Like any other business, oratory has its own basic rules, the main goal of which is the correct management of the elements of speech and the use of a variety of speech techniques and principles depending on the situation. This way speech becomes more understandable, interesting and, as a result, is better perceived and has a greater impact on the listener’s consciousness. Let's talk briefly about the main principles of oratory.
Forget about yourself and get busy
Only an insecure speaker is self-obsessed, bothered by negative thoughts and fear of failure. Such excitement and attention to himself inevitably makes him constrained, insecure, he often gets confused in his words and stammers. What prevents you from behaving in front of the public the same way as in the company of friends? What prevents us from liberating ourselves? Internal installations only. If you get completely carried away by the performance, forget about yourself and discard extraneous thoughts, you simply will not be left to worry. That is why this rule is called the principle of certainty.
A good speaker is the master of the situation
When speaking, some speakers give the impression that they have done something shameful, that their conscience is gnawing at them, they are frightened by every extraneous phrase or question uttered by the listener, they try to answer in detail every inappropriate question and seem to be waiting for instructions from their audience. It looks pathetic, so we must not forget that during the speech the speaker must become the leader of the audience, lead it at his own discretion, and not seek advice from the audience. To do this, you don’t need to be rude or show a dictatorial style in communication. It is necessary to treat listeners carefully and with understanding, but do not forget to conduct the conversation in the right way. It is necessary to fully control the situation and strictly follow your plan, and the listeners should have the impression that the speaker knows what he wants.
Excite your audience
If you don’t do this, then the listeners will take care of themselves. Some speakers have a better effect on their listeners than sleeping pills. They just mutter something incoherent under their breath. The audience needs to be captivated, otherwise you will simply tire the listeners and test their patience. If you have a boring scientific report, try to dilute it with interesting facts and maintain the attention of your listeners. Otherwise, you will be rewarded with a loud ovation for finishing your speech. Agree, few people will like it.
The principle of the performance.
Since the beginning of time, the public has demanded bread and circuses. It is the second one that you should give them. People have always been ready to pay money to go to theaters, cinema, circuses, and performances. Subconsciously, the audience wants to see a certain show. It is best to justify this desire of the listeners. To do this, you need to make your speech bright and rich, and not sluggishly read the text from a piece of paper. Try turning your performance into some kind of entertaining performance.
Add variety
The sound of thunder replaces the established silence. Subconsciously, a person perceives not so much the sounds themselves, the colors of the world, the phenomena surrounding us, but rather the contrast. We have become accustomed to many things and no longer notice them. Accordingly, to make speech more attractive and varied, you need to introduce as much variety as possible into it. Variety should be present in everything except diction, which must remain clear in any situation. Change your speech style, tone of voice, pace, use different emotional shades, actively use gestures, move around if possible. Various pauses will not interfere with the performance. Such speech attracts attention better, makes you listen with pleasure, is better perceived and remembered, and, as a result, the impact from it becomes much greater. It’s not at all like a boring and monotonous story that makes you want to sleep or leave quickly. Try to speak as variedly as possible, diluting the boring text with jokes and interesting digressions.
If you want to be interesting, get interested
But really, in order for the speech not to be forgotten the next day, you need to interest the listeners, not speak indifferently and monotonously. Good speech requires enthusiasm. Try to make your speech as interesting as possible, and it will definitely interest your listeners. Try to include as few boring facts and dry numbers as possible in your speech. This is tiring and has virtually no effect.
Responsibility for misunderstanding lies entirely with you
Whatever excuse the speaker might come up with, the entire blame for the listeners’ misunderstanding lies solely with him. It cannot be justified by the clumsy brains of listeners, by a distracted public. If a speaker throws phrases towards the audience with notes of bewilderment from the fact that he is not understood, he is initially absolutely wrong. In this bad way he is trying to shift responsibility onto the public. You need to structure your speech and speak in such a way that it is simply impossible not to understand you. All phrases should be simple and unambiguous.
Complaints to listeners are inappropriate
Although in most cases the listeners are quite disciplined and understand perfectly how to behave in society, there are also those who do not know such rules. Listeners are often talkative, aggressive, arrogant, or simply drunk. Naturally, they will seriously interfere with the performance. While sometimes it is possible to remove a disruptive student from the classroom, this approach is usually best eliminated. No matter how provocatively the listener behaves, no matter how much he interferes, distracts, asks inappropriate questions, or interrupts, there is no point in making a complaint. Whatever the audience, you must always behave tactfully with it and perceive it as it is.
Exhaust the topic, not the audience's patience
Time is the main value in life, because it, in essence, is life. Our life is measured by the minutes we live and how we use this time. If stealing money is considered a crime, then wasting a person’s time is not condemned by society. Don’t waste your time and the time of your listeners, don’t wait until they want to leave, finish speaking earlier, don’t steal a piece of life from them.
The principles of oratory are just vectors that set the general direction in words and actions. There should be moderation in everything, stick to the golden mean. These principles need to be applied in certain quantities and only when the situation requires it, because the audience and the situation may be different, and the rules are far from universal. We invite you to attend our training on public speaking in Kharkov. This is a real concentrate of useful information, it has helped hundreds of people, now it’s your turn!
Efremov Sergey "9 main principles of oratory"
The ability to speak convincingly and work with an audience of listeners is important for everyone today. Even those who do not need to speak at conferences every day still need to present themselves correctly - getting a job, salary, and career advancement depend on this. No matter how in-demand a specialist you are, it is important that you and your ideas are heard.
Two ways to improve your speaking skills:
- take a rhetoric or public speaking course;
- engage in self-study.
The main advantage of the courses is the real opportunity to speak in front of an audience of listeners. However, the courses also have disadvantages - due to the fact that there are many people in the group, the teacher does not devote enough time to everyone. Thus, there is no personalized approach, which is so important when working on psychological and speech problems of people that prevent them from speaking correctly and freely.
In the case of self-study, the advantages are obvious - you can try different methods, spend as much time as needed on doing exercises and consolidating certain skills, you can study according to a convenient schedule, etc. Oratory lessons do not necessarily have to be supervised by a teacher: today You can find a variety of video lessons on the Internet, tutorials for beginners, as well as many tips.
Mistakes of Beginner Speakers
Training can take place in different ways. With the advent of the Internet in every home, video lessons have become very popular. In fact, they are no different from listening to a lecture at a seminar or training to improve your rhetoric - except that you cannot ask the teacher a question.
Videos can be free or paid. Free ones can be freely found, viewed and downloaded online. They provide information regarding rhetoric and discuss the most well-known exercises for improving it. Paid lessons can be found on the websites of rhetoric teachers or by contacting them personally.
Popular exercises for developing public speaking skills include:
- exercises in front of the mirror;
- exercises with a voice recorder;
- independent preparation of a speech using given reference points.
In the first case, you can observe yourself during a speech or monologue. Looking at ourselves in the mirror, everyone will notice the excitement and fuss that we ourselves do not notice, but which are visible to those who listen to a public speech. It is also effective to record a speech on video - the effect of the exercise will be similar to the exercise with a mirror, and the speaker will not be constantly distracted by the reflection in the mirror.
You can find “pivot points” yourself on the Internet or in a book, or you can get them from a video in which the teacher talks about them. Knowing the “outline” of a monologue, it’s easy to compose a speech. However, over time, the task will need to become more complex and improvisation training will be required.
Video lessons on the Internet also talk about other techniques that can be used to become an experienced speaker. The path to this will take some time, however, the result is worth it - you can speak at conferences and meetings in front of strangers, communicate with colleagues, partners and loved ones without embarrassment, anxiety, instantly formulating thoughts and being able to achieve the desired reaction to them.
Teaching public speaking is important at every age, for young and experienced professionals, and for a variety of activities. The time it takes to train will pay dividends for years to come. In addition, even if you know how to speak in public, it is worth periodically expanding your knowledge and abilities in the field of rhetoric - this will help in business, in school, and in personal relationships.
The appearance of the company's leader, his leadership qualities and sales skills determine the success of the enterprise. This is known to PR specialists who write speeches for managers, think over their appearance, teach them how to speak in public and how to place accents correctly. However, even the best PR specialist will not be able to independently turn an ordinary person into a bright personality, a hero of public speeches.
The book by James Humes, a famous writer and former speechwriter for five American presidents, reveals some of the secrets of oratory and creating charisma. Having mastered the techniques offered by the author, you will gain confidence and learn how to easily and successfully cope with public speaking.
1. Pause
Where should any successful performance begin? The answer is simple: from a pause. No matter what kind of speech you give: a detailed presentation of several minutes or a short introduction of the next speaker, you must achieve silence in the room. Once on the podium, look around the audience and fix your gaze on one of the listeners. Then mentally say the first sentence to yourself and, after an expressive pause, begin speaking.
2. First phrase
All successful speakers place great importance on the first sentence of their speech. It must be powerful and definitely evoke a positive response from the audience.
The first phrase is, in TV terminology, the “prime time” of your speech. At this moment, the audience is at its maximum size: every person in the room wants to look at you and find out what kind of bird you are. In just a few seconds, the screening of listeners can begin: someone will continue the conversation with a neighbor, someone will bury their head in the phone, and someone will even fall asleep. However, everyone without exception will listen to the first phrase.
3. Bright start
If you don’t have a bright, suitable aphorism that can attract everyone’s attention, start with a story from your life. If you have an important fact or news that is unknown to your listeners, start right away with it (“Yesterday at 10 o’clock in the morning...”). In order for the audience to perceive you as a leader, you need to immediately take the bull by the horns: choose a strong beginning.
4. Main idea
Before you even sit down to write your speech, you must determine its main idea. This key point that you want to convey to the audience should be concise, capacious, “fit in a matchbox.”
Stop, look and make a plan: first, highlight the key ideas, and then you can supplement and explain them with real-life examples or quotes.
As Churchill said, a good speech is like a symphony: it can be performed at three different tempos, but it must maintain the main melody.
5. Quotes
There are several rules, the observance of which will give strength to the citation. First, the quote should be close to you. Never cite statements from an author who is unfamiliar to you, uninteresting, or whom you do not like to quote. Secondly, the name of the author should be known to listeners, and the quote itself should be short.
You must also learn how to create an environment for quoting. Many successful speakers use similar techniques: before quoting, they pause and put on their glasses, or with a serious look they read a quote from a card or, for example, a sheet of newspaper.
If you want to make a special impression with a quote, write it down on a small card, take it out of your wallet during your speech, and read the statement.
6. Wit
Surely you have been advised many times to add a joke or anecdote to your presentation. There is some truth in this advice, but do not forget that a joke for the sake of a joke only insults the listener.
There is no need to start your speech with an anecdote that is not related to the situation (“It seems that it is customary to start a speech with an anecdote, so here it is. Somehow a man comes to see a psychiatrist...”). It's best to sneak in your funny story mid-speech to lighten the mood.
7. Reading
Reading a speech from a sheet of paper with your eyes downcast does not, to put it mildly, excite the audience. What should we do then? Is it really necessary to memorize a half-hour long speech? Not at all. You need to learn to read correctly.
The first rule of reading a speech: never say words while your eyes are looking at the paper.
Use the SOS technique: look - stop - say.
For training, take any text. Lower your eyes and take a mental picture of a few words. Then raise your head and stop. Then, looking at any object at the other end of the room, tell what you remember. And so on: look at the text, stop, speak.
8. Speaker techniques
It is known that Churchill recorded his speeches like poetry, dividing them into separate phrases and writing each on a separate line. To make your speech sound even more convincing, use this technique.
Use rhyme and internal consonance in a phrase to give the sound of your speech poetic impact (for example, Churchill's phrase “We must follow the principles of HUMANISM, not bureaucracy”).
It’s very easy to come up with rhymes, just remember the most common ones: -na (war, silence, needed), -ta (darkness, emptiness, dream), -ch (sword, speech, flow, meetings), -oses / wasps (roses , threats, tears, questions), -anie, -yes, -on, -tion, -ism and so on. Practice these simple rhymes to create sonorous phrases.
But remember: the rhymed phrase should be one for the entire speech; you do not need to turn your speech into a poem.
And so that the rhyme does not go to waste, express the key idea of the speech in this phrase.
9. Questions and pauses
Many speakers use questions to connect with the audience. Don't forget one rule: never ask a question if you don't know the answer. Only by predicting the audience's reaction can you prepare and get the most out of the question.
10. Final
Even if your speech was inexpressive, a successful ending can fix everything. To make an impression in the finale, tune in, call on your emotions to help: pride, hope, love and others. Try to convey these feelings to your listeners the way great speakers of the past did.
Never end your speech on a minor note, as this will simply destroy your career. Use uplifting quotes, poems or jokes.
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“Recently I came across a list of the main human fears, where the fear of death was only in third place. The top two rankings were fear of walking into a room full of strangers and fear of speaking in public. Fantastic! And I was about to give a speech in a few days, and I definitely felt that fear. So I signed up for a course with former BBC presenter and coach Helen Foster, hoping her advice would help me. I have written down eight of the most useful ones for you.
1. Time
Try to keep your talk time under 20 minutes. Experts from the educational platform TED Talk advise 17-18. Why? Because this makes the presentation denser and more vivid: only information that is important for the audience remains in it. Overwhelm your listeners with a stream of words, and they will stop perceiving your speech.
2. Show, don't tell.
If you still need to deliver a longer speech, break it into parts: talk for 15 minutes - change the genre: add pictures or videos, a joke or two, practice the material that was discussed during some kind of game - it all depends on the circumstances , you decide what is more appropriate in a given situation.
3. Anecdote
An anecdote, in the old sense of the word, is a small, entertaining story - a great way to start a speech, capturing the audience's attention with something of universal interest. It is not necessary that you were a participant in the events described, but it is important that the story is unusual and exciting - listeners should tear themselves away from their smartphones and finally start listening carefully.
4. Interaction with the public
Sometimes a lecture is decorated and enlivened by elements of a seminar: ask the audience questions, invite the audience to discuss the problem among themselves for a couple of minutes. For example, if you are talking about happiness, ask the audience to think about the last time each of them was truly happy and why. Discuss several answers. Such exercises should not take more than 5 minutes, otherwise you risk being too distracted from the main topic.
5. What was that?
What exactly should the listener remember from your speech? What is the clearest and easiest way to express this idea: with a picture, a video, an aphorism? We remember best what was said at the very end of the lecture. Keep this in mind and try to come up with a punchy ending to your performance.
6. Emotions
Does the subject you are talking about evoke strong emotions in you? Don't be afraid to show them off during your performance. Otherwise, how will listeners understand that you are really interested in what you are talking about? After all, if the audience is not sure that you are interested in the subject, why should they devote their attention to it?
“The question of what language you speak is always a question of power, of the dominant discourse, of the right to be something other than a “speaking instrument,” Ekaterina Mikhailova is sure. – This is a question about the right to choose “your own” and “strangers” (they, of course, speak differently). It’s an important choice, and it would be good to evaluate its consequences.”
7. Sincerity
Sincerity never fails. Be yourself. If you don’t know something, say so – this is in any case better than making up a deliberately false answer on the spot. In addition, you can always offer to look for an answer to a question that interests the listener. Lying is difficult, and, as a rule, deception is noticeable. So don't waste your audience's trust.
8. Preparation
Record your speech in advance in a form convenient for you. A coherent text on paper, a detailed plan, cards with key words - whatever you want, as long as it’s convenient for you. In addition, although we somehow miss this opportunity, it would be a good idea to go over the text of the speech a couple of times in advance so as not to forget anything important. Yes, it takes time, but you won’t stammer and blush painfully, trying to remember: what else did I have? A prepared speaker always wins over an unprepared one.
Did it work for me? It's up to you - here's my performance at the recent opening of the London Happiness Club."
Oratory is one of the most valuable skills that will help you convey your point of view to your interlocutor concisely, beautifully and without any problems. There are people who are natural speakers; just give them a topic and you can listen for hours. But what should those who want to master these skills do, but nature has not given them innate abilities?
Oratory, like any other skill, can be developed, trained, and improved. In this article we will give 6 useful tips, thanks to which you can develop incredible abilities in yourself, and in less than a month speak freely in public, concentrating the attention of listeners on your speech.
1. What causes the greatest difficulties for beginning speakers? As a rule, this is an insufficient vocabulary and limited vocabulary. The solution is simple, you need to talk, talk and talk again. You can do this at home. Take any item you see - a hairdryer, a vase, a frying pan, in general, it doesn’t matter what it is. And then, for 5 minutes, try to talk about it, characterize all the features of this item, explain how wonderful and necessary it is. It will be difficult at first, but over time you will easily cope with this task. When you see that five minutes is not enough, then increase the time, say 10, 20, 30 minutes. I knew people who, without any problems, could talk for hours on a given topic, and never repeat themselves in phrases or thoughts.
3. Rate of speech is another feature worth mastering. Watch how you speak. The listener may not be able to understand speech that is too fast, while speech that is slow will lead to boredom. Try to maintain pauses, highlight the right places with intonations, raise and lower your voice, thereby attracting the attention of the audience.
4. Talking about subjects at home is good, but in order to hone the skill of oratory, you need to communicate more with real people. The easiest way to hone public speaking is for students. You have access to speeches in front of your group, and during the speech you can track the reaction, behavior of the audience, their mood and desire to listen.
5. Your speech should not be dry. Try to use sayings, quotes from famous people, and humor from time to time. By the way, humor plays a very important role. The ability to make a timely and apt joke is the quality of a good speaker who can hold his audience without any problems and, at the right moment, relieve accumulated tension.
Over time, when you expand your vocabulary and begin to apply all the acquired knowledge in practice, you will notice how your speech has changed, how your interlocutor carefully listens to every word spoken, how the audience closely follows your statements and phrases.
