7. When you see in his eye that peculiar abstracted look which shows he has something to say, stop right there. It will be no use for you to go on, he is not listening to you. Let him get it off his chest." * 2. Let the pupils be paired off and let each pair work up the actions and gestures they have seen used in a conversation in real life or in the movies. 3. Tell the class about an interesting conversation in which you have recently participated. What were its good points and its bad points? 4. Describe in terms of the text thus far the best conversationalist you know. Divide the 5. Agree upon some general topics for discussion. class into groups of five. Have one of each group act as the host who introduces the other four to each other and then let the various groups discuss the subject agreed upon. The teacher will spend his time with different groups assisting in every way possible to keep the conversation going everyone contributing as much as possible and getting something out of it. 6. Let each pupil in an unbiased manner present both sides of a controversial matter, then state his convictions in the matter and have an informal give-and-take discussion of it by the whole group. (The teacher will act as chairman and referee.) 7. Let each pupil tell a humorous anecdote, making it serve the purpose of illustrating a point which he wishes to make; and then let the members of the class discuss each story and its aptness, suggesting other stories which they think will illustrate the point as well or better. 8. Show how the tests of good speech as explained in Chapter I apply to conversation. 9. Observe your habits in conversation over the telephone. How do they differ from your habits in other conversation? Make a list of differences. 10. Analyze your conversational ability on the basis of what you yourself know about it. Imagine what some honest friend will tell you about yourself. Where do your personal difficulties lie; in your mastery of your whole body, in your voice, in your language, or in other things? 11. Let each pupil bring to class a written list of topics on which he considers himself prepared to converse with others, topics on * Pages 298-299. which he is in a position to contribute something to a conversation. The teacher will look over these topics, pick out those which seem most promising and then let the one who has suggested a given topic assume the responsibility for starting an informal discussion on it. (This may be a way of getting the general topics to be used in exercise 5.) 12. Let each pupil bring to class the language spoken in a conversation which he has read in a novel, short story, or play. Let the class discuss the language of this conversation. 13. Make up conversation topics from interesting matters that have come up in your study or recitation work in other classes: CHAPTER VIII PUBLIC SPEAKING True eloquence consists in saying all that is proper and nothing more. ROCHEFOUCAULT. Until a man knows the truth and the method of adapting the truth to the minds of other men, he cannot be a good public speaker. PLATO; Phaedo. OUTLINE I. The Value of Preparation. II. The Steps in Preparation. 1. Choosing the Subject. Find the Specific Purpose of the Speech. 2. Considering the Audience. Study the Audience's Tendencies. 3. Providing Unity by Means of a Proposition. 4. Outlining by Topic Sentences.. Support the Proposition in a Paragraph Outline. 5. Providing Coherence. Link Outline Topics Coherently. 6. Providing for Continuity; Types of Outline. Decide on Your General Purpose. 7. Choosing Material. Choose Facts, but Avoid Offense. 8. Developing the Outline Topic; Supporting the Outline Topics. Select Material to Meet the Attitude of the Audience toward each Topic. I. THE VALUE OF PREPARATION Public Speaking rarely Succeeds without Elaborate Preparation. Half the battle in speaking before audiences is in being fully prepared. The very word prepared tells the story; in the Latin it means "ready before." Very few occupations more positively demand "readiness before" than standing in the presence of an audience to speak to them. It is no exaggeration to say that half the problem is in being ready; this is literally true. The actual speaking is most of the time much the easiest part of the speaker's work; the chief agony and strain is most likely to come beforehand. The prepared man wins; prepared with ideas and facts, prepared with a knowledge of how to put his ideas into language, prepared with a voice that obeys his wishes, and prepared with a body that makes convincing and impressive what he brings to the people before him. II. THE STEPS IN PREPARING FOR PUBLIC SPEAKING The way to make successful public speeches can best be presented as a series of STEPS. Follow these steps carefully, and you will stand a fair chance of getting the results you want. Choosing the Subject: Finding the Speaker's Purpose STEP 1. KNOW WHAT YOU WANT FROM YOUR AUDIENCE It is not enough just to get up and talk. That leads to mere spouting. Any time a speaker forces himself upon an audience without having a definite Purpose that he wants to achieve through those people before him, he is just about certain to get what he decided on-nothing. Every public address should do something to the audience. It is all wrong to think of an audience as purely passive, as not doing anything while the speaker speaks. It is false psychology to assume that men can listen and do nothing; for the mere listening to words and sounds is itself something that is done, and often it is hard work, involving much strain and exertion; sometimes very hard, gruelling work, indeed. 1 There are many things a Speaker can ask of his audience. The following is a suggestive list of purposes: 1. Hear my voice. 2. Understand my words. 3. Understand my ideas and beliefs, (this theory, this explanation, this point of view. 4. Think over what I am telling you. 5. Accept my beliefs. 6. Change your beliefs to this of mine. 7. Prepare to vote my party ticket, to accept my religion, my code of morals, my social customs, my view of life and nature. 8. Decide to follow these teachings. 9. Make up your mind to do this thing I am asking of you. 10. Adopt this course of action. 11. Vote my way. 12. Pledge your support, your money, your coöperation. 13. Subscribe to this cause. 14. Give your money. 15. Work for this organization, school, party, church, cause. 16. Go forth to serve, fight, carry the gospel. 17. Give your all. 18. Offer your life for your principles. Thus, from the mere invitation to listen politely, on to the demand that your hearer think, believe, purpose to do, to engage in some specific action, and on further to doing all a man can possibly do through all these stages the Speaker is asking the people before him to do something. Now unless he knows what it is he wants them to do, he has made no sort of start; he merely is ready for a bit of public meditation or platform rambling. The very first thing you must do, then, to insure a successful public speech, is to have your mind made up on what you are going to do to your audience; what you are going to induce them to do. Unless you plan to leave them different at the end from at the beginning, and in just the way you want them to be different, |