Rhetoric exercise. Oratory for beginners: exercises and rules. Classic home exercises on rhetoric

18.05.2020

What is public speaking? This is the art of public speaking with the goal of convincing the listener of a particular idea using a combination of various techniques. The art of rhetoric itself originated in Ancient Greece And Ancient Rome and has undergone many changes under the pressure of changing eras.

The importance of rhetoric for human life remains unchanged. Public speaking, first and foremost, teaches you how to be confident and how to instill that confidence in your audience. Good speakers achieve their desired heights in any field, be it their own business or a teaching career.

Rhetoric opens many doors to new opportunities, but becoming a speaker does not happen overnight. In order to master this art, rhetoric training is necessary, which can be completed independently or in specialized classes. This article examines the main pillars of the art of rhetoric.

The first training is dedicated to writing. Preparation of an oratorical speech before a speech is the basis on which the art of oratory is built. A carefully crafted speech is already half a step towards a successful speech. So, work on speech is usually carried out in several stages.

First you need to collect information and study it thoroughly. It is very important to consult several sources in order to consider the issue from different angles. The speaker should be well-versed not only in all current news, but also in the main trends in all areas of human life. Take sufficient time to study the information. At the end of this stage, you need to structure the collected information.
Next, when working on a speech, the speaker must think about how to attract his audience. The speaker's speech always has as its goal one or another effect on the listener. When preparing for a performance, it is necessary to study the audience, their interests, communication style, etc. The success of a speech is measured by whether the desired effect was achieved or not. To achieve it, you need to speak in a language that the public understands about what interests them.
Learning rhetoric is also about building the purpose of your speech. Aimless ranting in front of the public is the lot of a demagogue. Such speeches do not attract the necessary audience. That is why you need to learn to put at the forefront of your speech this or that pressing problem that needs to be solved. Its solution is the purpose of the speech, uniting the audience and the speaker.
The public trusts the speaker who reveals himself to them as a person. Therefore, it is very important to include your own thoughts on the issue under discussion. Few people will listen to a speaker who does not have a clear position. To do this, you need to pass through your experience and your worldview all the information collected and form your own position.

Oratory is, first of all, the ability to prepare a speech so that it captures the attention of the target audience.

It is equally important to properly prepare for the performance itself.

Preparing for the performance

The rules of public speaking state that any speech must be well planned.

Although the speaker must also be prepared for spontaneous speech. To prepare a speech, the following scheme is usually used.

First of all, you need to give up speaking on paper. You can leave on paper only an outline and short notes about important points that need to be mentioned. Thus, it is better to learn the main part of the speech. This is why public speaking skills include an excellent memory that needs to be trained regularly.
Teaching public speaking also involves following the structure of a speech. This gives the speech logic and integrity. It is necessary to clearly limit the introduction, main part and conclusion. It is advisable to devote Special attention namely the introduction, since at this moment the public’s attitude towards the speaker begins to form.
It is recommended to think in advance organizational matters performances, that is, if possible, familiarize yourself with the performance area, discuss with the organizers technical issues regarding the operation of microphones, prepare water, etc.
Public speaking skills not only include various speaking abilities, but also the ability to look good. A speaker should always look neat because appearance– this is the first thing the public pays attention to.

Oratory teaches you to attract people and lead them, which is practically necessary for many professions. However, one is not born an excellent speaker, so teaching rhetoric has been relevant since ancient times to this day.

Techniques of a good speaker

Oratory techniques - what are they? These are well-known tricks that a speaker uses to make a speech accessible to the audience and to increase the digestibility of information. There are a huge number of such techniques. Below are two basic public speaking techniques.

Comparison. Often the speaker's speech is replete with abstract descriptions that are difficult to imagine in the mind. Since information is better perceived when it receives a figurative projection in the mind, the speaker resorts to comparisons that make the abstract more material. To convey a certain mood, the speaker sometimes uses hidden comparisons– metaphors.
Repeat. Everyone knows the expression “Repetition is the mother of learning.” The art of public speaking often refers to this saying, because the more often a person receives the same information, the more firmly it is fixed in his mind. It is very important for a speaker to convey to the listener main idea his speech, which is helped by appropriate repetition of the key idea.

In addition to comparison and repetition, the rules of oratory also advise resorting to allegories, rhetorical questions, appeals, hyperboles, irony and other means of speech expression.

Speech technique

Speaking in front of an audience is a kind of... physical labor. Speakers know that this is often difficult. Oratory and the art of speech requires the speaker to work on the technique of delivering a speech, which includes the following aspects.

Breath

During active speech, the pace of a person’s breathing changes: inhalation becomes shorter and exhalation becomes longer. The rules of oratory require special exercises to establish speech breathing. During inhalation, the speaker requires a larger volume of air, as well as more economical consumption of it during speech. In addition, the evenness of breathing is affected by anxiety, which you need to learn to get rid of.

Volume

Oratory and the art of speech lies in the ability to control one’s own voice. A speaker should be equally good at speaking loudly and softly depending on the situation. Also, within one speech, it is necessary to highlight the main information using changes in the tone of voice.

Diction

Intelligible speech is clear and clear. To achieve the correct pronunciation of sounds and syllables, speakers carefully monitor the work of their articulatory apparatus and regularly train their diction using tongue twisters.

Pace

Rhetoric oratory tends to average the pace of speech delivery. The speaker should not shoot words like a machine gun, nor should he drawl out his words. As a rule, in the process of learning and gaining experience, the speaker manages to find the most comfortable speech rate for himself and for the listener.

Intonation

Intonation changes make speech bright, lively and more accessible to perception. Expressive reading helps train intonation fiction aloud.

Any undertaking, at first glance, seems difficult, but do not be afraid. With the right approach and diligent study, any craft or art can be mastered—even one as demanding as rhetoric.

Oratory is one of the most valuable skills that will help you concisely, beautifully and without special problems convey your point of view to your interlocutor. There are people who are natural speakers; just give them a topic and you can listen for hours. But what should those who want to master these skills do, but nature has not given them innate abilities?
Oratory, like any other skill, can be developed, trained, and improved. In this article we will give 6 useful tips, thanks to which you can develop incredible abilities, and in less than a month speak freely in public, concentrating the attention of listeners on your speech.

1. What causes greatest difficulties for beginning speakers? As a rule, this is an insufficient vocabulary and limited vocabulary. The solution is simple, you need to talk, talk and talk again. You can do this at home. Take any item you see - a hairdryer, a vase, a frying pan, in general, it doesn’t matter what it is. And then, for 5 minutes, try to talk about it, characterize all the features of this item, explain how wonderful and necessary it is. It will be difficult at first, but over time you will easily cope with this task. When you see that five minutes is not enough, then increase the time, say 10, 20, 30 minutes. I knew people who, without any problems, could talk for hours on a given topic, and never repeat themselves in phrases or thoughts.

3. Rate of speech is another feature worth mastering. Watch how you speak. The listener may not be able to understand speech that is too fast, while speech that is slow will lead to boredom. Try to maintain pauses, highlight the right places with intonations, raise and lower your voice, thereby attracting the attention of the audience.

4. Talking about subjects at home is good, but in order to hone the skill of oratory, you need to communicate more with real people. The easiest way to hone public speaking is for students. You have access to speeches in front of your group, and during the speech you can track the reaction, behavior of the audience, their mood and desire to listen.

5. Your speech should not be dry. Try to use sayings and quotes from time to time famous people, as well as humor. By the way, humor plays a very important role. The ability to make a timely and apt joke is the quality of a good speaker who can hold his audience without any problems and, at the right moment, relieve accumulated tension.

Over time, as you expand your lexicon, and begin to apply all the acquired knowledge in practice, you will notice how your speech has changed, how your interlocutor carefully listens to every word spoken, how the audience closely follows your statements and phrases.

Rhetoric is the science of speech, correct and beautiful methods of communication that can convince anyone that the speaker is right and create the ground for further convictions. This art is studied in modern educational institutions, because the word is a powerful tool if used correctly. The main goal of rhetoric is to teach how to communicate in order to feel confident in any situation.

The emergence of rhetoric is considered to be the 5th century BC. e. Ancient Greece was the first in modern Europe to form the foundations of science. At that time, stylistics and grammar were studied in Ancient Greece. The Greeks were the first to systematize knowledge of rhetoric and created a large number of treatises on this topic, and some of them are studied even in our time.

Cicero - one of the most famous orators of Ancient Rome

The Romans became interested in the art of rhetoric after the conquest of Greece, when the traditions of these countries began to mix, and the empire actively borrowed the knowledge of its provinces. Art began to flourish in the Senate, courts, and public meetings.

There were some differences between the styles of rhetoric, since the Romans were less educated than the Greeks. The conquerors' speech was littered with digressions, stories, and stylistic nuances. Despite this, eloquence was still a powerful tool for orators. There were cases when in ancient Rome high government positions were occupied by people who were skilled in speech, and this was their main advantage in the political struggle, as we can learn from historical references.

Appearance in Russia

In ancient times, this art was modified and supplemented with useful techniques. Church leaders also began to use rhetoric, actively attracting new flocks to their faith and presenting irrefutable verbal evidence against heretics. The concept of rhetoric came to Russia from European countries in the 18th century.

Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov

The emergence of oratory coincided with the spread of Christianity. It was most often called “the gift of eloquence.” A little later, Lomonosov created the “Russian Grammar”, which included the “Rules of Eloquence”. Such people were considered good speakers politicians, like Stolypin, Trotsky. A little less, but still Lenin succeeded in understanding this science.

Oratory skills can be developed independently. Speech development requires training, accompanied by constant self-reflection, corrections and additions to skills. You need to notice all the mistakes that are made in order to try to correct them during the next conversation.

use the right tempo. An important feature that needs to be learned. It is imperative to monitor the speed of the conversation, since speech that is too fast does not have time to be absorbed by the listener, slow speech puts you to sleep and makes you become inattentive to phrases. Try to highlight important points with intonation and change the pitch of your voice. This attracts attention and prevents the interlocutor from getting bored;
communicate with people. To improve communication skills, talking about things at home is not enough. It takes practice to communicate live. To relieve accumulated tension during a long story, you need to use jokes that can be prepared in advance;
use retreats. Sayings, humor, quotes from great people make speech less dry, allow you to make speech more demonstrative;
put your vote. Pronunciation must be clear and correct. You should pronounce consonants and pronounce any sounds clearly;
Talk about topics that interest others. You can start with one true statement, and then smoothly lead to another, necessary to achieve the goal;
maintain neutrality. The speaker should strive to reach agreement with everyone. Even if the interlocutor or several people are wrong, you should say “Yes, that’s true, but...”, after which you can prove your point of view.

Improving speech

To develop public speaking skills, you should practice. Otherwise, you won't be able to master them. To improve there is a set of exercises:

Relieving muscle tension. The point is to make the conversation process easier. To do this you should:
- stretch your shoulders, neck rotational movements. The head should move as if under its own weight;
- warm up your forearms and hands as often as possible, rotate your joints in your shoulders;
- use circular movements of the arms at the elbows;
Articulatory. They develop and train the lips, cheeks, tongue, hard and soft palate, and lower jaw. The flexibility of the speech apparatus is developed, the muscles necessary for better pronunciation of sounds are strengthened. Tension is relieved from the muscles and they relax. You need to do the following:
- Use your tongue to clean the gums in both directions. Make “injections” in the cheeks, pull it out as far as possible, change its shape. Make sounds similar to a horse galloping;
- Rotate your lips in different directions, stretch them out. Capture the air with outstretched lips, tense and relax. There will be ease and clarity when speaking;
- puff out your cheeks, roll the air in your mouth from one cheek to the other. It is necessary to warm them up, otherwise the voice will be flabby;
- say to yourself without opening your mouth various words, sounds. The pharynx is trained, as a result of which the sound becomes loud and deep;
- Use your hands to gently open your jaw. Muscle efforts and excess tension are relieved.
Improving pronunciation, increasing vocabulary. List of exercises:
- reading aloud. Counts the best way improve public speaking skills. Diction improves, vocabulary increases, speech brightness increases, emotional coloring. You should read slowly, pronouncing each word. The text is pronounced not in a reader's tone, but in a conversational one;
- speaking tongue twisters. Diction is effectively trained by pronouncing words and sounds at maximum speed. Correct articulation is developed, and slips of the tongue occur less frequently.

When reading, each sound is pronounced clearly, the speed increases gradually. The main thing is to monitor the correct pronunciation, only then speed up your speech. For convenience, you need to create a picture of what is happening in your head and try to understand the words you read. You should not stop working on one phrase until the errors completely disappear.

If possible, keep a dictaphone recording of both the material read from the book and the tongue twisters. In this way, speech deficiencies found after listening can be eliminated.

There are many exercises that develop pronunciation and improve speaking skills. The above options are quite sufficient for beginner speakers. With their help you can achieve considerable success. The main thing in public speaking is to not stop developing, constantly improving your skills, and speaking as much as possible.

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In almost all countries with developed market economies, from the USA to Japan, special speech training is included in the system of compulsory educational minimum. It is in these countries that Napoleon’s famous statement “He who cannot speak will not make a career” has long been thoroughly tested by life. And if in Ancient Greece rhetoric teachers received the usual salary for teaching speech skills, in our time such a famous entrepreneur as John Rockefeller considered it necessary “to pay much more for the ability to communicate than for any other product.” In other words, owning a skillful Word today is not only prestigious, but also economically profitable. Such a Word along with good vocational training– the basis of business and personal success. And if for you, career, success, and ambitions are not just a set of words, but specific goals and conscious aspirations, rhetoric lessons will help you implement your plans.

Our first lesson, like any introduction, will be devoted to introducing the content of the course as a whole. It is necessary to clearly understand the range of issues, having studied which, you will master the art of speech and be able to become a winner in a speech competition with your opponent. The main pillars in our movement to the heights of speech mastery will be the recommendations of professionals in the field rhetorical knowledge, data from modern humanities, the experience of the great masters of the Word. And as an epigraph we will choose the famous expression of Cicero: “Eloquence is something that is more difficult than it seems, and is born from a lot of knowledge and effort.” It was no coincidence that Cicero put effort after knowledge. Only by understanding well why this or that knowledge is needed will a person try to master it.

What is it verbal communication? Aristotle, whose role in the development of classical rhetoric is most significant, answered this question like this: “Any speech is composed of three elements: from the speaker himself, from the subject about which he speaks, and from the person to whom he addresses; this is the ultimate goal of everything; (I mean the listener).” Therefore, starting from the classical period of Ancient Greece and up to the present time, teaching speech skills has been carried out in three interrelated directions:

1) preparation is good talking man;

2) preparation of a speech work, i.e. ability to compose good speech on a given topic;

3) preparing a good listener.

It is clear that in real verbal communication the speaker and the listener, as a rule, constantly change places, sometimes creating a common speech work.

How is a speech message transmitted from one interlocutor to another? In answering this question, modern rhetoric is primarily based on the data of modern psychological science. We will briefly dwell on those of them that are of fundamental importance for understanding the essence of speech interaction.

When a person begins to speak and his interlocutor begins to listen, two types of information are exchanged between them. The first type is always consciously transmitted information. It is framed in certain judgments or statements, for example: “The weather is nice today,” “Smoking is harmful to your health,” “Rhetoric lessons will help you achieve professional success,” etc. When transmitting this type of information, all the attention of the initiator of communication is focused on the question “What do I want to say so that I am understood correctly?” At the same time, in addition to this consciously transmitted information, speech signals are sent from the speaker to the listener to which he usually does not pay attention. Today it is well known that almost all the characteristics of a person’s character, his education, social, ethnic, psychological, age, and professional status are manifested in his speech characteristics. Therefore, the ancient Roman rhetorician Quintilian argued: “We listen not to speech, but to the person who speaks,” emphasizing the unique significance of speech in the life of any person. Thus, the second type of information is always information about the personality of the speaker himself. Why have we described these two types of information in such detail? In order to emphasize their different roles in transmitting a message and in its perception. The fact is that when perceiving a speech message, the listener first of all reacts to the personality of the speaker and only after that perceives the meaning of the message. And if the assessment of the speaking person is positive, then his rational arguments are perceived faster and easier. If the interlocutor’s assessment is negative, then reluctance to agree with his logical statements is almost inevitable. From here first rule competent behavior in verbal communication: in order to convince your interlocutor of anything, you must first make him want to communicate with you as a pleasant and charming person.

How to achieve this? This is only possible if all the speech signals that you send to your listener are first of all positively assessed at the level of his subconscious. Why does the listener’s subconscious play a decisive role in assessing the speaker’s personality? Because today it is already reliably known that up to 80% of the information received from the outside is perceived by a person without the control of his consciousness. But it is this information to a large extent, and sometimes completely (when using special manipulative technologies), that determines our, as it seems to us, rational and conscious assessments and actions. It is at the subconscious level that your interlocutor should have a desire to communicate with you as a pleasant person, which you yourself will form with speech signals given rhetorically competently. Therefore, it is so important to understand what signals and how should influence the listener’s subconscious in order to ensure that a positive assessment is formulated towards you.

The first group of such signals provides the sound design of speech and, when assessing a masterfully sounding word, is defined as euphony. The sound of speech that is comfortable for the listener, and therefore a positive assessment of the interlocutor as a whole, is achieved by such characteristics of the speaking person’s voice as melody, sonority, clear articulation, good pronunciation, a calm tone free from irritation, and a moderate pace of speech.

Let's make a few important clarifications. The voice is an instrument. And just like any musical instrument must be tuned before it starts playing, our voice also requires the same tune. Therefore, there cannot be a bad voice by nature. If there are no pathological abnormalities, any voice can be properly tuned and “educated.” Of course, this is not an easy job. Suffice it to say that in theater universities, voice training takes more than one semester. And since our assessment begins with our sound, it is necessary to master some techniques that allow us to acquire euphony of speech.

Your voice will be sonorous, flexible, and beautiful only if correct speech (phonation) breathing is developed. To do this, with the help of special training, it is necessary to develop a mixed or diaphragmatic-costal type of breathing. The male type of breathing is closest to it. It is no coincidence that most of the great speakers of the past were men. They already by nature had the basis of breathing necessary for mastering the art of oratory. During normal breathing, we do not care about how we exhale or where it is directed. During speech breathing, exhalation is specially organized; the stream of exhaled air should be focused at one point. The rhythm of phonation breathing differs sharply from the usual: here the inhalation is 10–15 times shorter than the exhalation. And with well-trained breathing, the exhalation can easily be distributed into 25 or even 30 full portions. Why do we dwell in such detail on these characteristics of speech breathing? Because speech is a voiced exhalation of air. When speech is formed, sounds are formed during exhalation. Air passes through the larynx and causes the vocal cords to vibrate. The resulting sounds are amplified by resonators - a natural acoustic system - and are then perceived by the listener. Therefore, the main thing in “cultivating” a beautiful voice is training in long exhalation and skillful use of sound amplifiers.

Starting your workout respiratory muscles, first of all you need to check the activity of the diaphragm. To do this, while lying down, place the palm of your left hand on the area between the chest and abdomen and, after exhaling, inhale, trying not to lift your chest. If your hand rises when you inhale, it means the diaphragm has lowered and is working correctly. Take a few breaths and watch the movement of your arm (i.e. your diaphragm). If the hand remains motionless during inhalation, then the diaphragm is acting sluggishly and its activity should be developed with the help of training exercises. Such exercises are contained in all textbooks on speech technique, so in our lesson we will limit ourselves to only those that can be easily mastered on our own.

Exercise "Exhale through a straw" allows you to purchase the necessary support for sound - a “speech belt”. Imagine that you are exhaling air through a thin straw: you purse your lips into a “proboscis” and exhale with effort, so that you begin to feel the movement of the muscles of the abdominal cavity and back. As you continue to exhale through the straw, hum your favorite tune to further activate your diaphragm and abdominal muscles.

Repeat this exercise several times. Some of you may find these exercises uninteresting, boring and even unnecessary. But just as it is impossible to build a beautiful building without a solid foundation, so a person will not be able to speak confidently, convincingly and beautifully without a good and a solid speech technical foundation. That is why teaching speech skills always begins with such a section of rhetoric as speech technique.

Only after practicing and strengthening your speech breathing skills can you begin to “train” your voice.

The most informativeThe quality of a “well-mannered” voice is its timbre. The ease of perception by the listener of the meaning of the statement depends on how expressive the timbre coloring of the voice is. With the help of timbre, a wide variety of information about the speaker can be conveyed: gender, age, health status, level of education, etc. According to experts, based on the timbre coloring, a listener, even without seeing the speaker, can almost accurately imagine his facial expressions. This means that it is the timbre of the voice, among all sound signals, that most accurately reflects a person’s true feelings, which is perceived by the listener on a subconscious level. In speech technical terms, the timbre coloring of the voice depends on the volume of the resonators, the shape and volume of the trachea, and the tightness of the closure of the vocal cords. Let's make a few more important clarifications. The pharynx, facial sinuses, dome of the hard palate, cranium, that is, what is located in our natural acoustic system above the ligaments is called the upper resonator system. The cavities located under the ligaments, and primarily the thoracic cavity, represent a lower system of resonators. If the sound is directed to the lower resonators, then the chest register of the voice is turned on, giving the voice velvety, warmth and charm. If the sound is directed to the upper resonators, then the voice becomes sonorous, harsh and often loud. If the voice sounds very low, you should use the upper (head) resonator, and if the tone is too harsh, high, use the lower (chest) resonator. Only in this case will the voice acquire a sound that is comfortable for the listener’s ear.

The following simple exercises will allow you to significantly diversify the palette of the sound of your voice and thereby ensure its euphony.

Exercise "Clapping" allows you to increase the volume of the upper resonators, which gives the voice a sonority, sonority, good audibility and flight .

1. Click your tongue, imitating the ringing clatter of hooves. Do this exercise for 10–15 seconds, changing the position of your lips from pursed to open in a wide smile. Watch for changes in the color of the clicking sounds depending on the width of the mouth opening. You can perform this exercise using the melody of the famous songs “Tachanka”, “Song about Shchors”.

2. “Praise is blasphemy.” Whisper any phrases, but first as praise to something or someone, and then as criticism. It is known that positive emotions contribute to an increase in the volume of resonators, while negative ones lead to its reduction. Therefore, in the first case, with praise, the whisper acquires a “warm” sound, and the volume of the resonators is the largest. In the second case, the criticism is pronounced in a “cold” tone with the smallest volume of resonators.

Along with correct phonation breathing and timbre coloring of the voice, clarity and clarity in the pronunciation of speech sounds - diction - is of great importance to create an emotionally active and convincing speech. This issue requires separate consideration, so developing correct pronunciation skills, creating the best conditions for free and clear speech we will look at in the next lesson.

Concluding our first lesson, I would like to recall the statement of the famous expert in the field of public speaking, Frank Snell: “Do not allow your interlocutors to paint a false picture of your abilities through your speech deficiencies. Make your speech work for you." Modern rhetoric will help you achieve this goal.

The impression that a person makes on others can completely change his future in the first minutes of meeting him. Career, financial situation, relationships with friends and personal life depend on the ability to clearly and distinctly express one’s thoughts, the ability to hear and listen, to persuade and negotiate.

Rhetoric and oratory

Oratory is not just the ability to speak a lot and beautifully. A good speaker must master the basics of psychology and acting skills, philosophy and analytics. Its main goal is not just to convey certain information to the interlocutor, but also to arouse interest among the audience and encourage listeners to take certain actions.

10 Basic Rules of Rhetoric

In rhetoric, there are 10 components that influence the quality of speech and form the basis of oratory.

Objectivity

You should not present your own beliefs as an immutable truth. The speaker's speech must be unbiased and the information truthful;

Conciseness

Clarity

Clarity is the ability to explain complex things in simple words, present information in a form understandable to the interlocutor;

Imagery

Using real ones as examples life situations, comparisons and contrasts, evokes in the listener associations with familiar, well-known things. The feelings and emotions that arise in this case simplify the perception of information and make speech more memorable;

Feasibility

The main idea of what was said should be easily grasped and quickly remembered;

Voltage

The interlocutor needs to be captivated, interested, and, while maintaining intrigue and increasing the degree of tension, gradually bring him to the climax of the story;

Surprise

A non-standard approach and a fresh look at the situation increase the audience’s interest in the speaker and his speech;

Saturation

The listener should not be burdened with an abundance of difficult-to-understand terms and formulations; they should be interspersed with simple and easy-to-understand information;

Comic effect

Humor smooths out sharp corners, arouses the affection of the audience, and speeches, diluted with a good joke or appropriate witticism, are better remembered;

Style

You should not make pretentious and sublime speeches, but at the same time, what is said should not seem vulgar or vulgar. The choice of narrative style depends on its content and the target audience for which the speech is intended.