Henry Dickson, Orison Swett Marden
HOW TO SPEAK IN PUBLIC
Wit and Methods of Great Orators and Lecturers
Published by
Books
- Advanced Digital Solutions & High-Quality eBook Formatting -
2017 OK Publishing
ISBN 978-80-7583-970-1
Table of Contents
CHAPTER II. Wit, Humor, Pathos, Climaxes and Methods of Great Orators and Lecturers
CHAPTER III. Securing the Confidence of the Audience
CHAPTER IV. The Peroration: The Climax: The Closing
CHAPTER V. The Value of Repetition and Suggestion
CHAPTER VI. How to Make Speeches That Will Have Effect
CHAPTER VII. How to be Heard When Speaking in Public
CHAPTER X. The Study of Shakespeare
CHAPTER XII. Scripture and Shakespeare Parallels
CHAPTER XIII. Ready-Made Speechlets, Toasts, Quotations, Anecdotes for Every Occasion
CHAPTER XIV. Masterpieces of Oratory, Poetry, Choice Selections, Etc.
Self-Improvement Through Public Speaking and If You Can Talk Well (by Orison Swett Marden)
Inspirational Thoughts for Public Speakers and Writers
Celebrated Passages from the Best Orations and Writings
Over One Thousand Topics for Orations, Speeches, Essays, Etc.
Look to this Day, for it is Life–the very Life of Life. In its brief course lie all the verities and realities of your existence: the bliss of Growth, the glory of Action, the splendor of Beauty. For yesterday is already a dream and tomorrow is only a vision; but to-day, well-lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every a tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore, to this Day. Such is the salutation of the Dawn.
Sanskrit
PART I
CHAPTER I.
Preliminary Steps
The prospective public speaker should memorize and recite the beginnings, climaxes and endings of great orations until they become thoroughly familiar. He will be encouraged to note how certain sentences, phrases and words may be used many times, being combined a little differently in each speech. Demosthenes as well as other famous Greek orators followed the same practice. Demosthenes had a book containing fifty or more stock perorations, climaxes, beginnings, endings, anecdotes, illustrations and form paragraphs which he used repeatedly throughout even his greatest orations, though often with suitable variations. The same general plan is admirably adapted to the modern speaker. A familiarity with the principles of public speaking should not be left to clergymen, lawyers, statesmen, professors, lecturers and politicians only, since every one may be sure that sometime it will be greatly to his advantage to be able to speak distinctly, to the purpose, gracefully, and with genuine fire.
Those engaged in different trades, professions and departments of commerce have organizations for the protection and promotion of their respective vocations, and practically these associations have become debating societies, reaching conclusions and forming rules which cannot be ignored by those whose business interests are involved. The doctor is often summoned to testify in court, perhaps he is associated with the faculty of some medical college, where he is called upon to lecture. The business man is frequently placed upon educational committees; the farmer called upon at agricultural meetings; the employee to explain business affairs to his employer; in fact, there is no position in life that cannot be benefitted and advanced by a knowledge of public speaking. An excellent exercise is that of paraphrasing, translating written thought into one’s own words as rapidly as possible. This can be applied to popular poems and public speeches. It can be done orally and with as much vigor and variety of voice utterance as the subject would naturally suggest.
Paraphrasing has stood the test of time and its regular practice will do more to increase mental activity than any other exercise. It is an aid to clear expression, improves the phraseology and increases the vocabulary, and fluency in speaking can be acquired in no better way.
To paraphrase an idea is to express the same meaning in different words. It was Lincoln’s favorite method, as the student will note in Chapter II.
While reading aloud,