience. However, there are several typical arguments that are considered strong by most audiences. Such arguments usually include: scientific axioms, provisions of laws and official documents, laws of nature, conclusions confirmed experimentally, expert opinions, references to recognized authorities, quotations from authoritative sources, eyewitness testimony, statistical data.

According to the methods of influencing the consciousness and feelings of listeners, arguments are divided into two groups:

1) rational arguments, or arguments “to the point”;

2) irrational (psychological) arguments, or arguments to a person.

Rational arguments include facts, appeals to authorities, laws, theories, axioms accepted in a given society.

Irrational arguments include appeals to the feelings, desires, and interests of the addressee.

The methods of argumentation include - up, one-sided and two-sided argumentation.

Top-down and bottom-up argumentation. Top-down argumentation is when the speaker makes the strongest arguments first, then the less strong ones, and ends the speech with an emotional request, motivation, or conclusion. The advantages of top-down argumentation are that it makes it easier to attract and retain the attention of the audience, makes thoughts actively work at the beginning and feelings at the end, the first arguments are better remembered.

Top-down argumentation is most effective with a poorly prepared and uninterested audience. Weak arguments with top-down argumentation look better than with other methods of argumentation.

Rising argumentation suggests that the argument and the intensity of feelings increase towards the end of the speech. This method is effective in a prepared, highly interested audience. It is effective if: the atmosphere in the audience is calm and they are ready to listen to the speaker; the idea that needs to be justified is complex; the problem for this audience is not completely resolved; the audience can draw their own conclusions.

One-sided and two-sided argumentation. One-sided argumentation assumes that:

– either only arguments “for” are presented (pure positive);

– or only arguments “against” are presented (pure negativity).

With two-sided argumentation, the listener is given the opportunity to compare points of view, choose one of two alternatives, presenting opposing points of view.

A variation of the method of two-sided argumentation is the so-called method of counter-argumentation, when the speaker presents his arguments as a refutation of the opponent’s arguments, having previously stated them.

When selecting arguments to prove the position being put forward, the speaker needs to remember the requirements for arguments . Arguments must be true, consistent, evidence-based regardless of the thesis, and sufficient.

The optimal number of arguments when proving a thesis is considered to be “ three ”: one argument is simply a fact; You can object to two arguments, but it’s more difficult to do so with three arguments. The third argument has a decisive impact: starting from the fourth argument, the audience no longer perceives the argument as a system, but as many arguments. At the same time, the impression arises that the speaker is trying to put pressure on the audience, “persuading.” There is an old saying: he who proves a lot proves nothing. "Many" starts with the fourth argument.

The final part of the speech - the conclusion - largely determines the effectiveness of the speech. It is known that in the process of speech perception the “law of edge” operates, i.e. what is stated at the beginning and at the end of the message is remembered. Therefore, in conclusion, it is recommended to repeat the main idea for the sake of which the speech is made, summarize the most important provisions, and draw conclusions.

Writing and mastering the text of a speech. A short speech can be simply memorized, but a long report or lecture is difficult to memorize. In this case, it is necessary to prepare the text in such a way that you can deliver a speech without reading the text, but only “relying on it.” The process of mastering the text for such a speech involves working with it in the following stages :

1) compose the full text;

2) comprehend and retell it in your own words;

3) mark up the text, highlight the main points of the speech;

4) number the main questions;

5) highlight surnames, titles, statistical data, the beginning and end of quotes, and identify examples.

5. When delivering a speech, the central role is played by establishing contact and capturing the attention of the audience. What are the factors that determine the speaker’s contact with the audience ?

The content side of the speech can be put in first place: the relevance of the topic, the novelty of its coverage, the nature of the argument.

No less important is the communicative state of the speaker, i.e. those characteristics of a speaker that influence his ability to establish and maintain contact with an audience. Public speaking experts identify the following actions necessary for successful interaction with the audience:

– prohibit thinking about extraneous things;

– focus your attention on the listeners;

– carefully monitor their reactions;

– invest all physical and moral strength into speech action;

– have an offensive, strong-willed attitude;

– strive with all your might to achieve the goal of your performance.

Contact with the audience depends on the nature of communication with the audience. There are special speech actions whose purpose is to establish and maintain contact. These include: address, greeting, compliment, farewell. An effective oratorical technique is the dialogization of a speech: constructing a speech in the form of questions and answers.

A proven means of relaxing and distracting the audience's attention is humor. Experienced speakers introduce jokes, puns, and anecdotes into the serious content of the speech.

Voice techniques play an important role in managing the audience, i.e. raising or lowering the tone of the voice, changing its volume, tempo of speech. A pause can also serve as an effective means, which gives significance to what has been said or what will be said.

The most important role in establishing and maintaining contact is played by taking into account the characteristics of the audience, which dictate to the speaker both the content of the speech and the form of its presentation.

Let's consider what possible characteristics of the audience. The audience is a complex socio-psychological community in which mechanisms of infection, conformity, and imitation operate.

The audience is characterized by a sense of community, which manifests itself in a certain mood of the listeners. Some listeners unconsciously repeat the actions of those around them (the mechanism of infection), others consciously reproduce the behavior patterns of their neighbors (the mechanism of imitation), and still others are influenced by the opinion and behavior of the majority of those present (the mechanism of conformity). As a result of the action of these mechanisms, a general mood is created in the audience, which significantly affects the establishment of contact with the audience.

The development of these processes depends on the degree of homogeneity of the audience and its socio-demographic characteristics. Male, female, children's, youth, and elderly audiences perceive both the content and the speaker's demeanor differently. It is known that the more homogeneous the audience, the more unanimous the listeners’ reaction to the speaker’s speech.

The quantitative composition plays a significant role in the behavior of the audience. The reactions of people in large and small audiences are different. In a large audience, the socio-psychological mechanisms of infection, imitation, and conformity operate most forcefully. The larger the audience, the more intense the unification processes take place within it. And instead of becoming fragmented, it becomes more homogeneous. A large audience is better manageable and represents a fertile object for manipulation.

A small audience does not represent a single monolith. Here everyone remains an individual and has the opportunity to express their individuality.

6. Each speaker, when preparing for a public speech, must clearly understand what goal he is pursuing with his speech. In accordance with this, he chooses the type of public speech. Experts identify the following goals : to inform, comply with protocol, convince, entertain. Based on this, we can talk about the following types of public speaking: informational speech, protocol-etiquette speech, persuasive speech and entertaining speech.

Information speech. The purpose of this speech is to give new information about a particular subject, deepen knowledge, broaden horizons. The main genres of informational speech are public lecture, reporting report, discussion of a project, etc.

Protocol and etiquette speech . The purpose of this speech is to observe the traditions of communication in this situation, to fulfill the requirements of etiquette and ritual. The following types of speeches can be considered: greeting and speech at an official meeting of guests, official congratulations to the hero of the day, a funeral speech, a speech appreciating the merits of someone, etc.

Persuasive speech. The purpose of a persuasive speech is to encourage the audience to accept the speaker’s opinion, his assessment of a fact or event. In persuasive speech, two main types can be distinguished: a) argumentative speech and b) agitation speech.

Argumentative speech.

The general goal of an argumentative speech is to convince the audience to agree with the speaker on a controversial issue, to prove that the speaker is right. A type of argumentative speech is judicial speech. The main function of judicial speech (lawyer or prosecutor) is influence.

Propaganda speech.

The purpose of a propaganda speech is to motivate listeners to take some action based on emotional argumentation. Examples of campaign speeches include speeches at election meetings, advertising speeches, speeches in support of certain social movements. Rally speeches occupy a special place among propaganda speeches. These are, as a rule, speeches with political appeals and protest.

Entertaining speech . The purpose of an entertaining speech is to entertain, amuse, amuse listeners, and give them the opportunity to have a good time. Examples of entertaining speeches: a speech at a banquet, a toast, a story in a company about a funny incident.

In conclusion, we offer some of the most general tips on public speaking .

1. Speak only when you have something to say and when you are confident in the importance or usefulness of your speech.

2. The success of a speech largely depends on whether you can immediately find an approach to the listeners and establish emotional contact with them.

3. Do not start your speech as soon as you are given the floor. You should take an initial pause of 15-20 seconds. A pause will allow you to “gather the views” of the listeners and serves as an invitation to conversation. Then smile and greet the audience.

4. Say the first words not into emptiness, but looking at some listener you like, and as soon as you see his friendly look in response, turn your gaze to another person and establish contact with him, and so on. Don't stare at individuals for too long.

5. Find an interesting start to your speech. It should be entertaining, relate to the content of the speech, and most importantly, create an emotional contact with the audience. It could be a real-life incident, an unexpected question, an interesting fact, an impressive figure, an original quote, a joke or a witty remark.

6. Speak expressively, since the expressiveness of speech - changing intonation, colorful verbal images, original comparisons, apt expressions - can captivate the listener.

7. Use the entire vocabulary of your vocabulary, try to exclude clerical words and colloquialisms from your story.

8. Be sure to take logical, justified pauses in your speech, especially after important information. It is during pauses that what has been said is comprehended, the opportunity to ask a question arises, and attention is mobilized.

9. Connect words with gestures. Gestures are good when they are natural. If gesturing isn't your thing, don't force it. Some gestures, although they help the speaker relieve nervous tension (clasped hands in front, touching himself, rubbing his fingers, playing with his hand), but irritate the audience. You should get rid of such gestures.

10. Have humorous sketches in stock - funny stories from the lives of great people, paradoxical examples, historical anecdotes. Usually they cause revival, relieve fatigue, and make you listen. However, a sense of humor is a natural gift. And if it is not developed, then the intonation, tempo of speech, and sound strength should be changed.

11. If you notice that the listeners’ attention is weakening, then you should change the intonation, tempo of speech, and sound strength.

12. As you know, the last impression is the strongest, so at the end of the speech its main idea should be stated. To remain in memory, the ending must be bright and expressive. This can be an aphoristic statement, a call or a wish.

Questions for self-control:

1. What is public speaking?

2. What does successful public speaking depend on?

3. What elements make up the daily preparation for a performance?

4. Name and describe the main stages of preparation for a specific performance.

5. Tell us about the basic principles of constructing a speech.

6. What are the methods of presenting the material of the speech?

7. Talk about argumentation and its methods in public speech.

8. Tell us about the factors that determine the speaker’s contact with the audience.

9. Tell us about the main types of oral public speech.