Text 1. Hints for Effective Speaking

Summary Writing

Assignment 1. Read Text 1 "Hints for Effective Speaking" and explain in what way(s) you find it useful for your learning experience.

Text 1. Hints for Effective Speaking

Preliminary considerations

An effective speech is one in which the speaker accomplishes his purpose of communicating ideas to an audi­ence in a manner pleasing to them. The speaker should strive to make a good first impression.

He must never communicate any apprehension to his hearers. Of course, he must be sincere. There must be honesty in composition as well as in delivery if the speaker is to win over his audience.

Preparation is the best known guaranty against a poor performance. Its lack is the most common cause of stage fright. A contractor would not build a house without a blueprint and a speaker should not venture onto the plat­form unless he has prepared and practiced his talk. The preparation ought to begin long in advance of the speak­ing date and the work on the speech should be frequent. It is hard to force the development of a talk; speeches grow and should be given time to ripen.

When a speech has been carefully prepared, the speaker can face his audience with confidence and assurance that his purpose will be attained.

The actual method of preparation varies with the speaker. Some write out their speeches word for word and then commit the entire speech to memory. Too often the memorized speech results in a stilted, inflexible pres­entation. Others think through their ideas carefully, writing down only the barest skeleton of an outline. The best course is carefully to plan the speech and to outline it in detail. Writing out a complete draft is helpful but the wording should not be committed to memory. The speaker should practice his speech out loud, choosing his words each time as he goes along.

By practicing a variety of words the speaker will de­velop a flexibility of expression. The outline should be used to fix firmly in mind the sequence of ideas. With practice the gist and order of the speech will be im­pressed upon his mind.

As the speaker practices he may feel impelled at vari­ous points to gesture and to emphasize certain words and thoughts. Gestures and emphasis so added are all to the good. The value of gestures is that they assist in the communication of ideas, help to hold the audience’s attention and serve as an outlet for the speaker’s tension, thereby increasing his self-confidence.

To help make a good impression, the speaker should look directly at his hearers. Just as he would do in speak­ing to a group of three or four, he will turn from one member of the audience to another taking in as many as he can. The speaker must convey the impression that he is talking to his audience individually and not gazing over their heads. The audience want to feel a sense of personal relationship as if the speaker were engaging them in a conversation. Nothing is quite so important a means* of establishing personal contact with the audience as the simple device of looking them in the eye.

Getting across to the audience the central theme or idea is a matter that overshadows practically all else.

Clear organization of the speech is the first essential. If the speaker is making his point in an earnest and enthusi­astic way, the audience will not only listen but will overlook many faults in form. The speaker should use specific data and examples of the point he is trying to make. He must be precise. An audience is not likely to accept vaguely expressed ideas.

If the object of the speech is to inform, the main purpose is to increase the audience’s store of knowledge. To do this effectively the speaker must present enough concrete examples and precise information to avoid becoming vague and dry.

* so important a means – the indefinite article is placed between an adjective and a noun, if an adjective is preceded by the emphatic adverbs so or too: He had never been in so grand a house. It is too expensive a pleasure. It was too difficult a task to perform.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14