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

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

Who is a speaker

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

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

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

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

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

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

And then she will have the qualities necessary for oratory:

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

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

Get rid of mistakes

First of all, you need to get rid of speech errors, that is, errors in the use of words. First, understand the paronyms. You need to distinguish the addressee from the addressee, the instigator from the instigator, and the ignorant from the ignorant.

Be sure to pay attention to spelling: spoiled or spoiled? normalize or normalize? envious or envious?

Also use phraseological units correctly and follow stylistic norms. We recommend reading about other possible mistakes here (in general, you can easily enroll in the Russian Language online program, which will improve your speech).

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.

Enrich your vocabulary

Of course, a beautiful speech does not have to be replete with fanciful phrases and bookish words, but you must be able to express your thoughts as accurately and as vividly as possible - this is eloquence.

Don't limit yourself to just words: get acquainted with beautiful phraseological units, catchphrases and euphonious synonyms of words that have already set your teeth on edge. Learn to come up with metaphors and make apt comparisons.

And remember that it is not enough just to know some words and expressions. In eloquence, only active vocabulary matters.

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.

Retelling

How to develop eloquence? Exercises related to retelling texts will definitely help. You need to take a newspaper article, read it carefully, and then present the content of the article in a conversational style. The retelling is repeated several times, the story is supplemented and expanded, enriched with new details, including fictitious ones. Be sure to express your own opinion about the article you read. You can choose a mirror as a listener.

It is important that at least the first ten sentences are coherent, smooth, and without artificial pauses. You also need to learn how to convey the content of the text in a single sentence. Instead of a newspaper article, you can take paragraphs from textbooks and chapters from books. In addition, it is useful to describe the paintings you see, supplementing the description with an assessment of the artist’s skill.

The most difficult task is retelling a text whose topic the narrator has absolutely no understanding of. However, constant training with simple texts will help you gradually master this art.

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.

Five Canons of Rhetoric

One of the greatest orators of all time, Winston Churchill gave a weekly radio address aimed at boosting the confidence of his people during the war. He dispelled their fears and convinced people that they were fighting for a just cause. Over time, his eloquence became legendary. Churchill deeply understood the art of rhetoric and knew how to persuade as if he were communicating with one person - his words had an impact on all people, regardless of values, education or position in society. Special rhetorical canons played a significant role in Churchill’s eloquence, which we invite you to get acquainted with. Read more…

Oratorical techniques

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

For example:

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

Nora Gal's advice to those who work with words

Any form of activity that requires the ability to find the right words is a difficult challenge for most of us. Whether we are writing a novel, composing a text for a rap battle, or thinking through a public speech, we are faced with the agony of choice: which word or phrase to choose? How to structure the text in such a way as not to sound like a robot? The answer is simple: you need to tirelessly monitor your speech, remove unnecessary things from it, be in a constant search for suitable words and read Russian classics. However, a person is lazy, and in the modern world he also has little time for this. Therefore, we need a book, after reading which you will be eager to learn Russian for the rest of your life, without considering it a waste of time. This book was written by Nora Gal. Read more…

How to develop speaking skills

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

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

Speech technique

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

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

Preparing for the performance

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

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

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

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

Exercises for self-study

Any exercises that involve continuous, spontaneous and prolonged speech are suitable for developing eloquence. You can find options for training even in everyday life. For example, turn on a football match, mute the TV and pretend that you are a football commentator reporting live. Take the matter seriously, try not to get lost and not take long pauses. Even if you don’t complete the entire 90 minutes of the match, you will at least know exactly how long you can successfully “hold the line.”

Games to develop associative thinking

Association for a speaker is an important tool that allows you to easily change the topic of a conversation, make the necessary digressions, and also make your speech clear and persuasive depending on the situation. A good speaker’s selection of associations is brought to the point of automaticity: without hesitation, he will give out a whole list of options as soon as the need arises. It will be very difficult for people without special training to repeat such a trick, because in everyday life this skill is practically not useful to them.

A speaker with developed associative thinking is able to speak more flexibly and skillfully give his speech the necessary direction without being noticed by the listener. With the help of association, you can smoothly move the conversation in any direction and give it any vector of development.

The best way to develop associative thinking is through games. The standard "association" game is based on the same principle as "cities", "names" and other similar games. You can play it with friends, adjusting the rules to suit your taste and abilities.

Interview

The hardest thing is not to get lost in the live interviewing mode, especially when the journalist tries to introduce a provocative, tricky, ambiguous or compromising question. Such an interview is a real test even for a skilled speaker, which is why it is indispensable as an exercise in developing eloquence.

You will need a partner who will take on the role of a journalist. You will have a kind of duel with him: he makes attacks on questions, you counter with answers. His task is to confuse you, yours is to maintain control over the situation and each time smoothly move the conversation away from a development that is unfavorable for you. Based on the results, you can change places, because the person asking the questions also undergoes serious training in improvisation and flexibility of speech.

Oratory for children

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

The objectives of teaching rhetoric are:

You can also work with your children at home:

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

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

Parasite words

Getting rid of parasitic words is not an easy task. They become a habit, and therefore during a conversation we simply do not notice our speech impediment.

The words “in short”, “well”, “like”, “this”, “as if”, “how to say”, “in general”, “you know”, “actually”, “let’s say”, when repeated many times, destroy all the charm of our presentation, even if we are talking about “smart” things.

Of course, this habit is not so easy to get rid of, which is why we gradually learn to speak without parasites. To do this, you can ask your family or friends to correct you.

As soon as others hear a forbidden word, let them immediately reprimand you. To increase efficiency, come up with a punishment for using filler words.

Get a special piggy bank and put a certain amount of money into it for each mistake you make in a conversation. There are “punishment boxes” in many offices. In this way, companies are fighting slang and profanity among their employees.

If you are an athlete, you may punish yourself differently. For every parasitic word spoken, force yourself to do push-ups.

It is not convenient to do exercises everywhere and not always, so you can write down tasks in a notebook and complete everything that has accumulated during the day in the evening or the next morning.

Just don't evade punishment. Your best assistant is self-control. Over time, you will speak clearly and intelligibly, the main thing is not to give up.