Art Of Great Speaking

Abraham Lincoln had a view on persuasion that is very pertinent to public speaking

Any speaker who hopes to achieve his purpose in speaking must present a cause or plan which his audience considers sensible and helpful to their interests. Abraham Lincoln said no amount of persuasion could get a man to sit in church with his wife’s hat on his head. People will not accept and act upon ideas which will make them appear foolish.
So logical material, containing plenty of good “horse sense,” should be used to convince people. The mind of a listener must be won before he will give much desired action.
In addition to illustrations, two other valuable types of supporting material can be tried when appealing persuasively to listeners’ minds. These two forms of evidence are quotations and facts.
A quotation is the exact words someone has written or said. In a speech, Conquer Your Fear, a student speaker quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain.”
On nearly every subject one or more important people have contributed opinions. Many of these opinions have been re¬corded in dictionaries of quotations. One dictionary, selected at random, contains two hundred seventy quotations about love. Shakespeare, Lamb, Milton, Irving, Victor Hugo, Longfellow, Walt Whitman, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and many others have left ideas about this subject.
Of course many subjects receive less attention-,.but some such as education and religion, get more. Quotations are frequently found in books or magazine articles on various subjects. One copy of a readers’ guide, which covered a period of six years, listed the titles of about twenty-five thousand articles on airplanes and closely related subjects, two hundred ninety-five on family life, two hundred twenty-four on accidents, seventy-six on love, sixty-three about attitudes, forty-five on faith, forty-two on mice, thirty-three on cheese, twenty-four on monkeys, and twenty-six on Marilyn Monroe.
The most effective quotations to use in a speech are those made by recognized authorities. For instance, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle (and others) on philosophy. Einstein on science. Emily Post on etiquette, the Mayo brothers on surgery, Caruso on singing, Emerson and Shakespeare on almost anything.
These people, and many others, have earned reputations in their fields. They are well-known as experts. And their words are convincing. They help people believe. People are inclined to think, if such a wise man as Einstein, Emerson, or Plato said it, it must be true!
There are certain things to consider when looking to use quotation in public speaking – check out my next post to find out what they are. In the meantime if you are wanting to become a better presenter at work or public speaker check out our free 7 day e-course on speaking with confidence to any size audience by entering your email into the box to the right.

Here is a brief introduction into how to make your public speaking more persuasive.

Yesterday a new bride gave her husband a burnt offering — the first cake she had ever baked!
Baking a cake is a skill. So is making a speech. Of course the taste of a cake will be determined largely by the materials that are mixed into it. And the effectiveness of a speech will depend greatly upon the materials a speaker puts into it.
All material used in a persuasive speech should stimulate one or more of the following natural elements of persuasion:
1.    ATTENTION
2.    INTEREST
3.    CONVICTION
4.    DESIRE
5.    ACTION
At the beginning of a speech, a human interest story, thought-provoking question, startling statement, a bit of humor, suspense, a novel or unusual visual aid is used to get immediate attention.
Of course constant or continued attention is necessary before a state of interest can prevail. And interest is more surely stimulated as soon as an audience realizes the speech they are hearing has special value for them.
Naturally, no sensible audience wants to hear a speech which will be a waste of their time. So, soon after grasping an audience’s attention, a wise speaker frankly tells his listeners how the speech will help them or why they will be interested in it.
One speaker (whose theme was “develop more determination”) did this by beginning with a strong human interest story, then saying, “At some time or another everyone here tonight has said to himself, ‘I wish I’d had the courage to say no to that plan, or had the determination to stand up for what I knew was right.’ So tonight we’ll see how people much like ourselves developed more of this excellent personality trait called determination. Perhaps the principles they used will help us.”
This type of statement is also an interesting way to show the purpose of a talk. Some speakers, however, err by starting their talks with a dull outline of what they intend to accomplish with the speech. Such statements should always be brief and come af¬ter a human interest beginning. A speaker should make the purpose of his address clear, but very little time is required for that. His big job is to go ahead and do what he says he will.

How determined are you to become a more persuasive public speaker or more confident in your public speaking. If you want to build on your desire to be a better public speaking, enter your details into the box on the right and receive our free 7 day e-course becoming a more confident and effective public speaker.

One aspect of being audience centered in public speaking is speaking in a way that they can relate to them. Here is the follow on to my previous post on audience speaking

In the previous post our speaker talked in a strong, informal, friendly manner. The boys mentally termed him a “regular fellow.” He won their confidence and goodwill. They listened voluntarily even when he talked about the “straight and narrow.”
A short time later this speaker agreed to speak at a rest home for the aged. Did he begin his talk to these old people by dis­playing Tommie Thomas’ bearded mug and exclaiming, “How would you like to meet him in an alley at midnight?”
No. He talked about the old horse and buggy days, which he could remember as a boy, and which he knew every person in his audience could remember very well. He talked about the time they were bright as new century dimes, when the longest way was the sweetest way home, kerosene lamps, crackling fire­sides, and the home folks. He saw twinkles come to weak eyes and smiles to faded lips because his speaking was touching chords of basic interests in their experiences.
Most old people like to dream of the pleasant past. This speaker knew that so he dreamed with them for a while. His purpose, however, was not to encourage idle dreaming but to help even his aged audience see a bright future. This he did as he continued speaking. But he built attention into strong interest
by starting with material that was naturally interesting for his audience.
A careful speaker studies his audiences and selects material which will stimulate their natural or special interests.
What topics would appeal to an audience of high school freshmen? If a speaker has been a freshman he can recall his own interests or from observation and imagination determine the interest of such a group. Of course everyone in that group may not be vitally interested in how to be popular or in high school basketball. But most of them probably will be. And all a speaker can do is to slant his material so it will appeal to the greatest possible numbers.
Stories in which people can identify themselves, perhaps put themselves in the hero’s shoes, have universal appeal. People are constantly interested in themselves, the things they want or have, or the things they wish they could have but secretly fear they shall never get. They like a challenge, a struggle, a fight of some kind, even though it may be no more than a man trying to climb a mountain.
People like to hear about things and other people near them, about tangible articles they see every day and understand. Wealth, property, health, security, and love (of various types) has wide interest appeal. Studying the parables of Jesus indicates that the world’s most persuasive speaker talked about conditions and things near the people and in terms they could clearly under­stand. Abraham Lincoln would have preferred telling a story about a pig rather than one about a rare crustacean. More re­cently, Winston Churchill talked a “tears, sweat, and blood” language.
A truly persuasive speaker talks the language of common people; he understands their needs and wants. Being sincerely and deeply interested in them he causes them to feel that working together they can achieve the desired ends. This type of speaker encourages favorable results not only because he understands human nature, but also because he works in harmony with it.

Do you want to be able to speak with confidence in public speaking. If so, please check out our free 7 part e-course which you can receive straight to your inbox by simply entering your details in the box to the right.

Where do you put your best content in your speech?

Another important principle in arranging speech material is to use the most interesting items near the conclusion of a speech. Like a thrilling story or captivating play a speech should become more interesting as it proceeds. All material should be highly interesting, but it should build to a strong climax to keep audiences deeply interested. This principle of holding interest applies to any type of audience.
In addition to arranging material in a style suited to a special occasion or to a certain type audience, the choice of the material itself is very important.
For instance, when a college professor was invited to address a group of teenage boys he was told, “They’ve heard so many dull, ‘pink tea’ speeches they’re disgusted with speakers. You’ll have a difficult time holding their attention. And don’t be sur¬prised if they try to steal your socks!”
This youth group was associated with a church. They were sons of active business and professional people, neglected perhaps, but not delinquent. Probably they would willingly listen to a speech slanted to their natural interests.
What speech material would interest these young men? Illus¬trations about stock markets or how to retire gracefully at sixty-five? No. They are not ready for that yet. Fairy tales or stories about flying kites? No. “Kid stuff” does not appeal to teenagers..
How about action, drama, suspense? Yes, these qualities would appeal to almost any group, excluding possibly an extremely reserved or aged audience. They would appeal especially to teen-
agers who .usually have so much excess energy they scarcely know what to do with it.
So the professor began his speech with a story about Tommie Thomas who had committed nearly every crime in the books except murder. He had a picture o£ Tommie in prison garb and a three-day beard. Displaying the picture he exclaimed, “How’d you like to meet him in an alley at midnight?” Whereupon, one of the most brazen boys in the audience said, “Oh, ain’t he cute?”
“Cute, my eye?” retorted the speaker. “Why, he …”
Then followed a vivid account of some of the crimes Tommie had committed.- The words were colorful, action was fast. There was suspense, tragedy. The boys listened intently because the material they were hearing was naturally interesting for them.
The speaker’s purpose was not to glorify crime but to gain respect for law and order. There was another side to Tommie Thomas’ story wherein he found that crime isn’t the most satisfying occupation. But that came later. And it was not told in a direct “preaching” manner, but in a fascinating, dramatic style.

There is more to come. But what do you think is the best place for you best content? Do you think this would help your speaking skills? If you are struggling with confident public speaking and nerves get the better of you try our free e-course that you can enrol in by entering your details in the box to the right.

I am not sure this was the best topic for a speech but I think it demonstrates how to use language that is best for your audience. See my previous post to compare.

Butch’s point was “Don’t, let a girl put anything over on you.” Because of its human interest, romantic angle, and surprise ending, this illustration was well received by the students. Later, how¬ever, he put the story in a talking picture frame. Told it as people would expect Butch to talk and the way college students would really like to hear it. He dramatized it, and spoke as though the event were happening. at that very moment right before the audience’s eyes. He also gave the talk a title:
THE FLUFF OFF
Last week I was sprawled on my bunk in the dorm when the ‘phone rang.
I hopped up and answered.
Sweet momma! Who could she be?
Sue? Yeah, man.  (A doll in anyone’s arms).
“Would I what, Sue . . . Take you to a party?”
“Well – er – well,  er – YES!”
Dig that, man! Queenie askin’ me — a li’l ol’ freshman to strong-arm her to the party, with all the upper-class wolves glarin’ green-eyed.
I scraped the grouch-bag and dug up fifteen dollars for an orchid.
Queenie must have the best!
An hour later at the party, Queenie said, “Do you know why I asked you to bring me to this party, Butch?”
“No. I wondered.”
“I’m going with two fellows. And as I don’t want to hurt either of their feelings I asked you to bring me tonight.”
“Oh, I see. Back home, in Massachusetts, they’d call me the ‘fall-guy.’”
“Oh, no, Butch. Don’t feel that way about it … Butch . . .”
“Yes?”
“This orchid’s nice. But it is rather small.”
(Small!   Fifteen bucks!  Small?)—This  to   myself of course,
. . . And so on into the evening.

Finally I took her home.
We stood at the door.
There was no good-night kiss. Just a frown from me, as I looked at my watch and exclaimed, “Oh, it’s after twelve o’clock! And I promised my wife I’d be home before midnight!”
Within reason a speaker speaks the language of his audience. As a person wears clothes suitable for the occasion, a style of speaking should also be in harmony with circumstances and in keeping with the audience’s tastes. Naturally if Butch were speaking to a group of teachers about the kind of textbooks students like he would adjust his manner to suit the subject and audience, yet he could still be natural and interesting.

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