Oratory: lessons of rhetoric. A few tips for mastering public speaking Lesson-less eloquence is a step to success

The impression that a person makes on others can completely change his future in the first minutes of acquaintance. Career, financial situation, relationships with friends and personal life depend on the ability to clearly and clearly express their thoughts, the ability to hear and listen, persuade and negotiate.

Rhetoric and oratory

Public speaking is not just the ability to speak a lot and beautifully. A good speaker must have a mastery of the basics of psychology and acting, philosophy and analytics. Its main goal is not only to convey certain information to the interlocutor, but also to arouse interest in the audience, to encourage listeners to take certain actions.

10 basic rules of rhetoric

In rhetoric, there are 10 components that affect the quality of speech and lie at the heart of oratory.

Objectivity

You should not present your own beliefs as an immutable truth. The speaker's speech must be unbiased and the information truthful;

Conciseness

Clarity

Clarity is the ability to explain complex things in simple words, to present information in a form understandable to the interlocutor;

Imagery

Using real life situations, comparisons and juxtapositions as examples, evokes associations with familiar, familiar things in the listener. The resulting feelings and emotions simplify the perception of information and make speech more memorable;

Expediency

The main idea of what was said should be easy to grasp and quickly memorize;

Voltage

The interlocutor needs to be captivated, interested, and, while maintaining the intrigue and increasing the degree of tension, gradually bring him to the climax of the narrative;

Surprise

A non-standard approach and a fresh look at the situation increase the audience's interest in the speaker and his speech;

Saturation

You should not overload the listener with an abundance of difficult-to-understand terms and formulations, they must be alternated with simple and easy-to-understand information;

Comic effect

Humor smoothes out sharp corners, evokes the audience's disposition, and speeches diluted with a good joke or appropriate witness are better remembered;

Style

You should not make pretentious and lofty speeches, but at the same time, what was said should not seem vulgar or vulgar. The choice of storytelling style depends on its content and the target audience for the presentation.

What is public speaking? This is the art of public speaking with the aim of convincing the listener of a particular thought through a combination of different techniques. The very art of rhetoric originated in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome and has undergone many changes under the pressure of changing eras.

The significance of rhetoric for human life remains unchanged. Public speaking teaches, first and foremost, how to be self-confident and how to instill that confidence in the audience. Good speakers achieve the heights they want in any field, whether it's their own business or teaching.

Rhetoric opens many doors to new opportunities, but becoming a speaker does not take place overnight. In order to master this art, it is necessary to study rhetoric, which can be done independently or in specialized classes. This article examines the main pillars of the art of rhetoric.

The first training is devoted to writing. Preparing a speech before a performance is the foundation on which the art of public speaking is built. A carefully crafted speech is already half a step on the way to a successful speech. So, work on a speech is usually carried out in several stages.

First you need to collect information and thoroughly study it. It is very important to refer to several sources in order to consider the issue from different angles. The speaker should be distinguished by good awareness not only in all relevant news, but also in the main trends in all spheres of human life. Take sufficient time to study the information. At the end of this stage, you need to structure the collected information.
Next, when working on a speech, the speaker should think about how to engage his audience. The speaker's speech always has as its goal one or another impact on the listener. When preparing for a performance, it is necessary to study the audience, its interests, the manner of communication, and so on. The success of a presentation is measured by whether the desired effect has been achieved or not. To achieve it, it is necessary to speak in a language understandable to the public about what is interesting to it.
Teaching rhetoric is also about building the goal of your speech. Aimless ranting in front of the public is the lot of the demagogue. Such speeches do not attract the required audience. That is why you need to learn to put at the head of your speech this or that acute problem that needs to be solved. Its solution is the purpose of the speech, uniting the audience and the speaker.
The public trusts the speaker who reveals itself to it as a person. Therefore, it is very important to include in your speech your own thoughts on the issue under discussion. Few will listen to a speaker who does not have a clear position of his own. For this, it is necessary to pass through your experience and your worldview all the information collected and form your own position.

Oratory is, first of all, the ability to prepare a speech so that it grabs the attention of the target audience.

It is equally important to properly prepare for the performance itself.

Preparing for the performance

The rules of public speaking dictate that any performance must be well planned.

Although the speaker needs to be prepared for spontaneous speech as well. To prepare an oratorical presentation, the following scheme is usually used.

First of all, you need to refuse to speak on a piece of paper. You can only leave on paper a plan and short notes about important points that need to be mentioned. Thus, the main part of speech is better learned. This is why speaking skills include an excellent memory that needs to be trained regularly.
Teaching public speaking also involves following the structure of the presentation. This gives the speech consistency and integrity. It is necessary to clearly limit the introduction, body and conclusion. It is advisable to pay special attention to the introduction, since at this moment the attitude of the public to the speaker begins to form.
It is recommended to think over the organizational issues of the performance in advance, that is, if possible, familiarize yourself with the platform for the performance, discuss technical issues with the organizers regarding the operation of microphones, prepare water, etc.
Public speaking skills include not only a variety of speaking abilities, but also the ability to look good. The speaker should always look neat, as appearance is the first thing the audience pays attention to.

Oratory teaches to attract people and lead them, which is practically necessary for many professions. However, an excellent speaker is not born, therefore, teaching rhetoric has been relevant from ancient times to this day.

Good speaker techniques

Oratorical techniques - what is it? These are well-known tricks that the speaker uses in order to make speech accessible to the audience and to increase the assimilation of information. There are a lot of such techniques. Below are two basic speaking techniques.

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

In addition to comparison and repetition, the rules of oratory are also advised to refer to allegories, rhetorical questions, appeals, hyperbole, irony and other means of speech expression.

Speech technique

Performing in front of an audience is a kind of physical work. Speakers know that this is often difficult. Public speaking and the art of speech requires the speaker to work on the technique of delivering a speech, which includes the following aspects.

Breath

During active speech, the rate of breathing of a person changes: the inhalation becomes shorter, and the exhalation becomes longer. The rules of oratory require the performance of special exercises for the formulation of speech breathing. The speaker requires a larger volume of air during inhalation, as well as its more economical consumption during speech. In addition, the evenness of breathing is influenced by excitement, from which you need to learn to get rid of.

Volume

Public speaking and the art of speech lies in the ability to control your own voice. The speaker should speak loudly and quietly equally well, depending on the situation. Also, within one speech, it is necessary to highlight the main information using changes in tone of voice.

Diction

Understandable speech is clear and clear. To achieve the correct pronunciation of sounds and syllables, speakers carefully monitor the work of their articulatory apparatus and regularly train their diction with tongue twisters.

Pace

Rhetoric oratory tends to the average rate of delivery. The speaker should not shoot with words like a machine gun, nor should he draw out words. As a rule, in the learning process and with the acquisition of experience, the speaker manages to find the most comfortable pace of speech for himself and for the listener.

Intonation

Changes in intonation make speech bright, lively and more comprehensible. Expressive reading of fiction aloud helps to train intonation.

Any undertaking, at first glance, seems difficult, but you should not be afraid. With the right approach and diligent study, you can master any craft and art - even as demanding as rhetoric.

Public speaking is a skill that every modern person needs. In modern society, people constantly use eloquence: in negotiations at work, publicly speaking in front of employees or listeners, broadcasting live on social networks. Modern society is built on the foundations of rhetoric: announcers, bosses, journalists, friends are constantly trying to convince of something, marketers are convinced of the need to purchase a product or service. For a convincing speech, everyone uses facts, arguments, arguments and reasons.

Oratorical skill is characterized by the ability of the orator to publicly present his speech, competently express his thought, captivating the listener, defending his point of view. Public speaking includes a combination of psychology, rhetoric, etc.

The purpose of oratorical practice is to state your position in front of the listener (opponent), using the preparation of oral speech and practiced rhetoric techniques. Oratory, as a social phenomenon, appeared along with the need for public discussion of problems and the solution of social issues.

Rhetoric is the science that studies the eloquence and skill of public speaking. - a necessary skill that can be developed, trained and constantly improved. The ability to beautifully and correctly convey your thoughts can come in handy in any situation. Real speakers can talk about any topic and the audience is ready to listen to them for hours.

The concept of oratory has three definitions:

achieving a high degree of mastery of public speaking, high-quality speech and mastery of the living word;
oratory is also understood as a science and academic discipline about the beauty of the word;
oratory is a complex blend of skills that translates into the creativity of public speaking.

Domestic rhetoric identifies several areas of eloquence:

(speeches on political, economic topics);
spiritual (religious public speaking, sermons);
academic (lecturer's speeches in educational institutions);
social (everyday, drinking, memorial speeches);
(speeches made by the participants in the trial).

Contemporary rhetoric has a strong place in the humanities curriculum.

To present the speech in such a way that the audience not only remembers it, but also has a pleasant time and strives after the speech to convey the words of the speaker to everyone around. Public speaking and the art of speech do not have clear rules that must be memorized; it is important to observe consistency for public speaking.

Required consistent structure for public speaking:

introduction (here it is important to find the attention of the listener, to attract his interest);
the main idea of the speech;
the central part of the speech (the main theses and points open here);
conclusion (conclusion of speech, summing up).

The art of the orator is mainly about finding contact with the audience. Some of the basics of eloquence are best learned from speakers who have a lot of experience in speaking.

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Public speaking requires not only knowledge of the correct structure of speech, but also other valuable qualities of the lecturer:

knowledge and skills - first of all, the speaker must be intellectually developed, have a broad outlook and be able to support many topics for conversation, be able to competently answer questions;
an important point in the ability to speak beautifully is practice;
the psychological preparedness of the speaker (he should not be afraid of failure or unsuccessful speech, he should have himself and not be led out to provoke the public);
it is important to understand the psychotype of your audience in order to be able to immediately impress it. Everything should be relevant and appropriate to the topic of the speech.

In order for the public not to lose interest, you can apply some secrets:

constantly change the rate of speech, it will be appropriate to slow it down when approaching some key idea;
pause (a well-known method of attracting attention);
change the intonation of speech and tone.

Experienced speaker receptions

It is better to comprehend the art of public speaking by looking at an experienced speaker, how he works, entices the listener, what techniques he uses. You can learn and learn from experience in practice.

Basic techniques and tricks used by all experienced speakers:

comparison - this technique allows you to dilute abstract descriptions, since information is easier to remember and structure when a figurative projection is created in the mind;
repetition - it is necessary to repeat key phrases that will firmly sit in the memory of the listeners;
some lecturers turn to the reception of allegory, rhetorical questions, in many speeches there is a place of irony that disposes the audience;
complex sentences cannot be used. Better to break them down into short phrases that are easy to understand;
it is important to know your audience, study it and speak its language.

Many presenters compliment their audience, which greatly increases their attractiveness in the eyes of the audience.

Public speaking levels

The success of oratorical speech is determined by the following levels of speaker skill (there are 3 of them):

knowledge of the material (this includes competent presentation, vocabulary and composition of speech);
self-control (behavior, manner of speech, intonation, voice power, speech technique and the ability to find contact with the listener);
the image of the speaker (appearance, posture).

The speaker's appearance should match the topic of the speech, that is, if the speaker conducts a seminar on “how to become successful,” he cannot stand in front of the audience in a cheap suit and unclean shoes.

Training to improve public speaking skills

Practice and training are important for, at home, you can perform the following simple exercises:

work with a dictionary - every day you need to memorize 10 new words and their meanings, while writing down in your pocket small dictionary. When performing this exercise, vocabulary, memory and intelligence develops, which is very important for the success of public speaking;
retelling - simple retellings of newspaper articles or pages from books, each time you need to increase the volume of the text and its complexity;
there are many exercises for the development of diction, for example, to pronounce with a mouth full of nuts until the diction becomes clear and understandable to everyone around;
it is important to often perform various breathing exercises - they will help to cope with the strength of the voice, understand the correctness of the timbre, teach you to understand yourself and your inner strength.

You need to try to pronounce the texts at home in front of the mirror, look for your comfortable, but not defiant posture, learn to hold your hands beautifully, and not stick them in your pocket or fiddle with the edges of your shirt. In addition, such "mirror" workouts will help to loosen up and consolidate the skill of managing your facial expressions.

The art of eloquence is of great importance, because a person with his word can convince people of anything. Good speech, both in personal life and in your career, is a hallmark. Therefore, many would like to know how to develop eloquence. Such a skill is absolutely essential in personal self-development. There are special trainings and courses in public speaking. But you can learn eloquence on your own. Simple tips and tricks can help you improve your communication skills.

The word eloquence has different meanings. This is the ability to build a reasoned speech, the ability to communicate on a variety of topics and the ability to present your thought so that it seems worthy of the listener's attention. In order to learn to express one's thoughts harmoniously and clearly, a special science was created - rhetoric. This teaching has certain advantages:

Eloquence represents skills and techniques of persuasion. If a person can correctly select words, then his argumentation is difficult to refute.
With its help, you can express your thoughts clearly and without long pauses.
The ability to speak beautifully creates the impression of authenticity in thinking. Most people have a stereotype that whoever thinks correctly expresses well.

The development of eloquence depends on the mood and state of mind, which affects the quality of speech. The ability to overcome your fear and nervousness is reflected in the ability to speak. High-quality preparation for the performance gives additional confidence. Experienced speakers before the performance plan and rehearse not only the report, but also facial expressions, gestures and even posture.

Rhetoric as a science is necessary in the educational field, where academic eloquence is applied. Political eloquence is considered a type of oratory, which is characterized by accessibility and simplicity of expression, persuasive power and the ability to infect many people with an idea. Communication skills are essential in the business arena. An important part of a business relationship is negotiation, presentation and contracting.

Basic rules for creating beautiful speech

The science of eloquence involves training the vocal cords to have a pleasant timbre. You also need to fill in your vocabulary and not use tautologies.

What exercises will help you become more eloquent?

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

The text is taken from any source and different words are crossed out with a pencil. Then the passage is read aloud, and on the go you need to replace the crossed out words with synonyms.
Any topic is chosen, and within 4-5 minutes you need to talk only on this topic. Moreover, it is necessary to lead the story without hesitation and evenly.
An exercise in creativity will help develop eloquence. It is necessary to talk about fantastic and most unusual topics. For example: if electricity were not invented, if fairy tales came 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 finding adjectives. You need to take any word and pick up five adjectives for it that fit in meaning, and then five that do not fit.

All these exercises will help you understand: how to develop eloquence. Experts advise you to read the meaning of a new word every day, select many synonyms for random words and record your speech on a dictaphone.

What books are worth reading?

When answering the question of how to learn eloquence, it is useful to study special literature. It is not necessary to study the dictionary for this, there are a variety of training and interesting manuals.

The following educational books will come in handy in self-study:

Irina Golub's book “The Art of Rhetoric. A guide to eloquence ”.
Practical advice and recommendations are presented in the work of Radislav Gandapas "Kamasutra for an orator".
Oleg Bolsunov's "Oratory for Beginners" is popular thanks to his careful analysis of mistakes made by orators.
Karsten Bredemeier's Black Rhetoric includes exercises and techniques to help you speak persuasively and negotiate with the right reasoning.

Regular reading of fiction also enriches vocabulary. Classical fiction allows you to study the stylistic presentation of thoughts and, to some extent, adopt the beauty of the presentation of a 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 to correctly formulate the logic of speech. There are different categories presented here: negotiation techniques, the art of communication, 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, the art of communication, and public speaking.

For self-study, you should use the following tips:

You need to monitor your speech and choose your social circle deliberately.
Reading books will allow you to form a rich vocabulary and increase the volume of knowledge.
Better to say a little, but only to the point. We must strive to make each spoken phrase bright and complete.
It is recommended that you prepare your speech for public speaking. 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.
With the help of pauses, it is necessary to highlight wording and important words.

A professional approach involves finding your own style in public speaking. The delivered speech helps to assert your beliefs and influence people, but at the same time you cannot impose your opinion. It is important to convince the audience that is willing to listen.

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

Equally important is the question: how to improve the beauty of speech in your child. Such skill will allow not only to respond 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 stories and arrange home performances. It is necessary to encourage the child to talk and ask him leading questions at the same time.

Regular classes and hard work in the development of eloquence can make almost any person a real speaker.