Theocratic Aid To Kingdom Publishers

Lesson 7

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GOOD SPEECH

The primary purpose of Biblical speaking is the praise and exaltation of Jehovah's name through communication of thought in order to convince by intellectual appeal, by reasoning or argumentation; to make the hearers believe; and then to stir them to action or works of faith by emo-

tional appeal, that is, by an appeal to their noblest feelings, or to the hearts of the hearers. In other words, the purpose of public speech is the communication of truth, and that in a vigorous, moving manner.

In sharp contrast with worldly public speakers, Jesus, who spoke as never before a man did, made himself of no reputation. He never endeavored to draw attention to himself. Isaiah, centuries before Jesus Christ became the man Jesus, prophesied of him and his way of speaking: "He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street [for public exhibition]." (Isa. 42:2) Isaiah did not mean to say that the Lord never spoke with a loud voice. On many occasions he addressed vast multitudes of people, and that in "streets" or public places. John 7:37 reads: "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink." Meek and lowly in heart as he was, he did not exhibit himself and his extraordinary qualities as a speaker by showy oratory aimed at provoking applause; nor did he exhibit his humility by speaking in a low, sweet and almost inaudible voice. He was a man and spoke as a man, and as a man should. He came to earth to glorify his Father, and his speeches were aimed toward that purpose.

This does not mean at all that one should use thundering tones all the time. The main purpose of good speech is more than to make the audience hear by shouting. Make them sit up and listen; and more than listen, make them understand; and even more than understand, make them act. If a speaker fails to win that ultimate response, which should be the aim of all good speaking, his efforts are wasted, even if in leaving the auditorium the people say, "What a speaker!"

The chief means to convince and stir an audience is warmth or enthusiasm of delivery. In other words, one should put his heart, his entire heart, into his talk. This is the essential of all essentials of good speaking. How can one expect to warm up his audience if he is not warmed up?

Only if he speaks out of the abundance and overflow of his heart will his words go to the heart of his hearers. If some in the audience doze off, the speaker should be the one first waked up.

Use proper volume. One will if he speaks with enthusiasm. If he speaks in a small room he should not shout: it will be unpleasant. If he is in a large auditorium he should not be soft-spoken: he will not be heard. Use proper volume and be easily understood by all.

Then be distinct. Without clear articulation one will not always be easily understood by all, though he might be heard by all.

Use modulation. That means contrast, a constant change of pitch, pace, and power. Now to illustrate this: If one speaks constantly in a high pitch he will "get on the nerves" of his listeners. If he constantly uses a low pitch he will be boomy and depressing. If he does not change his rate of delivery when he has to express something that should either have emphasis or be spoken as in parentheses, his pace will be so even it will lull his audience to sleep. Only variety and color, a constant change of volume, force, pitch and tempo, will hold interest and keep all awake.

Something very important in holding the attention of the audience is pauses, which are one of the means of modulation or contrast, here of contrast between sound and silence. The talks of beginners usually suffer from lack of pauses. Beginners seem to dread them, and therefore they rattle a speech through. They seem to fear that if they pause the audience might think they are through and will get up and leave. By a constant flow of words they try to prevent such a thing. Yet thus they rather invite a general exodus.

Then, use right sense stress, or proper amount of emphasis placed on the right, that is, thought-containing, word or words. Avoid lack of stress. Avoid overemphasis. Do not give the same amount of stress to everything uttered.

If one does, how will his hearers know what is of outstanding importance?

Another means to hold the attention is appropriate facial expression and gestures. In keeping with the message, be pleasant and genial, serious and in dead earnest, aroused and righteously indignant. Let the import of the spoken words be reflected in voice tone and facial expression. A speaker who does not show seriousness in delivery of a serious message will find that neither he nor his message will be taken seriously by his listeners. The continuously grinning and beaming speaker is a shallow bore. The material should determine the speaker's mental attitude and facial expression. Occasionally, by some spontaneous humorous remark, one may make his audience laugh. Such occasional laughter may add some spice to the speech. Do not studiously avoid it, neither misuse the educational platform for telling funny stories. Leave that to vain worldlings. Likewise in the use of gestures, do not make an exhibition of self by overworking them, but let them be tastefully used to add force to the spoken word.

An excellent means for holding the attention of an audience is poise. If the speaker is not well poised, if he lacks self-control and composure on the platform, he will perhaps gain the sympathy of his audience, especially if they are his friends; but he will not obtain their interest and will not be able to hold it to the material. If he is at ease, they are at ease. If he appears to be convinced of what he is saying, they are impressed.

To be sure, much labor and skill are spent in the preparation of a speech, but the delivery itself should be seemingly effortless. It should be informal and direct, just like good, animated conversation. Simply speak out of the abundance and overflow of the heart.