Techniques for preparing oral public speaking. Rules for Successful Public Speaking

Oratory (public) speech as a component of professional communication.

"Poets are born, speakers are made"

M.T. Cicero

Oratory is speech

- oral, that is, live, spoken;

- public, that is, addressed to a large audience;

- journalistic, having a social and social significance, and also influencing not only the mind, but also the feelings and will of the listeners;

- monologue, which is a detailed statement of one person.

The key figure in public speech is the speaker.

A speaker is a person who delivers a speech; a person who is proficient in public speaking.

When communicating with the audience, the speaker should take into account the expectations of the audience and apply various ways impact on her in accordance with her characteristics: age (children, youth, middle-aged people, older people), gender (male, female), profession (humanitarian, technical), level of education, emotional state, degree of interest, nationality, values.

Oratory, depending on the content, purpose and conditions of the utterance, is divided into several types: academic (university lecture, school, scientific report, scientific review, scientific message, popular science lecture), judicial (prosecuting, or accusatory and lawyer, or defensive) , socio-political (report (speech) at a congress (conference, meeting, meeting), parliamentary, rally, military-patriotic, diplomatic, propaganda, political review), social and everyday (anniversary, greeting, drinking (toast), tombstone ( commemorative), speech at a reception), spiritual, church-theological (word (sermon), official church).

Compositional construction of oratory

I. Introduction

Tasks: arouse interest in the topic of the upcoming conversation; establish contact, prepare listeners for the perception of the speech, justify the formulation of the question.

II. main part

Objectives: to consistently explain the put forward provisions, to prove their correctness, to bring listeners to the necessary conclusions.

III. Conclusion

Tasks: summarize what has been said, emphasize the meaning of what has been said, increase interest in the subject of speech, set tasks, call for direct action.

To attract and maintain attention and establish contact with the audience, the following techniques are used:

– Appeal

– Statement of the purpose of the speech, review of the main sections of the topic

- Reception of empathy

- Statement of the paradoxical situation

– Appeal to the interests of the audience

- Reception of complicity

– Appeal to events

– Appeal to geographic or weather conditions

– Appeal to the speech of the previous speaker

– Appeal to the personality of the speaker

- Humorous remark

– Questions to the audience

- Rhetorical question

- Question-answer course of reasoning.

Techniques for preparing oral public speaking

"Watch your speech, your future depends on it"

William Shakespeare

One of the most important components of a successful presentation is good preparation. It consists of several stages:

1. Definition of the topic (its formulation) and the purpose of the speech.

2. Drawing up a preliminary (working) plan.

3. Selection of theoretical and practical material.

4. Work on the text of the speech.

5. Rehearsal.

6. Making a speech.

There are three ways to make a speech: reading speech text (official content), reproduction it from memory with reading individual fragments, free improvisation.

You can choose any of the methods, the main thing is to achieve effective communication, to make a favorable impression on the audience. A favorable impression is made up of both a confident, dignified demeanor and a manifestation of goodwill with the help of a smile and a glance.

Quite often, before a public speech, people experience a feeling of insecurity, they are very worried, they are afraid of meeting with the audience. It is believed that the fear of public speaking is one of the three most common fears, along with a fear of heights and a fear of snakes. Even ancient people said that fear tears the mind to shreds. Even with a good command of diction, breathing and voice, if the speaker is very worried, if shyness and fear interfere with him, speech can become intermittent, slurred, nervous, voice defects will appear. It is no coincidence that such a thing as “oratory fever” appeared. There are no single recipes for getting rid of it, but there are general recommendations. Let's turn to them.

1. Excitement before entering the department is a completely normal physiological phenomenon. So our body prepares for emergencies, active actions. A huge amount of stress hormones, primarily adrenaline, is thrown into the blood. In accordance with this task, adrenaline constricts blood vessels and raises blood pressure to ensure blood flow to the muscles; enhances the work of the heart by increasing and strengthening heart contractions; accelerates the transmission of nerve impulses; increases the tone of skeletal muscles, but causes relaxation of the gastrointestinal tract; causes trembling of skeletal muscles in order to warm them up sooner; Raises blood glucose levels to give muscles extra energy.

2. The excitement should not be tried to completely destroy, a certain degree of it, caused by indifference to the subject of speech or the desire to convince the audience, even helps. Cicero also said: I affirm: even the best orators, even those who can speak remarkably easily and beautifully, but if they start speaking without timidity and are not embarrassed at the beginning, then they give me the impression of downright shameless insolent. Fortunately, this is an unprecedented case, since the better the speaker, the more he is afraid of the difficulty of oratorical duties, the unfaithfulness of the success of the speech, the expectation of the public./.../ I have often noticed this in you too, and I know very well from my own experience how I turn pale and shudder all over, body and soul, at the first words of my speech. And in my youth, at the beginning of an accusation, I once lost my presence of mind to such an extent that Quintus Maximus turned out to be my true benefactor, who immediately closed the meeting as soon as he noticed that I was exhausted and exhausted from fear."(Cicero. Three treatises on oratory. M., 1994. - S. 98-99).

3. Practice in front of a mirror or give a speech to someone close to you. Imagine yourself as the perfect speaker.

5. Do not bring too much to the lectern, to the stage, to the blackboard additional materials- notes, cheat sheets, cards. You may get confused by them. A speaker frantically sorting through papers or leafing through a book in search of the right quote makes a negative impression on the audience and begins to worry himself.

6. Do not be late for the performance, do not forget about the rules. When a person is in a hurry, he is worried.

7 . Remember that your flaws (appearance, voice, diction, insecurity, etc.) are not as noticeable to the audience as you think. You have lost the right quote card - no one knows this except you. You didn’t have time to iron your shirt properly - it’s bad, but this is not noticeable from the second row. Such unpleasant moments should not disturb you: you must learn to forget about them, focusing on the topic of the speech. If you know that you are prone to obsessive gestures (for example, fiddling with a strand of hair or twirling glasses in your hands during a speech) or do not know how to keep track of the tempo, timbre and speed of speech, make notes in the margins of the prepared text: "Louder!" "Slower!"

8. Come up with a few responses-reactions to unforeseen situations that may arise during the speech and bring you down: the arrival of latecomers, mobile calls, etc.

9. Develop a few tricks that you will use if you forget something: for example, repeat the last phrase, shift something on the table, look around the audience. Remember, you only think that everyone immediately notices your insecurity. The audience is more focused on the content you are trying to convey than on analyzing your state of mind.

10. Don't be afraid of failure. Don't let them cast a shadow over your future performances. There is no such, even the most experienced, teacher who would not conduct “failed” lessons. There is no such, even the most sophisticated politician, supported by a team of speechwriters, who would be equally pleased with all his speeches and debates. There is no such, even the most talented, actor who could play every performance at the same high level. Unsuccessful performances are inevitable: you didn’t have time to prepare, you didn’t feel well, an unsuccessful audience crept up, etc. You need to learn from such situations, and not draw disappointing conclusions: “I don’t know how to speak in public.”

The well-known Russian publisher I. D. Sytin, for example, was shy of even the smallest audience. As contemporaries say, speaking with a response at his anniversary, he spoke inconsistently and inconsistently from excitement. But he was the most educated man of his time, the pride of Russian culture, an excellent connoisseur of the Russian language.

The identified stages of preparing a public speech are close to a system of rules for creating text and public speaking based on this text, which was created in antiquity. This system of rules is called rhetorical canon.

The rhetorical canon consists of 5 stages of speech preparation.

1. INVENTION, or "finding", "invention". At this stage, the material necessary for future speech is collected and systematized.

3. ELOCUTION, or "verbal formulation of thought." This part is the first edition keywords, stylistic design of the main part, formulation of the speech and conclusion, final version of the text.

4. MEMORIOS, or "remembering." At this stage, it is necessary to mentally master the written text, maybe even learn it by heart and try to master it rhetorically, that is, highlight the places where pauses, voice modulations, non-verbal text support and other manifestations of individual oratorical style are needed.

5. SPEAKING. At this stage, the conceived turns into a sounding word.

Thus, the conditions for successful public speech are: deep and comprehensive knowledge of the subject of speech; careful preparation of an oral public presentation; competent structuring of speech, the ability to select and build arguments; use in speech techniques to attract and maintain attention and establish contact with the audience; intonation of the speaker's speech, his posture, gestures, facial expressions; the correspondence of speech to the style necessary in a given speech situation and therefore expected by the audience, how individually this style is embodied, that is, on how much the individual style of the speaker is manifested.


Similar information.


Public speaking can be a serious challenge even for an experienced actor. In order for the public to be interested in the words of the speaker, listen with curiosity and not try to wait until the end of the speech, you need to approach the preparation of the speech with great care. A well-structured public speech can bring pleasure to both listeners and speakers. Various forms of constructing dialogues and monologues have long been known in the world. Various techniques for presenting information have been developed.

What are the types of public speaking?

Important! In order for the speech to be interesting to the public, the speaker needs to follow the rules for preparing the text.

Rule 1. We carefully prepare the introduction. A spectacular start that interested listeners is half the success.

Rule 2. The presence of drama. A dry narrative without describing life situations, stories, humorous or tragic examples loses its appeal in the eyes of the listener. An emotionally illuminated topic of any kind of public speaking with added stories is able to win over any audience.

Rule 3. Summary. The famous saying goes: "Brevity is the sister of talent." All thoughts within the information provided should be presented concisely and thoughtfully. The text should not be too long.

Rule 4. The use of spoken language. Any speech should be like a dialogue between the speaker and the audience. Speech cannot be filled with many unfamiliar terms and foreign phrases. The easier the text turns out, the more interest the speaker will see in the eyes of the audience.

Rule 5. Getting ready for the final. The end of the speech should be on the same impressive note as the beginning. The correct intonation and effective words will help the performance to stay in the minds of the audience for a long time.

It is customary to follow a certain sequence of actions when preparing and presenting information to listeners. The technology includes 12 successive stages.

  • We set clear goals.
  • We define the target audience.
  • We think over the style and content of the speech.
  • We choose the manner of behavior in front of the public.
  • We develop the text.
  • We correct the text in accordance with accepted rules and ethical standards.
  • Build the structure of a speech with different types perception (visual, audio and others).
  • We are preparing a place for delivering a speech.
  • Emotionally tune in to a successful event.
  • Let's speak.
  • We accept criticism.
  • We analyze the behavior of listeners and the reaction of the audience.


Workout Exercises

Public speaking- not an easy task. Many people do not know how to hold themselves in front of the public, to feel relaxed under the sight of many eyes. Even if there is no experience of communicating with the public at all, and the upcoming event can be overcome, and the speech can be prepared with the help of training and exercises.

Exercise 1 . Patter. Thanks to such training, the voice will become more confident, speech - clearer and more understandable. You need to do these exercises every day.

Task 2 . Loud expressive reading, with elements of retelling. Such an exercise forms speech, teaches how to express thoughts correctly.

Task 3 . Finding meaning in things. You need to take any seemingly meaningless thing, and in a short period of time, up to 5 minutes, explain its essence.

Task 4 . Maintaining a dialogue. Any communication brings the speaker to a new level. Dialogues with other people help the speaker to work out the techniques of influencing the public.

Task 5 . We develop imagination. Creating interesting pictures in the mind, visualizing the past day develops brain resources and makes speech more eloquent.

Conclusion

- not an easy task. In order to effectively communicate with the audience, present information in an accessible way and win the attention of the public for a long time, you need to constantly train and develop.

A competent presentation of the text, the correspondence of information to one or another type of event is impossible without hard work on oneself. Compliance with accepted rules and technologies will bring success and recognition to the speaker.

Features of public speech

Public speech is a special form of speech activity in conditions of direct communication, speech addressed to a specific audience, oratory.

A public speech is delivered with the aim of informing the listeners and exerting the desired impact on them (persuasion, suggestion, inspiration, call to action, etc.). By its nature, it is a monologue speech, that is, designed for passive perception, which does not imply a verbal response. A prominent linguist V. V. Vinogradov wrote: “Oratorical speech is a special form of a dramatic monologue adapted to the situation of social or civil “action”.

According to experts, for a modern monologue, segments of text of considerable size are typical, consisting of statements that have an individual compositional structure and relative semantic completeness. These features are also characteristic of public speech.

However, there are no strict boundaries between monologue and dialogue. Almost in any monologue there are elements of "dialogization", the desire to overcome the passivity of the recipient's perception, the desire to draw him into active mental activity. This is especially true for public speaking.

If we consider public speaking from a socio-psychological point of view, then this is not just a speaker's monologue in front of an audience, a a complex process of communication with listeners, and the process is not one-sided, but two-sided, that is, a dialogue. Interaction between

speaker and audience is in the nature of subject-subject relations. Both sides are subjects of joint activity, co-creation, and each performs its role in this complex process of public communication.

Oratory is characterized by a number of features that determine its essence:

1. Availability "feedback"(reaction to the words of the speaker). In the process of speaking, the speaker has the opportunity to observe the behavior of the audience and, by the reaction to his words, to capture its mood, attitude to what was said, to determine from individual remarks and questions from the audience what is on this moment excites listeners, and in accordance with this, adjust their speech. It is the "feedback" that turns the speaker's monologue into a dialogue, is an important means of establishing contact with the audience.

2. Oral form of communication. Public speech is a live direct conversation with the audience. It implements the oral form of the literary language. Oral speech, unlike written speech, is addressed to the interlocutor present and largely depends on who and how listens to it. It is perceived by ear, so it is important to build and organize a public speech in such a way that its content is immediately understood and easily assimilated by the audience. Scientists have found that when perceiving written speech, only 50% of the information received is reproduced. The same message, stated orally and perceived by ear, is reproduced up to 90%.

3. The complex relationship between book speech and its oral incarnation. Oratory, as a rule, is carefully prepared. In the process of thinking over, developing and writing the text of a speech, the speaker relies on book and written sources (scientific, popular science, journalistic, fiction, dictionaries, reference books, etc.), therefore, prepared

the text is, in fact, bookish speech. But, going to the podium, the speaker should not only read the text of the speech from the manuscript, but pronounce so that it can be understood and accepted. And then elements of colloquial speech appear, the speaker begins to improvise, taking into account the reaction of the audience. The speech becomes spontaneous oral speech. And the more experienced the speaker, the better he manages to move from book-written forms to live, direct oral speech. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that the written text of the speech itself should be prepared according to the laws of oral speech, with the expectation of its pronunciation.

Thus, as the authors of the textbook "Culture of Oral Speech" (M., 1999) write, "bookishness and colloquialism are the dangers that constantly lie in wait for the speaker." The speaker must constantly balance, choosing the best variant of speech.

4. Use of various means of communication. Since public speech is an oral form of communication, it uses not only language tools, although the language is the speaker's main weapon, and the speaker's speech should be distinguished by a high speech culture. They also play an important role in the presentation process. paralinguistic, non-verbal means of communication (intonation, voice volume, speech timbre, its pace, features of pronunciation of sounds; gestures, facial expressions, type of posture chosen, etc.).

Oratory as a social phenomenon

Expression oratory has several meanings. Oratory is primarily understood as a high degree of skill in public speaking, a qualitative characteristic of oratory, skillful possession of a living persuasive word. It is the art of constructing and delivering a public speech in order to have the desired impact on the audience.

A similar definition of oratory was adopted in ancient times. For example, Aristotle defined rhetoric as "the ability to find possible ways of persuading about any given subject." This tradition was continued in Russian rhetorical science. So, M. V. Lomonosov in his work “ Quick Guide to eloquence" wrote: "Eloquence is the art of speaking eloquently about any given matter and thus inclining others to one's own opinion about it."

Oratory is also called the historically established science of eloquence and an academic discipline that sets out the basics of oratory.

Many modern researchers consider oratory as one of the specific types of human activity, which everyone who, by the nature of his activity, is connected with the spoken word, must master.

Term oratory of Latin origin, its synonyms are the Greek word rhetoric and Russian eloquence.

What led to the emergence of oratory? Many theorists tried to answer this question.

The objective basis for the emergence of oratory as a social phenomenon was the urgent need for public discussion and resolution of issues of social significance. To substantiate one or another point of view, to prove the correctness of the put forward

ideas and positions, to defend one's position, it was necessary to be proficient in the art of speech, to be able to convince listeners and influence their choice.

History shows that the most important condition for the emergence and development of oratory, a free exchange of opinions on vital issues are democratic forms of government, the active participation of citizens in the political life of the country. It is no coincidence that oratory is called the "spiritual brainchild of democracy."

This was also found in Ancient Greece. A good example is the comparison of the two most significant city-states - Sparta and Athens, which had a different state structure. Sparta was a typical oligarchic republic, and a system of slave-owning democracy was established in Athens.

According to historians, the barracks Spartan state left nothing worthy to its descendants, while Athens, with its democratic disputes in the squares, in court and at public meetings, in a short time put forward outstanding speakers, thinkers, scientists, poets, created immortal works of culture.

As the researchers emphasize, oratory develops most actively in critical eras in the life of society. It is widely used when there is a historical need for the participation of the masses in solving important state issues. Oratory helps to rally people around a common cause, convincing, inspiring and guiding them. Proof of this is the flourishing of eloquence during the Renaissance, during periods of social revolution, when millions of working people are drawn into the social movement. A new surge of public interest in oratory is currently observed in connection with the democratic processes taking place in our country.

What are the characteristics of oratory?

Throughout the centuries-old history of its development, oratory has been used in various spheres of society: spiritual, ideological, socio-political, business, etc. Most wide application it has always found itself in political activity. As history shows, many major political figures were well-known orators.

It should also be borne in mind that oratory has always served and serves the interests of certain social classes, groups, and individuals. It can equally serve both truth and falsehood, be used not only for moral, but also for immoral purposes. To whom and how does oratory serve - this is the main question that has been resolved throughout the history of oratory, starting from Ancient Greece. Therefore, in oratory, the moral position of the speaker, his moral responsibility for the content of the speech, is very important.

Oratory is a historical phenomenon, that is, it changes. Each era makes its own demands on the orator, imposes certain duties on him, and has its own rhetorical ideal. When evaluating the activities of a particular speaker, one should take into account the historical era that gave birth to this speaker, the spokesman of whose public interests he was.

An important feature of oratory is that it has a complex synthetic character. Philosophy, logic, psychology, pedagogy, linguistics, ethics, aesthetics - these are the sciences on which oratory is based. Specialists of different profiles are interested in various problems of eloquence. For example, linguists develop a theory of the culture of oral speech, give recommendations on how to use the riches of the native language, observe the norms of the literary language, etc.

And one more essential feature. Oratory has never been homogeneous. Historically, depending on the scope of application, it was divided into various genera and species. In domestic rhetoric, the following main types of eloquence are distinguished: socio-political, academic, judicial, social, everyday, spiritual (theological and ecclesiastical). Each genus combines certain types of speech, taking into account the function that speech performs from a social point of view, as well as the situation of the speech, its topic and purpose.

Characteristics of the personality of the speaker. Knowledge, skills and abilities of the speaker

Word speaker appeared in the Russian language at the beginning of the 18th century, and became more widespread in the first third of the 19th century. It comes from the Latin word orare , which means "to speak".

Vladimir Ivanovich Dal, explaining the word speaker in the Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language, selects words and phrases that are close in meaning to it: vitiya, eloquent, well-spoken person, master of speech. They all emphasize that a speaker is a person who can speak red, that is, beautifully, figuratively, expressively.

In the modern Russian literary language, the word speaker ambiguous. So, explanatory dictionaries the following meanings are noted: 1. A person professionally engaged in the art of eloquence (among ancient peoples); 2. A person giving a speech, speaking, speaking in an assembly; 3. An eloquent person who has the gift of making speeches. Therefore, in fiction, in the periodical press, in everyday speech, this word is used in different meanings. In the theory of oratory, the word speaker used as a term. In this case, it has only one meaning - any person who makes a public speech is called a speaker. Term speaker does not have a qualitative characteristic and needs additional definitions: good speaker, bad speaker, boring speaker, outstanding speaker, brilliant speaker and etc.

Each speaker has his own individual characteristics that affect the style of speech, appear in the manner of speaking. Therefore, the theorists of oratory have long distinguished different types of speakers. So, Cicero in his work "On the Orator" called three types. To the first he attributed speakers "magnificent, with sublime power of thought and solemnity of expressions." According to him, these speakers are "decisive, diverse, inexhaustible, powerful, fully armed, ready to touch and convert hearts." The second type, according to the classification of the Roman theorist, includes speakers "restrained and insightful, teaching everything, explaining everything, and not exalting, honed in their transparent, so to speak, and concise speech." Cicero characterized the third type of orators as follows: "... an average and, as it were, moderate race, not using either the subtle foresight of the latter, or the stormy onslaught of the former ...".

In modern literature on oratory, different types of speakers are also distinguished: speakers for whom the main means of oratory is the logic of reasoning, and speakers who influence listeners with their emotionality.

Of course, the division of speakers into types is somewhat arbitrary, but it has a scientific basis. Academician I. P. Pavlov in his writings substantiated the presence in humans of two extreme types of higher nervous activity - artistic and mental. Depending on what type of higher nervous activity a person belongs to, he pronounces speech and perceives it differently. When talking about different types speakers, then they take into account which side of a person’s speech prevails - emotional or logical.

It should be borne in mind that each speech should be both logical and emotional. Therefore, one cannot be only an emotional orator and not care about the logic of reasoning. If the speaker speaks enthusiastically, with great pathos, but his speech is empty, then such a speaker irritates the listeners, causes protest and censure. Those speakers who speak dispassionately, unemotionally also lose.

It is very important that the person speaking from the podium be a highly moral person, because his word can influence the fate of people, help them accept that

or other solution. The speeches of the speaker should be aimed at achieving moral goals, evoke good feelings and intentions in the audience.

The speaker must be an erudite person, that is, well-read, knowledgeable in the field of science and technology, literature and art, understand politics and economics, be able to analyze events taking place in the country and abroad, etc. He must know the subject well of his speech. Only if the speaker understands the topic of the speech, if he can tell the audience a lot of interesting things and bring new facts unknown to the audience, if he manages to answer the questions that arise, can he count on the attention and respect of the audience.

To speak in public, a speaker must have a number of special skills and abilities. According to psychologists, a skill is the ability to perform a particular operation. the best way. The main skills of a public speaker include the following:

    literature selection skill;

    the skill of studying selected literature;

    planning skills;

    speech writing skills;

    the skill of self-control in front of an audience;

    time orientation skill.

From the acquired skills, the skills of the speaker are added. He must be able to:

    prepare your own speech;

    present the material clearly and convincingly;

    answer questions from the audience;

    establish and maintain contact with the audience;

    apply technical means, visual aids, etc.

If any skills and abilities are absent from the speaker, then his communication with the audience may

turn out to be ineffective. For example, a speaker writes well the text of a speech, but does not know how to simply and clearly state it in an audience; the speaker enthusiastically tells, but has not learned to fit into the time allotted for the speech and does not have time to express the main points of the speech, etc.

Thus, becoming a good speaker is not easy. The skill of the speaker depends on his individual characteristics, it consists of many knowledge, skills and abilities. To acquire them, you need to work hard on yourself, study the experience of famous speakers of the past and present, learn from the best examples of oratory and try to speak as often as possible.

The main characteristics of the audience as a socio-psychological community of people

Even in ancient times, the word audience they called the audience listening to the speech of the speaker or who came to the theatrical performance. This term has a direct relationship with Latin words ai/ige(hear) and auditor (listener).

In modern scientific literature, the audience is defined as a spatially located group of people united by an interest in the subject of the utterance, as well as interacting with the speaker and with each other in the process of perceiving a speech message. This is a complex socio-psychological community of people with very peculiar features of collective experiences.

Good knowledge of the audience in which to speak, the ability to take into account its state and mood allow the speaker to better prepare for the speech, establish contact with the audience, and achieve success in communication.

What are the main characteristics of the audience of oratorical speech?

First of all, it is the degree homogeneity/heterogeneity audience. It is determined by the socio-demographic features of the listeners. These include: gender, age, nationality, education, professional interests, party affiliation, life experience, etc. It is clear that the more homogeneous the audience, the more unanimous the reaction of the audience to the speech, the easier it is to speak. Conversely, a heterogeneous audience usually reacts differently to the words of the speaker, and he has to make extra efforts to manage his listeners.

An essential attribute of the audience - quantitative composition listeners. The speaker is far from indifferent to how many people will listen to him. The behavior of people and their reactions in large and small audiences are different. Here is what E. Jay writes about this in the book Effective Presentation: “The main paradox of audiences is that the larger they are, the more similar they are to one person. Instead of becoming more fragmented, it becomes more homogeneous.” The author emphasizes that two important things happen to people in a large audience that are difficult to achieve under other circumstances: they unite and solidarize; they unanimously accept and approve of anyone's leadership.

When a French singer was asked how she reacts to a theater full of people who came to listen to her, she replied: “I try to turn them all into one person, then I try to make him love me. If I don't succeed, I go home."

It should be borne in mind that a large audience is not intended for a debatable discussion of issues; it is difficult to use arguments that are relevant and understandable to all those present. Some speakers are afraid of a large audience, they become very worried, they are seized by the so-called "oratory fever", and they become speechless.

A distinctive feature of a small audience is that it does not represent a single monolith, something whole. Here everyone remains an individual, has the opportunity to show their individuality. In a small audience, the speaker is not expected to be a long monologue, but a lively, direct dialogue, the ability to involve everyone present in the conversation. The amount of time devoted to answering questions is, to some extent, an indicator of a successful presentation. A small audience is easier to manage. But in this case, the speaker should be well aware of the issue in question, since it is hardly convenient to read from the "sheet" in front of a small number of listeners.

The audience is characterized sense of community which manifests itself in a certain emotional mood of the listeners. During performances, curious phenomena can be observed. Here, for example, in some part of the hall there is a slight noise, and it quickly spreads throughout the room. Our neighbor nods approvingly to the speaker, and this in a certain way affects our behavior, our attitude to the words of the speaker. An ironic remark sounded at the end of the hall, and the rest of the audience reacted vividly to it. The influence of listeners on each other is especially pronounced when approving or disapproving of the speaker's speech. Why is this happening? Yes, because listeners experience the action of various psychological mechanisms: some listeners unconsciously repeat the actions of others (infection), others consciously reproduce patterns of behavior of those sitting nearby (imitation), still others are influenced by the opinion and behavior of the majority of those present (conformism). As a result of these mechanisms, a general mood is created in the audience, which significantly affects the establishment of contact between the speaker and the audience. Therefore, the speaker needs to learn to control the mood of the audience, to be able, if necessary, to change it.

An important characteristic of the audience is motive for action listeners. Usually people come to lectures, meetings, meetings, rallies, etc., guided by certain considerations. Psychologists have identified three groups of motives that encourage attendance and listening to speeches. They belong to the first group intellectual-cognitive motives(they come because they are interested in the topic of the speech, they want to expand their knowledge on this issue, clarify unclear questions, etc.), to the second - moral motives(they are obliged to attend the event, do not want to have troubles due to their absence, write explanatory letters, etc.), the third - emotional and aesthetic motives(I like the speaker, it is a pleasure to listen to this lecturer, etc.). Naturally, from the very beginning, the listeners in the hall are differently tuned in to the speaker's speech. Those who came because they are interested in the topic of the speech, i.e., who are guided by intellectual and cognitive motives, are much more ready to perceive the speech than the listeners who are present on duty. The speaker needs to be able to identify the main motive for the action that unites the majority of listeners in order to build a speech accordingly.

It should also be borne in mind that the people who have gathered before the start of the speech do not yet form an audience. An audience arises only when there is a single, significant center of attention for all those present - the speaker and his message.

Interaction between speaker and audience. Contact problem

One of Chekhov's heroes recalls his lecturer's activity in the following way: “Before me, one and a half hundred faces, not similar to one another, and three hundred eyes, looking straight into my face. My goal is to defeat this many-headed hydra. If I have a clear idea of ​​the degree of her attention and the power of understanding every minute while I am reading, then she is in my power.

Indeed, the cherished dream of every speaker, the highest manifestation of the skill of public speaking, the most important condition for the effectiveness of oratory is contact with the audience.

According to psychologists, contact- this is a commonality of the mental state of the speaker and the audience, mutual understanding between the speaker and the audience. This commonality arises primarily on the basis of joint mental activity, that is, the speaker and listeners must solve the same problems, discuss the same issues - the speaker, setting out the topic of his speech, and the listeners, following the development of thought. If the speaker is talking about one thing and the listeners are thinking about something else, there is no contact. Scientists call the joint mental activity of the speaker and the audience intellectual empathy.

It is also important for the establishment of contact emotional empathy, i.e., the speaker and listeners during the speech should experience similar feelings. The attitude of the speaker to the subject of speech, his interest, conviction are transmitted to the listeners, causing them to respond.

Thus, contact between the speaker and the audience occurs when both parties are engaged in the same mental activity and experience similar experiences.

Psychologists emphasize that a necessary condition for the emergence of contact between the speaker and the audience is sincere, real respect for the audience, recognition of their partners, comrades in communication.

Outwardly, contact is manifested primarily in the behavior of the audience. Some believe that the main sign of contact is silence in the hall. However, it is not. Silence is different. Some speakers are listened to with bated breath, afraid to miss a single word. This silence is regulated by the speaker himself. The speaker's jokes, his humorous remarks cause movement in the hall, smiles, laughter of the audience, but everything stops immediately, as soon as the speaker begins to express his thoughts again. During the speech, other speakers also sit silently, but not because they hang on his every word, but because they do not want to disturb the speaker. This is the so-called "polite" silence. They sit, not disturbing the order, not talking, but they do not listen, they do not work together with the speaker, they mentally do other things. Therefore, silence in itself does not yet indicate the contact of the speakers with the audience.

The main indicators of mutual understanding between the speaker and the listeners are a positive reaction to the words of the speaker, an external expression of attention from the listeners (their posture, a focused look, exclamations of approval, consonant head nods, smiles, laughter, applause), "working" silence in the hall.

The behavior of the speaker also indicates the presence or absence of contact. If the speaker speaks confidently, behaves naturally, often addresses the audience, keeps the entire audience in sight, then he has found the right approach to the audience. A speaker who does not know how to establish contact with the audience, as a rule, speaks confusedly, inexpressively, does not see his listeners, does not react in any way to their behavior.

Contact can be complete and incomplete, i.e., cover the entire audience or only part of the audience, as well as stable from the beginning to the end of the speech or unstable, change during the speech.

What factors influence the establishment of contact?

You can put in the first place the relevance of the issue under discussion, novelty in the coverage of this problem, interesting content of the speech. It is they who largely determine the success of oratorical speech.

However, in oratory practice, one should take into account a number of points, requirements, non-compliance with which can nullify interesting content, reduce the effectiveness of oratorical influence.

It has a great influence on establishing contact with the audience. speaker personality, his reputation, the prevailing public opinion about him. If a speaker is known as an erudite, principled person, as a person whose words do not disagree with deeds, a person who does not throw words to the wind, who speaks not for the sake of a red word, then the audience will trust such a speaker. The unity of word and deed is a moral and ethical criterion for the speaker's activity, one of the main requirements for him, an important condition for mutual understanding.

In order to establish contact with listeners, it is important to take into account the characteristics of the audience in which to speak, to know its quantitative and qualitative composition, the motive for the actions of listeners, their mood, attitudes, interests, etc.

The establishment of contact between the speaker and the audience is also influenced by some features of the psychology of the listeners. Listeners make special demands on the speaker: they provided him in the process of communication leading role and they want him to justify it. Therefore, it is important that the listeners feel confident in the behavior of the speaker, see the calmness and dignity on his face, hear the firmness and determination in his voice. The audience does not care about the personal experiences of the speaker.

This means that he needs to be able to hide his mood, temporarily disconnect from everything that is not related to speaking in an audience.

A feature of the psychology of the audience is that listeners are at the same time spectators. The speaker only appears on the podium, and the audience is already evaluating him, exchanging critical remarks with each other. The visual attention of listeners is attracted by the appearance of the speaker, his behavior during speech, facial expressions, gestures, posture, and movements. Listeners are far from indifferent to where the speaker is looking, how he presents the material - whether he presents it freely or reads the text of a prepared speech. All these factors affect the establishment of contact.

Daily performance preparation

Mastering the art of oratory is a long process that requires constant work on oneself and a lot of speaking practice (conversation, negotiations, speaking in a mass audience, participation in discussions, etc.). Therefore, an important place in the activities of the speaker is occupied by daily preparation for speeches, that is, a continuous process of working on improving his speech skills, systematic rhetorical self-education.

What is daily preparation?

Researchers attribute the following elements to it:

The acquisition of new knowledge, the accumulation of information from various fields of science and technology, obtaining information from periodicals, radio and television broadcasts, reading scientific, journalistic, fiction. The constant striving for new knowledge, expanding the scope of their interests - this is what will help the speaker to lay a solid foundation for his rhetorical culture. Studies of the biographies of prominent people have shown that books have had the greatest influence on them.

Create your own archive. A person who often has to communicate publicly needs to purposefully relate to everything that surrounds him, to be, as they say, in a state of mobilization readiness, to take note of interesting material. You should think about whether it is possible to use an example, a quote, a saying, etc., in your speeches. Not only information (numbers, facts, characteristics), but also proverbs, sayings, catchwords and expressions can be useful. Rich material can be provided by the Internet and television. Today there is an opportunity to make

writing bright speeches of political and public figures of the state and local scale, business leaders, entrepreneurs, etc. All this allows you to create your own archive. Of course, it is impossible to prepare material for all occasions, but with a clear definition of the range of problems with which one has to deal most often, the systematic accumulation of material will greatly facilitate the preparatory work and save time.

Such an archive can provide an invaluable service at a “difficult moment”, when there is no time for preparation, there will be no opportunity to work in the library before speaking, rummage through reference books, and read relevant literature. Therefore, it is recommended to develop a methodology for collecting and systematizing material and actively create your own archive.

Mastering the technique of speech. The main elements of speech technology - phonation(verbal) breath, voice(correct voice formation skills) and diction(the degree of distinctness in the pronunciation of words, syllables, sounds).

A well-trained voice, correct breathing during speaking, clear diction, impeccable pronunciation allow the speaker to attract the attention of the audience, convey the content of the speech to the audience in the best possible way, influence their consciousness, imagination, and will. Possession of the technique of speech helps to better convey the semantic connections between the parts of a speech statement. To keep your speech apparatus in working order, you should perform the exercises recommended by experts in speech technique.

Improving the culture of oral and written speech. Care for the correctness and purity of speech should be mandatory for a person speaking in public. Particular attention should be paid to the culture of verbal communication in everyday life. It is important to always speak correctly, accurately, clearly and understandably, to be able to clearly articulate thoughts, figuratively and emotionally express your attitude to the subject of speech.

If a person, for example, is used to incorrectly stressing a word in everyday speech, then he will most likely pronounce it incorrectly on the podium out of habit, even if the text of the speech contains an accent mark in this word.

It is recommended to actively participate in business conversations, discussions, discussions of various problems among friends, colleagues, relatives, speak more often at seminars and practical classes, take the floor in debates, discussions, write letters, articles, etc. All this develops a person, allows him to acquire the necessary speech skills, improves speech culture.

Critical analysis of speeches. Critical analysis of speeches also contributes to the improvement of oratory skills. Attending meetings, meetings, conferences, public lectures, listening to speakers on radio, television, you need to pay attention not only to the content of the speech, but also to the form of presentation of the material, language skills, oratory techniques.

It is important to try to clearly articulate for yourself what you like in the speech of this or that speaker, what causes a negative reaction, what actions, techniques, words, turns of speech contributed to the success of the speaker, and which ones, on the contrary, brought him failure. Particular attention should be paid to how the speaker works in the audience, how he establishes contact with the audience, how he behaves in unforeseen situations that arise during the speech process.

Over the years, a person accumulates experience, and he can analyze his own performances, determine what their advantages and disadvantages are.

Mastering the technique of public speaking. The speaker needs to acquire both theoretical and methodological knowledge in the field of oratory. It is important to know what stages the activity of the speaker consists of, how to prepare for the meeting co listeners, how to build an oratory, what audience management techniques can be used, etc.

The history of oratory shows that all outstanding speakers worked hard on themselves and carefully prepared for their speeches. It is known that all the skill of the famous Demosthenes, all his strength as an orator were obtained by constant, persistent, purposeful work. The ancient Greek historian Plutarch, in his book Comparative Biographies, tells how Demosthenes overcame his weaknesses, freed himself from physical defects that prevented him from making speeches.

Thus, daily preparation increases the professional level of the speaker.

The main stages of preparation for a specific performance

Preparing for a speech is a very important and responsible matter in the activity of a speaker. And D. Carnegie is right when he asserted that "many people make a fatal mistake not bothering to prepare their speech."

Preparation for a specific speech is determined by the type of oratorical speech, depends on the topic of the speech, the goals and objectives of the speaker, his individual characteristics, on the composition of the audience in which he is to speak, etc. However, when preparing for a speech, some general methodological settings.

Classical rhetoric identified five main stages in the development of public speech: 1) discovery, invention (invention) - systematization of the content of speeches and the evidence used in them; 2) arrangement (disposition) - division of speech into introduction, presentation, development (proof of one's view and refutation of the contrary) and conclusion; 3) verbal expression (elocution) - the selection of words and expressions, tropes and rhetorical figures; 4) memorization; 5) pronunciation.

In modern rhetoric, the following stages of preparation for a specific speech are considered:

Choosing a theme and determining the target installation. Preparation for any speech begins with the definition of the topic of speech. In this case, various situations are possible. Sometimes they offer to speak on a specific topic, that is, the topic of speech is a given one. In this case, the speaker needs to concretize and clarify it. However, often the topic of the speech has to be chosen by oneself. Then one should proceed from personal experience, as well as from knowledge on the chosen topic. In addition, it is important to consider your own interests and the interests of your listeners.

Having chosen a topic, you need to think about its wording. The title of the speech should be made clear, concise, and as short as possible. It should reflect the content of the speech and be sure to attract the attention of the audience.

When preparing a speech, it is necessary to determine the purpose of the speech. The speaker must clearly understand why, for what purpose he is making a speech, what kind of reaction the audience is trying to achieve. The absence of a specific target setting reduces the effectiveness of the speech, does not allow the speaker to achieve the desired result.

Selection of materials. In order to prepare a speech that is interesting in content, the speaker needs to collect as much data, information, facts, examples, illustrations on the chosen topic as possible. For this purpose, you can use a variety of sources: official documents, scientific and popular science literature, various reference books, fiction, articles from newspapers and magazines, radio and television broadcasts, the results of sociological research, personal contacts, conversations and interviews, your own knowledge and experience. , reflections and observations.

When preparing for a performance, one should not forget about the so-called local material, i.e., related to the life of the listeners or the collective, the region in question. Such material enlivens the performance, attracts the attention of the audience to it, arouses their interest in the topic covered.

Study and analysis of the selected material. Having collected the necessary material, the speaker must carefully study it, comprehend, systematize, determine what exactly can be used in speech. When analyzing the material, some comparisons, associations, comparisons with real life processes appear, new thoughts are born. Therefore, on this stage it is necessary to reflect on the material, critically evaluate it, try to understand how to relate it to contemporary events, how to use this or that position during a speech.

The real preparation for a speech, according to experts, is to develop your own attitude to the subject of speech, formulate your thoughts on a particular issue, analyze your ideas from the perspective of the future audience.

Development of a presentation plan. In the process of preparation, it is very important to determine the order in which the material will be presented, that is, to draw up a plan. Speeches written without a pre-planned plan, as practice shows, usually have significant compositional flaws. A speaker who has not thought out the speech plan often “leaves” the main topic, does not fit into the time allotted for the speech.

Composition work. After writing the plan, the speaker needs to work on the composition of the speech, on the construction of individual parts of his speech. As the theorists of oratory note, the most common structure of oral speech since ancient times is considered to be three-part, which includes the following elements: introduction, main part, conclusion. Each part has its own characteristics that must be taken into account during preparation for public speaking.

Writing the text of the speech. First, it is recommended to write the text of the speech in draft, not paying attention to stylistic roughness, and then rewrite, eliminating all unnecessary, correcting incorrect and inaccurate words, choosing the most vivid expressions to convey his thoughts, etc. In a word, the speaker should work hard on the language and the style of the text of his speech. Preparing a written text has many advantages. A written speech can be read to relatives, comrades, colleagues, shown to specialists, thus achieving an improvement in the content and form of presentation, but this cannot be achieved if speech is only in the mind. Written speech is easier to remember and retains in memory longer than unfinished material. In addition, the written text disciplines the speaker, makes it possible to avoid repetition, sloppy wording, reservations, hitches, makes his speech more confident, etc.

Mastery of the presentation material. This is a very important stage in the activity of the speaker. Sometimes it is called rehearsal. The written text should be well understood, analyzed, highlighted the main semantic parts, think through the connection between them, re-read the text several times, memorize individual fragments, speak aloud, restore the plan and content in memory.

Selecting a Theme and Determining the Target Installation

Choosing a topic and determining the target setting is one of the most important initial stages preparing a public speech. It should be borne in mind that the speaker does not always have to choose the topic of the speech himself. Often it is offered to him by the organizers of the event. This takes into account the events taking place in the country and abroad, the situation in the organization, the goals and objectives facing it, etc. In this case, the speaker needs to think about concretizing the proposed topic, highlighting the range of issues for coverage.

When choosing a topic on your own, it is advisable to consider the following recommendations:

When a topic is chosen, you should think about the wording of it. We must not forget that the successful formulation of the topic of the speech in a certain way sets up the audience, prepares it for the perception of the future speech. The title of the speech must meet a number of requirements. First of all, the topic must be formulated clearly, clearly and as briefly as possible. Long wordings, titles, including unfamiliar words and expressions, repel listeners, sometimes even cause a negative attitude towards the upcoming performance. Too general names should also be avoided, as they require the coverage of many issues, which the speaker is not able to do. Therefore, among the listeners there will always be dissatisfied, since they will not receive an answer to their questions. To concretize the general wording, subheadings are often used. The chosen wording must certainly reflect the content of the speech and be sure to attract the attention of the audience.

The development of the agenda of meetings, meetings, programs of seminars, conferences, symposiums requires special attention. The wording of agenda items, topics of reports, reports should orient people to participate in the discussion of specific problems.

A necessary condition for successful preparation is the definition of the purpose of the speech. According to scientists, the effectiveness of speech is the degree of implementation of its target setting, the ratio of the achieved result to the goal. And the goal is what they strive for, what they want to achieve. Therefore, the speaker must be clear about

what is the purpose of his speech, what reaction of the listeners is he trying to achieve. If the speaker does not think about the purpose of the speech, he will not succeed in preparing and delivering it. Remarkable words were uttered, speaking at one of the meetings in 1929, by V. V. Mayakovsky. He said that all disputes with both enemies and friends about what is more important - “How to do it?” or “What to do?” are now overlapped by the literary slogan “What to do?”, i.e., the primacy of the goal is established over both content and form. So the speaker, preparing for a speech, must remember the primacy of the goal over the content and form of speech.

Paul Sauper, a well-known American specialist in the art of speech, recommends that in the process of choosing a topic and determining the target setting, set yourself the following questions for control:

Finding Materials for a Speech

The success of a public speech is determined primarily by its content. Therefore, the speaker should make every effort to collect interesting and useful material for the audience on the chosen topic.

The methodological literature identifies the main sources from which you can draw new ideas, information, facts, examples, illustrations for your speech. These include:

    official documents;

    scientific, popular science literature;

    reference literature: encyclopedias, encyclopedic dictionaries, dictionaries on various branches of knowledge, linguistic dictionaries (explanatory, foreign words, orthoepic, spelling, synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, etc.), statistical collections, yearbooks on various issues, tables, bibliographic indexes, etc. . P.;

    fiction;

    articles from newspapers and magazines;

    radio and television broadcasts;

    materials posted on the Internet;

    Results of sociological surveys;

    own knowledge and experience;

    personal contacts, conversations, interviews;

    reflections and observations.

To make the speech more meaningful, it is better to use not one source, but several.

In the process of preparing for a speech, one should also think about the so-called local material, i.e., related to the life of the listeners or that team, organization, region in question. Such material enlivens the performance, attracts the attention of the audience to it, arouses their interest in the performance.

The search for materials for public speaking requires a certain amount of time, so preparation for a speech, if possible, should be started in advance.

This stage of preparation is associated with the work of the speaker in the library. Therefore, the speaker needs to be able to use various catalogs (alphabetical, systematic, subject), bibliographic publications, reference literature. A computer can be of great help in finding the necessary material. Knowing how to use it will save you a lot of time.

It is very important to learn how to work with a book correctly. First of all, you should set yourself up in a certain way, give yourself the appropriate setting. She is very different. The speaker may set himself the task of studying one or another issue from the book, which is to be covered in the speech; critically analyze the content of the book; check whether his assessment of some problem coincides with the opinion of the author, other authoritative persons; choose the most vivid facts, examples, interesting situations, etc. for the speech. Such settings will help the speaker work more purposefully with the book, determine the type of reading: continuous, selective, combined. With continuous reading, the book is read completely, from beginning to end, without any gaps. Sometimes, for a topic being developed, it is enough to study not the entire book, but only its individual sections, chapters, paragraphs. Such reading is called selective. Combined reading is a continuous reading of some parts and selective reading of others.

Work on the book is advised to start with a preliminary acquaintance with it. First read the title page of the book. The name of the book is printed on it, which gives an idea of ​​its content, the name of the author. Often, the title page gives a classification characteristic of the book (textbook, study guide, reference guide, reference dictionary, etc.), which makes it possible to determine its purpose.

It is important to pay attention to the year of publication of the book. If the book of interest was published ten to twenty years ago, then the information given in it could be outdated, so you need to familiarize yourself with the new literature on the issue of interest.

The title page also indicates the name of the publisher and the place of publication of the book. You should also look at the table of contents of the book, which gives an idea of ​​the main issues that it addresses, pay attention to the figures, diagrams, tables.

Annotation, which is placed on the back of the title page or at the end of the book, helps to get acquainted with the book. It briefly talks about the content of the book, talks about its purpose, provides information about the author, etc.

If the book has a preface and an afterword, it is recommended that you read them. The preface tells the history of writing the book, its summary is given, and the main problems are characterized. In the afterword, the author summarizes the above, briefly formulates or repeats the main provisions of the work.

Thus, the initial review of the selected books is very important point in search of material for presentation. It allows you to determine which of the selected books are most suitable for the topic being developed and which of them should be studied in more detail.

In the process of preparing for a speech, it is imperative to make appropriate notes of what has been read. D. I. Mendeleev was right, who argued that a thought found but not written down is a treasure found and lost. The simplest type of record is statements. They write out what relates to the issue under study, as well as materials that can be used or will be needed only later. Statements are recommended to be made on cards. It is desirable that they be the same size. No more than one entry is made on each card. At the top of the card, you should indicate the topic to which the entry relates, and at the bottom - in detail and in a certain sequence, write down the "output data" of the source, i.e. the author's surname and initials, the title of the book, place and year of publication.

Development of a presentation plan. Types of plans

As practice shows, speeches written without a pre-planned plan usually have significant compositional flaws. A speaker who has not thought out the speech plan often “leaves” the main topic, does not fit into the time allotted for the speech. Therefore, when preparing for a speech, it is important to determine the order in which the material will be presented, that is, to draw up a plan.

According to the definition of the explanatory dictionary of the Russian language, plan - this is the mutual arrangement of parts, a brief program of some presentation. At different stages of speech preparation, plans of various purposes and purposes are drawn up: preliminary, working and main. Let's characterize them.

Preliminary plan. It is recommended to compose it immediately after choosing a topic and determining the target setting. What is it for? Usually each topic requires the solution of many issues. For example, in a speech on the topic of protection environment we can talk about air pollution, rivers, seas, water bodies, soil depletion, destruction of forests, vegetation, protection of wildlife, etc. As you can see, very different issues are related to this topic. Therefore, it is important to immediately determine what specific issues are supposed to be covered in the speech. The enumeration of these questions constitutes a preliminary plan, which helps to more purposefully select literature and allocate factual material for presentation. Of course, in the process of studying the literature, analyzing the selected material, the plan may change, but it contributes to more effective work over the performance. In addition, the preliminary plan helps the speaker reflect his own solution to the disclosure of this topic, his personal approach to the problem being covered.

Work plan. It is compiled after the literature has been studied, the topic has been considered, and factual material has been collected. When writing it, it is necessary not only to highlight the issues of the chosen topic, but also to select the most significant and basic of them, to determine in what order they will be presented. The wording of individual provisions is introduced into the work plan, examples are indicated, facts are listed, figures are given that will be used in the speech. Drawing up a work plan helps to better think over the structure of the speech. When a work plan is written, it is easier to determine which sections turned out to be overloaded with factual material, which, on the contrary, do not have examples, which questions should be omitted, since they are less significant for the disclosure of this topic, which ones to include, etc. This makes it possible to eliminate deficiencies in speech construction. The work plan can have several options, because in the process of working on a speech, it is refined, reduced or expanded. The work plan makes it possible to judge the content of the speech, its structure. A characteristic feature of the working plan, as well as the preliminary one, is that it is of value to the speaker himself, therefore, its points are not only complete sentences, but also incomplete ones, as well as phrases and even individual words.

Basic plan. Based on the work plan, the speaker is encouraged to draw up a main plan that names the issues that will be covered in the speech. It is written not so much for the speaker as for the listeners, in order to make it easier for them to perceive speech. The wording of the points of the main plan should be extremely clear and precise. This plan is communicated to the audience after the announcement of the topic of the speech or in the introduction when revealing the purpose of the speech.

However, it should be borne in mind that the speech plan is not always announced by the speaker. It depends on the type of speech, on the composition and mood of the audience, on the intentions of the speaker. Often

the main plan is communicated in lectures, reports, scientific reports, etc. Listeners usually take notes during such presentations, and the plan helps them follow the progress of the presentation of the material. In salutatory, inspiring, persuading, calling speeches, the message of the plan is inappropriate.

Plans can be simple or complex in structure.

When drawing up a plan, it is important to comply with the basic requirement for it: it must be logically consistent, consistent, with a natural transition from one point to another.

Standard, identical plans, even on the same topic, do not exist. Each speaker has a different approach to covering the topic and draws up his own plan. In addition, the speaker may have different options for a plan on a given topic.

Public Speaking Composition: Definition, Basic Principles

One of the sections of Paul Sauper's book "Fundamentals of the Art of Speech" begins with the words: "Battles are won not only by superiority in manpower and equipment, but also by superior strategy and tactics." Indeed, history knows many examples when great commanders, having skillfully developed the strategy and tactics of military operations, defeated a numerically superior enemy army. Like a battle, the author emphasizes, speech must be planned. Its content and techniques should be designed so that they lead to the goal.

For a successful public speaking, it is not enough to study the literature on the chosen topic, find interesting information, collect convincing facts, figures, examples. You need to think about how to arrange this material, in what sequence it should be presented. A number of questions inevitably arise before the speaker: what words to start the speech, how to continue the conversation, how to end the speech, how to win the attention of the audience and keep it to the end. Therefore, it is important to pay serious attention to the work on the composition of speech.

Word composition goes back to Latin compositio , which means "to compose, compose".

In the theory of oratory, the composition of speech is understood as the construction of a speech, the ratio of its individual parts and the relationship of each part to the entire speech as a whole. To name this concept along with the word composition words that are close in meaning are also used construction, structure.

As can be seen from the definition, when talking about the composition of oratory, it is necessarily taken into account how the parts of the speech relate to each other, what place

occupies a separate part in relation to the whole performance. If the ratio of parts of the speech is violated, then the effectiveness of speech is reduced, and sometimes reduced to zero.

One of the textbooks on rhetoric gives such an example. The speaker delivered an information message on the topic "Winter Olympic Games". Naturally, the audience expected to hear a story about the Olympic Games taking place at that time, about the results of the latest competitions, and to get acquainted with the names of new champions. However, this did not happen. For eight minutes, the speaker made an introduction - he spoke about the history of the Olympic Games. He had only two minutes left to present the main topic of his speech. It is clear that he managed to report very little information about the competitions that took place. And, although the speaker spoke interestingly about the history of the Olympic Games, the audience was not satisfied, because their expectations were not met. Due to the incorrect construction of speech, the violation of the relationship between the parts of the speech, the speaker failed to realize the target setting, to fulfill the task assigned to him.

The well-known Russian writer Konstantin Fedin defined the essence of the composition very accurately: “Composition is the logic of the development of the theme.”

“For the success of a speech,” wrote the outstanding lawyer and public figure of the 19th century A.F. Koni in the article “Lecturer’s Tips,” it is important current of thought lecturer. If thought jumps from subject to subject, is thrown, if the main thing is constantly interrupted, then such speech is almost impossible to listen to.

Of course, there are no universal rules for constructing a public speech. The composition will change depending on the topic, goals and objectives of the speaker, on the composition of the audience. However, there general principles constructing a speech that the speaker needs to know and take into account in the process of creating his speech. Let's name the main ones.

Sequence principle- each thought expressed should follow from the previous one or be correlated with it.

Amplification principle- the significance, weight, persuasiveness of arguments and evidence should gradually increase, the strongest arguments, as a rule, are reserved by the end of the argument.

The principle of organic unity- the distribution of material and its organization in speech should follow from the material itself and the intentions of the speaker.

Economy principle- the ability to achieve the goal in the most simple way, in a rational way, with minimal effort, time, speech means.

The most common structure of an oral presentation is considered to be three-part, which includes the following elements: introduction, main part and conclusion.

Speech as the most important component of oratory

The success of public speaking largely depends on how the speaker began to speak, how much he managed to interest the audience. An unsuccessful beginning reduces the interest of listeners to the topic, scatters attention. Scientists have proved by numerous experiments that what is best absorbed and remembered is what is given at the beginning or end of the message. In psychology, this is explained by the operation of the law of first and last place, the so-called "law of the edge." Therefore, the speaker should pay great attention to the development of the introductory part of the speech.

The introduction emphasizes the relevance of the topic, its significance for this audience, formulates the purpose of the speech, and briefly outlines the history of the issue. Before the introduction of an oratorical speech, there is an important psychological task - to prepare listeners for the perception of this topic.

It is known that listeners are differently tuned before the start of a speech, as they are guided by different motives. Some come because they are interested in the topic of the presentation, they want to expand and deepen their knowledge on this topic, they hope to get answers to their questions. Others are present out of necessity: being members of this team, they must be at this event. The first group is ready to listen to the speaker from the very beginning, the listeners of the second group sit with the attitude “not to listen”, but to do “their own” business (read, talk, solve crossword puzzles, etc.). But after all, the speaker needs to win the attention of the entire audience, to make all listeners work, including those who do not want to listen. And this, no doubt, is not easy to do. Therefore, in the introduction, special attention is paid to the beginning of speech, the first phrases, the so-called start.

“To attract (win) the attention of listeners is the first crucial moment in the speech of the lecturer, the most difficult thing,” wrote A. F. Koni. He taught lecturers that the first words should be extremely simple, accessible, understandable and interesting, they should "hook" the attention of listeners. In the article "Lecturer's Tips" the author gives several examples of such unusual, original introductions and gives appropriate explanations for them. In the numerous literature on rhetoric, there are many similar examples of exciting introductions from the practice of outstanding orators, masters of the word, and experienced lecturers.

What techniques can be used in the introductory part of the speech to attract the attention of the audience?

Can be used in the introduction quote, which makes listeners think about the words of the speaker, to comprehend the stated position more deeply. Thus, one of the lecturers speaking on youth issues successfully used the technique of paradoxical quoting to create a certain emotional state of the listeners, to prepare the audience for the perception of his ideas. Addressing the audience, he read the following quotes:

    Our young people love luxury, they are badly brought up, they scoff at the authorities and have no respect for the elderly.

    I have lost all hope for the future of our country if today's youth tomorrow take the reins of government into their own hands, because these youth are unbearable, unrestrained, simply terrible.

    Our world has reached a critical stage. Children no longer listen to their parents. Apparently, the end of the world is not very far away.

    This youth is corrupt to the core. Young people are vicious and negligent. Never will they be

walk on the youth of yore. The younger generation of today will not be able to preserve our culture.

When some of the listeners applauded the expressed opinions, since they coincided with their own assessments of modern youth, the lecturer named the authors of the quotes. The first is borrowed from Socrates (470-399 BC), the second from Hesiod (720 BC), the third saying belongs to an Egyptian priest who lived 2000 BC. e., the fourth was found on a clay pot found among the ruins of Babylon, the age of the pot is over 3000 years.

Arouses interest in the presentation, helps to listen carefully and story about any significant events relevant to this audience, to the topic of the speech.

An effective means of capturing the attention of listeners - questions. They allow the speaker to draw the audience into active mental activity, they set the listeners in a certain way. Indicative in this respect is Cicero's first speech against Lucius Sergius Catiline, a Roman politician accused of conspiring to seize power. The famous orator began his speech by posing a whole host of questions: “How long will you, Catiline, abuse our patience? How long will you, in your fury, mock us? To what extent will you boast of insolence that knows no bridle? Have you not been alarmed by the night guards on the Palatine, or by the guards that go around the city, or by the fear that seized the people, or by the presence of all honest people, or by the choice of this so protected place for the senate, or by the faces and eyes of all those present? Don't you realize that your intentions are open? Can't you see that your plot is already known to everyone present and revealed? Which of us, in your opinion, does not know what you did last, what the previous night, where you were, whom you called, what decision you made? Oh times! Oh morals!

To find an interesting, original beginning, you need to work hard, think, search. This is a creative process, it requires a lot of effort: The writer Y. Trifonov in the article “The Never-Ending Beginning” tells how hard the very first phrases of his works are given to him. He calls the search for an unusual beginning "the most painful time." According to him, "the opening phrases should give life to a thing."

It should be borne in mind that each performance requires its own, special, beginning. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the topic, and the type of speech, and the composition of the audience, and the degree of its preparedness, and the emotional mood of the speaker himself.

The main part of speech, its tasks, methods of presenting the material, the main shortcomings

A well-thought-out introduction and an unusual conclusion do not yet ensure the success of a speech. It happens that the speaker began his speech in an original way, interested the audience, but gradually their attention weakens, and then disappears. Before the speaker is very important task- not only to attract the attention of listeners, but also to keep it until the end of the speech. Therefore, the main part of the oratory is the most responsible.

It sets out the main material, consistently explains the statements made, proves their correctness, and leads the audience to the necessary conclusions.

In the main part of the speech, it is necessary to strictly observe basic composition rule- logical sequence and harmony of presentation of the material. M. M. Speransky in the "Rules of Higher Eloquence" stated: "All thoughts in a word must be interconnected so that one thought contains, so to speak, the seed of another."

Thinking over the structure of the main part of the speech, the speaker must determine by what method he will present the material, what arguments he will take to prove the position put forward, what oratorical techniques he uses to attract the attention of the audience. The speaker needs to skillfully arrange all these components in order to have the desired impact on the audience with his speech.

The structure of the speech depends primarily on method of presenting the material, elected speaker. These methods were formed on the basis of centuries-old oratorical practice, are described in various rhetorical

sobia, are actively used by modern speakers. Let us briefly describe their main ones.

inductive method- presentation of the material from particular to general. The speaker begins the speech with a specific case, and then leads the listeners to generalizations and conclusions. This method is often used in campaign speeches.

deductive method- presentation of the material from the general to the particular. The speaker at the beginning of the speech puts forward some provisions, and then explains their meaning with specific examples, facts. This method was widely used in propaganda speeches.

analogy method- comparison of various phenomena, events, facts. Usually a parallel is drawn with what is well known to listeners. This contributes to a better understanding of the material presented, helps the perception of the main ideas, enhances the emotional impact on the audience.

concentric method- arrangement of material around the main problem raised by the speaker. The speaker moves from a general consideration of the central issue to a more specific and in-depth analysis of it.

step method- Sequential presentation of one question after another. Having considered any problem, the speaker no longer returns to it.

Historical method - presentation of the material in chronological order, description and analysis of the changes that have occurred in a particular person, subject over time.

The use of different methods of presenting material in the same speech allows you to make the structure of the main part of speech more original, non-standard.

Whatever method the speaker uses in his speech, his speech must be evidence-based, his judgments and statements must be convincing.

The speaker needs not only to convince the audience of something, but also to influence it accordingly, to cause a response, a desire to act in a certain direction. Therefore, when working on the main part, one should think over the system of logical and psychological arguments used to approve the put forward provisions and influence the audience.

logical reasoning addressed to the minds of the listeners, psychological- to feelings. They are strong, against which it is difficult to object, and weak, easily refuted. Arranging the arguments in his speech in a certain way, the speaker should keep in mind that the strongest arguments, as a rule, are used at the end of the argument.

No matter how interesting the performance is, attention becomes dull over time and the person stops listening. Therefore, it is important for the speaker not only to know the oratorical techniques of maintaining the attention of the audience, but also to plan them in advance when working on the structure of the main part of speech, to correctly determine which technique to use in one place or another.

Each speaker should also be aware of the possible shortcomings in the composition public speaking to avoid them when preparing. The main one is violation of the logical sequence in the presentation of the material. The disadvantages of the composition also include overload of the text with theoretical arguments, lack of evidence for the main provisions, an abundance of issues and problems raised.

The speaker should not cover many issues in his speech. This tires the listeners, deprives the speaker of the opportunity to deeply and fully consider all the problems raised by him. It is recommended to offer no more than 3-4 questions to the attention of the audience.

A public speech should not contain facts, examples, etc. that are not related to the subject under discussion. It is necessary that the speaker's speech be economical and concise.

coy. But the brevity of speech, according to experts, does not consist in the brevity of the time during which it is pronounced, but in the absence of everything superfluous in it. A speech can go on for hours and be short and informative, but sometimes the speech lasts only a few minutes, and the listeners find it long and tedious.

The disadvantages of the composition include template, stencil construction of speech. The satirists I. Ilf and E. Petrov in the novel "The Twelve Chairs" splendidly ridiculed the stencil of the rally speech of the mid-twenties.

These are the basic requirements for the construction of the main part of speech. However, oratory is a creative matter, so there are no universal rules here. It all depends on the speaker.

Completion of a speech

An important compositional part of any speech is the conclusion. Popular wisdom will affirm: "The end crowns the deed." A convincing and vivid conclusion is remembered by the audience, leaves a good impression of the speech. On the contrary, an unsuccessful conclusion sometimes ruins a good speech. Quite often we see how the speaker, not meeting the time limit, simply cuts off his speech, does not say the final words.

Some speakers at the end of the speech begin to repeatedly apologize to the listeners for the fact that they did not have enough time to prepare the speech, so they did not manage to speak well, that they probably did not tell the audience anything new and interesting, and the listeners wasted time . This should not be done. It is bad if the speaker ends his speech with a joke that is not related to the topic of the speech. Such a conclusion distracts the attention of the audience from the main provisions of the speech.

What should be the conclusion?

It is known that in the process of perception of oratorical speech, the “law of the edge” operates, that is, what is given at the beginning and at the end of the message is better remembered. Therefore, it is recommended in the conclusion to repeat the main idea for which the speech is made, to summarize the most important provisions. In conclusion, the results of what has been said are summed up, conclusions are drawn, specific tasks are set for the audience, which follow from the content of the speech.

Anatoly Fedorovich K about nor in the article "Advice to lecturers" wrote: "The end is the resolution of all speech(as in music the last chord is the resolution of the previous one; whoever has a musical flair can always say, without knowing the piece, judging only by the chord, that the piece is over); the end should be like this

so that the listeners feel (and not only in the tone of the lecturer, this is mandatory), there's nothing more to say."

Thinking over the conclusion, it is necessary to work especially carefully on the last words of the speech, the so-called ending. If the first words of the speaker should attract the attention of the audience, then the last ones are designed to enhance the effect of the speech. This is precisely the role played by the final words in the fourth speech of Cicero against Lucius Sergius Catalina: “So, deliberately and boldly, as you behaved from the very beginning, decide on your very existence and the Roman people, on your wives and children, on altars and household hearths, about sanctuaries and temples, about the houses and buildings of all Rome, about our power and freedom, about the well-being of Italy, about the state as a whole. You have a consul who will not hesitate to obey your decrees and, as long as he lives, will be able to protect them and stand up for them himself.

The last words of the speaker should mobilize the listeners, inspire them, call for vigorous activity. If the speech ends with a slogan, an appeal, then it is pronounced in a high tone, emotionally.

In conclusion, it should be emphasized that any speech, as a creative act in the activity of the speaker, requires its completion, its final chord.

Verbal design of public speaking

When preparing a public speech, the speaker inevitably raises the question of how best to verbally formulate his speech, whether it is mandatory or not to compose its written text. This is a long-standing dispute, with its roots dating back to ancient times.

Ancient theorists of oratory considered writing the only true way to prepare speeches. Cicero, for example, argued that one should write as much as possible, because "whoever enters the oratorical field with the habit of writing, he brings with him the ability to speak, even without preparation, as if by writing." And the Roman rhetorician Quintilian assured: "Only with the help of writing can one achieve ease of speech."

Many experienced speakers, well-known political and judicial figures, and eloquence theorists of later times also believed that speeches should be pre-written.

Of course, writing the text of a speech is not an easy task. Therefore, many are reluctant to take on this, convincing themselves that speech in the mind is better than on paper. Meanwhile, the creation of a text activates the mental activity of the speaker, allows him to delve deeper into the essence of the problem and more accurately express his thoughts. Working on the text, the speaker has the opportunity to literary process it, select the most appropriate words and expressions, eliminate stylistic roughness, use means of speech expressiveness, etc. You can return to the finished text after a while to improve its content and form. You can show the written text, read it to your relatives, friends, colleagues, discuss it with specialists and make adjustments in accordance with the opinions and comments expressed. A pre-prepared speech text inspires confidence in the speaker, helps him

cope with the excitement before the performance and in the process of the speech itself. Therefore, it is worth listening to the words of those who advise writing the texts of speeches from beginning to end.

However, after writing and working out the text of the speech, the speaker should not flatter himself with the hope that he is already ready to meet with the audience. Of course, the easiest way would be to go to the podium and read the text of the speech from the manuscript, but such a speech will not bring success to the speaker. Listeners do not perceive text reading from a sheet well, as there is no live contact between the speaker and the audience.

Some try to memorize the text of speech. And in some cases it is justified. When you have to make a persuasive speech at a rally, with a greeting at a solemn event, at a banquet, etc., it is awkward to keep the text of the speech in front of you, and meanwhile an inaccurately formulated thought, an unsuccessful phrase, incorrect word usage can harm the speaker. Therefore, it is better to pronounce a previously prepared and memorized text. If the speech is small in volume, then this is not so difficult to do, and if you have to give a lecture, report, message, then not everyone can fully learn the text. This kind of mastering the material is difficult for the speaker, it requires great effort and willpower from him. The speaker may have difficulty in reproducing the text: memory failure, strong excitement, unexpected noise in the hall, etc. Therefore, it is not recommended to pronounce the written text verbatim.

Many experienced speakers advise speaking text-based. What does it mean? First you need to comprehend and master the written speech well. It is advisable to properly mark the text of the speech itself, that is, to emphasize the main points of the speech, number the issues covered, highlight the names, titles, statistics, the beginning and end of quotations, indicate illustrative examples, etc.

This text is easy to use during a speech. It is enough to look down at the page to restore the course of presentation of thoughts, to find desired material. Speaking based on the text creates the impression of fluency in the material, enables the speaker to confidently communicate with the audience.

The dream of many speakers remains the ability to speak to the audience without any notes. This is the highest class of public speaking skills. Experts call the following “stages” of work on a presentation, which lead to a free presentation of the material:

    Full text (not for reading, but for retelling in your own words).

    A detailed summary with the main wording, ending, quotations, numbers, proper names.

    A non-detailed abstract with the designation of transitions from block to block, citations, etc.

    Plan with quotes, etc.

    Speech without text.

It should be borne in mind that the speaker does not always have the opportunity to prepare a speech in advance. Sometimes at meetings, conferences, meetings, meetings of various kinds, one has to speak impromptu, that is, to create a speech at the moment of its utterance. This requires a large mobilization of memory, energy, will. Impromptu performances tend to be well received by the audience. Live, direct contact with listeners is established.

However, the speaker, due to the lack of perfection of speech, cannot always meet the allotted time, has less time to tell, some questions remain uncovered. Some deviations are inevitable, caused by new associations, sometimes the wording is inaccurate, and speech errors are possible. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the French say that the best impromptu is the one that is well prepared.

Improvisation is possible only on the basis of large pre-acquired knowledge. Impromptu is good when it is prepared by all the past experience of the speaker. It can only be born to a person who has a large stock of knowledge and possesses the necessary rhetorical skills and abilities. A successful impromptu is the result of the speaker's constant work on himself, the result of long reflections, a reward for many years of hard work.

A. V. Lunacharsky was an excellent orator-improviser of his time. When asked how he manages to perform so easily, he answered with a phrase that became an aphorism: “I have been preparing for this all my life.”

Audience Management Techniques

The audience of oratorical speech is a complex socio-psychological community of people, characterized by a number of features (the degree of homogeneity, quantitative composition, the main motive for action, a sense of community, etc.). In addition, each member of the audience is a person with their own characteristics of character, temperament, state nervous system. The speaker faces a very difficult task - to interest the audience, set them up for the perception of speech, establish contact with them, and keep the attention of the audience until the end of the speech.

It should be borne in mind that only interesting, meaningful speeches are listened to with great attention. “Never, by no means will you force readers to explore the world through boredom,” wrote Alexei Tolstoy. These words can be fully attributed to public speaking. However, no matter how interesting the speech was, attention eventually becomes dull, and the person stops listening. Noise, movements, conversations, etc. begin in the hall. Therefore, the speaker needs to know audience management techniques and skillfully use them in the process of speech. These techniques are described by the theorists of oratory, methodologists, and experienced practitioners of eloquence.

For example, the well-known judicial figure of the XIX century. P.S. Porohovshchikov (P. Sergeich) in his book “The Art of Speech in Court” considers such methods direct demand for attention from listeners, addressing listeners with unexpected question.

One of the interesting oratory techniques is the so-called entertainment secret. In order to intrigue the listeners, the subject of speech is not immediately indicated. Here is what P. Sergeich writes about this technique: “... The attention of the listeners gets a push when the speaker unexpectedly interrupts the thought they have begun, and a new push when, having talked about something else, he returns to what was not previously agreed.”

Special oratorical techniques to attract the attention of the audience include question and answer move. The speaker thinks aloud about the problem. He puts questions to the audience and answers them himself, raises possible doubts and objections, clarifies them and comes to certain conclusions. This is a very successful technique, as it sharpens the attention of the audience, makes you delve into the essence of the topic under consideration.

Quite often, jokes, puns, anecdotes, etc. are introduced into a serious speech. Humor is a very effective means of defusing, reviving the attention of the audience. One of Chekhov’s heroes of the story “A Boring Story” recalls: “You read a quarter, half an hour, and then you notice that the students begin to look at the ceiling, at Pyotr Ignatievich, one will climb for a scarf, the other will sit down more comfortably, the third will smile at his thoughts ... This means attention is tired. We need to take action. Taking the first opportunity, I say some kind of pun. All one and a half hundred faces are smiling broadly, their eyes are merry, the roar of the sea is heard for a short time ... I also laugh. Attention revived. I can go on."

To achieve mutual understanding with the audience, the following techniques are also used in public speaking: empathy technique(the speaker expresses his sympathy to the listeners about any events, experiences a certain state of mind with them), acceptance of complicity(the speaker refers to joint participation with the audience in some events, recalls certain episodes), appeal to the speech of the previous speaker(the speaker agrees or disagrees with the opinion of the previous speaker on the issue under discussion, quotes him, plays with his words and expressions, etc.); appeal to events(the speaker refers to known or unknown events that have

a certain significance for the audience, helping to comprehend the essence of the problem under consideration); appeal to the weather(the speaker, speaking about some events, refers to a rainy or sunny day, windy or calm weather, etc., enhancing the effect of his speech. For example, “Even nature rejoices / mourns with us ...”); reference to authorities or well-known sources(the speaker, in order to reinforce his position, to make it more convincing, cites the words of prominent scientists, prominent state, political and public figures, refers to well-known scientific works, popular newspapers and magazines, opinions of authoritative figures in literature and art, etc.); appeal to the interests of the audience(the speaker, considering a particular issue, emphasizes the relevance, significance of this problem for the audience, speaks of the practical orientation of the decisions made, the importance of acquiring relevant knowledge, skills and abilities, etc.); appeal to the personality of the speaker(when discussing any issues, the speaker refers to his own experience, cites cases from his life, speaks about his perception of certain events).

Enliven speech and examples from fiction, proverbs and sayings, catchwords and phraseological expressions.

Switching and keeping the attention of the audience helps appeal To her. It is important to think over the words of the appeal. Depending on the situation of communication, the nature of the audience, its composition, the number of listeners, a wide variety of appeals are used: “Comrades!”, “Dear (deeply respected, dear) comrades!”, “Friends!”, “Dear (deeply respected, dear, young) friends !”, “Ladies and gentlemen!”, “Dear (deeply respected) ladies and gentlemen!”, “Colleagues!” etc. It is advisable to repeat these appeals from time to time, to use their different formulations. Successfully found words of appeal allow the speaker to win over the audience.

Play an important role in audience management voice tricks, i.e., raising or lowering the tone of the voice, changing its volume, tempo of speech, etc. For example, if the pitch is unchanged throughout the speech, then the speech becomes monotonous and “lulls” listeners. Very fast speech requires increased attention, which causes fatigue and a desire to take a break, stop listening to the speaker. Slow speech also discourages listeners, weakens their attention. An effective means of managing the audience can be pause, which gives meaning to what is said or what will be said.

Author: Medvedkova Lyudmila Nikolaevna, teacher primary school Makeevskaya secondary school № 102
Material Description: I offer you the article "Secrets of successful public speaking". This material will be useful to those who are faced with public speaking. This article will help you get acquainted with the psychological methods of influencing the audience during a public speech and the rules for their use.

Secrets of Successful Public Speaking


All of us have experienced public speaking at least once in our lives. As we develop in this direction, we begin to think about the success of public speaking. We strive to ensure that our public speech impresses the audience, the goal is achieved and the main idea is conveyed to each listener. These are the criteria we put forward for a successful performance.
What is the success of public speaking? Maybe in a bright presentation with incredibly professional animations, graphs, charts, cliparts? Or maybe in the image of an elegantly - fashionably dressed speaker, which, of course, cannot but impress the audience. What drives the success of performances?
Let's try to figure this out. First, let's formulate a definition. A successful performance is a symbiosis of rhetoric, acting techniques (delivery) and psychological techniques.
In this article we will get acquainted with the psychological methods of influencing the audience. In other words, something that affects people on a non-subconscious level, but often makes a lasting impression on the audience. From how much we are aware of psychological techniques will directly depend on what kind of impression we make: good or bad?

Consider these questions:
How to move properly when speaking in public
How to stand. The concept of the “main stand” of the speaker
Where to put your hands during a performance
How to gesticulate correctly.

It would seem that this is difficult, stand as usual, gesticulate as you can. There is nothing "secret" about it. However, experts in oratory, rhetoricians have determined that the posture and gestures of the speaker can tell much more than the speaker himself with his presentation. Posture and gestures will tell the audience what kind of speaker is in front of them: a self-confident person, open, charismatic, or vice versa - a closed person who does not believe in what she says.
The key to a successful presentation is the audience's trust in the speaker. If the audience trusts the speaker, then he perceives his words not superficially, but passing through himself; she is open and ready for the changes that the speaker seeks, supportive of him and generous with applause and positive emotions.

Successful public speaking - a few secrets
Before entering the stage, you should pay attention to your posture: the back should be straight, the chin should be looking up, and the shoulders should be straightened. Note that confident people always have correct posture, and stooping, drooping shoulders speaks of a weak strong-willed character, insecurity and a tendency to depression, this type of speaker will not inspire confidence in the audience and all prepared speeches will be reduced to zero, will not produce the desired effect.


Move confidently, do not mince, there should be nothing fussy in your movements. Turn to the audience, look around the entire hall from the first row to the last, from left to right. Give your personal attention as best you can more of people. This is how you make eye contact. Be sure to smile, do it as sincerely as possible to establish a positive attitude and win the sympathy of the listeners.
For speakers, there is the concept of “main stance”, that is, the position in which you will be during the speech, and if you move during the speech, then do not forget to return to this position.
The speaker's main stance is the speaker's main stance, from which to start a speech and spend most of the time on stage.

Let's disassemble the main rack:
1. Feet should be shoulder-width apart, neither wider nor narrower. We mentally pull ourselves by the top of the head for a virtual long thread into space. The spine is straightened, the posture is straight.
2. Body weight is transferred by 60% to the front leg. There is a slight tilt of the body forward, a vector to the public. As if you were walking forward, but stopped. The front leg is the leg on which it is more convenient for you to carry the weight of the body. This has to be done by feel.
3. Hands along the body, elbows slightly pressed, palms slightly turned to the public. Please note that the hands along the body are only at the beginning, while you have not yet begun to speak. When speech is turned on, then the hands should support it with expressive gestures, helping the speaker express his thoughts.
4. Chin just above the horizon line.
5. Eyes fixed on the audience. On the face of the “Gioconda smile” is a readiness for a smile, a half smile.

In order to show your importance and earn the respect of the audience, you need to control the maximum allowable space. Don't hide somewhere in the corner of the stage. Be sure to take a seat in the center.
Don't rush to start talking right away. Be sure to take a break. Use the pause for as long as you feel necessary to prepare yourself psychologically and set up the audience to communicate with you. A pause will also help you explore the space around you in a few seconds, determine how you will use it. Remember the theatrical axiom: the more talented the actor, the longer he can pause.
During the performance, it is necessary to move around the stage, the hall. Do not stand like a monument in front of the audience, try to move around the stage with small steps. When you voice main idea your speech - you can get closer to the audience in order to emphasize the importance of information; when asking a question to the audience, step back a little, so you will reduce the psychological pressure at this moment. All this will help you "revive" your performance, make it more dynamic.
Speakers most often ask such questions: “What to do with hands?”, “How to hold them correctly?”

Let's define the basic positions of the speaker's hands:
1. Hands hang quietly along the body.
2. Hands with a house at the level of the abdomen.
3. Hands with interlaced fingers (at the level of the abdomen).
4. One palm rests on the other (also at the level of the abdomen).

One of the important structural elements of the speaker is facial expressions and gestures. Facial expressions and gestures accompany the speaker's thought, clearly demonstrate it, clarify the subtext of what was said.


Facial expressions reflect the mood of the one who speaks, his attitude to the subject of discussion.
Accompanying speech with the corresponding movements of the muscles of the face determines the sincerity of the one who speaks, the level of interest in the meaning of what was said. Mimicry accompanies and complements verbal speech.
Get the most holistic view of the speaker and to a large extent determine the success of his speech - gestures. Gestures can be open or closed.
Open gestures - this is the opening of the hands with the palms up, this is a gesture of sincerity and openness.
The use of open gestures helps to establish contact with the audience, create trusting relationships and form the prerequisites for further communication. And if you mentally hug the hall to which you are addressing with a speech, then the effect of the speech will be more pronounced: find mutual language and it will be much easier to build relationships with the audience that has been in your imaginary embrace.
Of course, you should not stretch your hands to the audience with your palms forward throughout the speech - this will already look feigned. Learn to improvise. Do not forget that the main thing is the harmony of your gestures, tone and speech, so you will look natural and organic.


The best gestures- at chest level. They create a feeling of strength, calm authority and self-confidence. And touching the body, hair and face gives the impression of uncertainty and concern.
Practice in front of a mirror. You can record your performances on camera, this will help you evaluate yourself from the outside, analyze the gestures used, and predetermine gestures for systematic practice.
What are closed gestures? Closed gestures are all movements of the fists, manipulation of the hands towards oneself and palms "hidden" from the audience.
Indira Gandhi correctly observed that a handshake is impossible if the hands are clenched into a fist.
So, to use the correct gestures during public speaking, let's define the rules:
Symmetry
You should gesticulate with both hands, because if a person gesticulates with only one hand, then this often looks unnatural.
Latitude
Don't be afraid to use broad gestures while speaking. This will help you emphasize the weight of the information, appear before the audience as an open person, self-confident. Do not forget to tear your elbows away from your sides so that there is no stiffness and tightness in your gestures.
Completeness
Freely gesticulate during the performance and if a new gesture is born, give it a chance to exist, do not interrupt this process.

Thus, the meaningful use of psychological techniques will help the speaker to succeed in public speaking, and become not just a speaker, a commentator on presentations, but a brilliant speaker.

The spotlights are lit and aimed at the stage. The cameras are on. The microphone has been checked. The audience slowly quiets down and looks up at the podium. It turns out the key personality of the event - the speaker. He is the reason for and for which those present have gathered, the instigator of all action. An unbearable environment for someone who is not prepared to be the central figure of such an event. Public speaking is a big responsibility and pressure. How to prepare for them, what to talk about, what rules to follow?

What is public speaking

Public speaking is a public event in which the speaker informs the audience, encourages or convinces them of something. Characteristics:

  • a large number of listeners (at least a group);
  • a clear predominance of monologues;
  • built structure of speech;
  • having a specific goal.

Many are convinced that public speeches are held only by politicians, cultural or public figures. This opinion is erroneous, as well as the fact that such events are necessarily accompanied by video filming or an invasion of reporters. This category also includes common parent meetings, defense of scientific dissertations, toasting at weddings and similar events.

Communication with the public can be spontaneous, but scheduled performances are practiced more often. What are the basic rules of such representations?

Public Speaking Rules

Interaction with the audience

Despite the fact that monologues prevail in such an event, this communication cannot be called one-sided. The whole process is organized for the sake of the audience, because it is she who is the tool to achieve the oratory goal. Therefore, feedback is equally important.

The interaction of the speaker with the audience begins from the moment he enters the stage. It happens on several levels at once:

  • visual- gestures directed towards the hall, making eye contact;
  • verbal- rhetorical or direct questions, appeals to the crowd;
  • emotional- experience by the rhetor of the emotions that the public feels, their mirror reflection;
  • semantic- verbal involvement of the audience in the topic, prompting to think.

The establishment of contact determines the further course of the performance. Therefore, upon entering the stage, it is better to first greet the audience, take a look at the audience, and then proceed to the speech. This will make listeners feel important.

Topic disclosure

If the speaker announced in advance the name or even the plan of the upcoming meeting, he fully reveals the topic of the speech. Otherwise, he will face the condemnation of society, a damaged reputation, as well as a ruined prospect. In order for the subject of discussion to be considered comprehensively, and the public to be satisfied, requirements are put forward for the speaker and his speech:

  • persuasive arguments (ideally not only verbal, but also audio, visual, etc.);
  • preservation of style (for example, scientific - for the defense of a diploma);
  • vocabulary available to the audience;
  • clear diction, correct pronunciation;
  • consideration of different points of view, models, situations;
  • structuring of the text - the beginning, the main part, the culmination, the denouement (if necessary - retardation, author's digressions, but in a limited amount).

The speaker at the expense of public speaking wants to achieve a specific goal. However, the spectators gathered at the event also have expectations. They spend personal time, and sometimes money, on such a meeting. Therefore, to drag out speech, to speak in general phrases, to avoid specifics is considered bad form.

Dynamics and statics

This rule applies to the speaker's postures, his intonation, facial expressions, tone, and movement around the stage. If the speaker stays in one place all the time and speaks in a monotonous voice, the audience will fall asleep. And if he starts running around the stage and the hall, actively waving his arms, grimacing, then the audience will quickly get tired of his movements, lose interest.

To keep the attention of the public, you will have to alternate the position in space, the sound of the voice.

This is done during intriguing moments, semantic transitions, unexpected turns in the story. It is advisable to occasionally walk around the stage so that the audience has time to follow all the movements. If the audience at the same time closely follows the “journeys” of the rhetor, then it is passionate about him.

Reaction to the Unforeseen

The speaker is not immune from embarrassment. There are numerous situations when the microphone creaked heavily during the speech or the presentation did not turn on. The speakers dropped the sheets with the text of the speech, slipped, made funny slips. Even unexpected applause sometimes knocked off the mood. The storytellers at the same time began to stammer, smile stupidly or try to shout over the uproar. And it was a failure.

In any situation, it is important to remain calm. Only with him you can quickly figure out how to get out of trouble. If awkwardness nevertheless occurred, there are several ways to adequately get out of it:

  • joke delicately - only humor, no ridicule or sarcasm;
  • apologize for the incident, continue as if nothing had happened (if you do not get hung up on the problem, the audience will also forget about it);
  • redirect the audience's attention to something else;
  • ask people from the front rows to help;
  • present what happened as a planned move (if possible, otherwise everything will look like a pathetic excuse).

Completion of a speech

The speech is over. The audience applauds. The cameras are off. What's next? Stand? Go down to the hall? Leave? Run away?

But even after that, you can’t rush to immediately leave the stage. Participants of the meeting may have questions. By answering them, the speaker will prove himself even better.

Only then will it be possible to leave the stage. When those present are completely distracted by their own affairs, the rhetor will have the right to leave the premises.

How to choose a theme for yourself

The topic can become the basis of a successful speech only if it meets five requirements:

  1. relevance. No one is interested in hearing about outdated things that have no effect on the current (or at least future) situation;
  2. perspective. If the proposed ideas don't solve problems, they don't make sense;
  3. knowledge. Without proper awareness of the topic, it is impossible to build logical judgments, and even more so to explain them to other people;
  4. speaker's interest. The fuse, the inspiration of the narrator is transmitted to the listeners. The more the author is passionate about the topic, the easier it is for the audience to adopt this passion;
  5. public interest. It is important to determine the target audience in advance. The report “Peculiarities of disassembly and cleaning of the machine gun” is unlikely to be to the liking of the humanities.

The fulfillment of these conditions will help to choose a good topic and ensure the success of the speech.

The process of preparing for a presentation

Rehearsals. They will help you remember the text well, eliminate errors, and hone your diction. It is better to rehearse in front of a mirror or friends.

Plan. Being in front of a crowd is already stressful. Therefore, it is better to play it safe and write (draw) hints, reminders or a story plan on one sheet. If during the speech it is permissible to use the full text (dissertation defense, informal speech), it is advisable to put it in a bag on the eve of an important day.

Appearance. All details appearance thought out a few days before the event. These include:

  • appointment for a haircut, styling, manicure;
  • selection, purchase of attire, shoes, accessories;
  • testing everything new - hair color, beard shape, clothing style;
  • going to the dentist, beautician or dermatologist;
  • sample of the finished image.

If you do all this one day before your debut, you can stumble upon a bunch of problems. The hairdresser will go on vacation, the varnish will not have time to dry, and last year's suit suddenly does not fit.

Eve and morning of the X-day. Needless to say, how important it is to sleep well? Cheerfulness, a healthy complexion, confidence will be additional pluses. Another detail is food. It is better not to eat at night, but to have a hearty breakfast. It is also advisable not to overeat an hour before the performance. If your appetite has awakened, it will be enough to have a snack with a sweet bar with nuts.

Nervousness. Alcohol or sedatives before a performance is taboo. They inhibit thought processes, all reactions, significantly impair speech. Instead, before going on stage, you can do several relaxation exercises:

  • breathe deeply and evenly, inhaling air for at least 3 seconds, and exhaling for 5;
  • imagine that all those present in the hall are old acquaintances;
  • do a short light workout;
  • chew gum slowly (the process of chewing is associated with a calm environment);
  • blow on the pad of the thumb (slows down the pulse).

Public speaking does not fall into the category of events that are easy to conduct without preparation. These are events that require willpower, confidence, perseverance. Only by following the rules described, choosing the right topics, diligently preparing for the performance, you can count on reliable success.