Public Speaking: Principles and Practice
Anne Soulard, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
This book is designed to set forth the main principles of effective platform delivery, and to provide a large body of material for student practice. The work laid out may be used to form a separate course of study, or a course of training running parallel with a course in debating or other original speaking. It has been prepared with a view also to that large number who want to speak, or have to speak, but cannot have the advantage of a teacher. Much is therefore said in the way of caution, and untechnical language is used throughout.
The discussion of principles in Part One is intended as a help towards the student's understanding of his task, and also as a common basis of criticism in the relation between teacher and pupil. The preliminary fundamental work of Part Two, Technical Training, deals first with the right formation of tone, the development of voice as such, the securing of a fixed right vocal habit. Following comes the adapting of this improved voice to the varieties of use, or expressional effect, demanded of the public speaker. After this critical detailed drill, the student is to take the platform, and apply his acquired technique to continued discourse, receiving criticism after each entire piece of work.
The question as to what should be the plan and the content of Part Three, Platform Practice, has been determined simply by asking what are the distinctly varied conditions under which men most frequently speak. It is regarded as profitable for the student to practice, at least to some extent, in all the several kinds of speech here chosen. In thus cultivating versatility, he will greatly enlarge his power of expression, and will, at length, discover wherein lies his own special capability.
The principal aim in choosing the selections has been to have them sufficiently alive to be attractive to younger speakers, and not so heavy as to be unsuited to their powers. Some of them have proved effective by use; many others are new. In all cases they are of good quality.
Irvah Lester Winter
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PUBLIC SPEAKING PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE
CONTENTS
PREFACE INTRODUCTION
PART ONE
A DISCUSSION OF PRINCIPLES
PART TWO
TECHNICAL TRAINING
PART THREE
PLATFORM PRACTICE
ARGUMENT AND PERSUASION
INTRODUCTION
PART ONE
A DISCUSSION OF PRINCIPLES
TECHNICAL TRAINING
VOCAL FLEXIBILITY
THE FORMATION OF WORDS
MAKING THE POINT
INDICATING VALUES AND RELATIONS
EXPRESSING THE FEELING
SHOWING THE PICTURE
EXPRESSION BY ACTION
PLATFORM PRACTICE
THE PUBLIC LECTURE
THE INFORMAL DISCUSSION
ARGUMENTATIVE SPEECH
THE AFTER-DINNER SPEECH
THE OCCASIONAL POEM
THE MAKING OF THE SPEECH
REVIEW EXERCISES
PART TWO
TECHNICAL TRAINING
O SCOTIA!
O ROME! MY COUNTRY!
RING OUT, WILD BELLS!
ROLL ON, THOU DEEP!
THOU, TOO, SAIL ON!
O TIBER, FATHER TIBER!
MARULLUS TO THE ROMAN CITIZENS
THE RECESSIONAL
THE CRADLE OF LIBERTY
THE IMPEACHMENT OF WARREN HASTINGS
BUNKER HILL
THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS
VOCAL FLEXIBILITY
CĘSAR, THE FIGHTER
OFFICIAL DUTY
LOOK WELL TO YOUR SPEECH
HAMLET TO THE PLAYERS
BELLARIO'S LETTER
CASCA, SPEAKING OF CĘSAR
SQUANDERING OF THE VOICE
THE TRAINING OF THE GENTLEMAN
MAKING THE POINT
BRUTUS TO THE ROMAN CITIZENS
THE PRECEPTS OF POLONIUS
THE HIGH STANDARD
ON TAXING THE COLONIES
JUSTIFYING THE PRESIDENT
BRITAIN AND AMERICA
VALUES AND TRANSITIONS
KING ROBERT OF SICILY
LAYING THE ATLANTIC CABLE
O'CONNELL, THE ORATOR
JUSTIFICATION FOR IMPEACHMENT
WENDELL PHILLIPS, THE ORATOR
ON THE DISPOSAL OF PUBLIC LANDS
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
EXPRESSING THE FEELING
NORTHERN GREETING TO SOUTHERN VETERANS
MATCHES AND OVERMATCHES
THE COALITION
IN HIS OWN DEFENSE
ON RESISTANCE TO GREAT BRITAIN
INVECTIVE AGAINST LOUIS BONAPARTE
SHOWING THE PICTURE
MOUNT, THE DOGE OF VENICE!
THE REVENGE
A VISION OF WAR
SUNSET NEAR JERUSALEM
A RETURN IN TRIUMPH
A RETURN IN DEFEAT
EXPRESSION BY ACTION
IN OUR FOREFATHERS' DAY
CASSIUS AGAINST CĘSAR
THE SPIRIT OF THE SOUTH
SOMETHING RANKLING HERE
FAITH IN THE PEOPLE
THE FRENCH AGAINST HAYTI
THE NECESSITY OF FORCE
AGAINST WAR WITH MEXICO
THE MURDER OF LOVEJOY
DEPICTING CHARACTER
A TALE OF THE PLAINS
GUNGA DIN
ADDRESS OF SERGEANT BUZFUZ
A NATURAL PHILOSOPHER
RESPONSE TO A TOAST
PARTRIDGE AT THE PLAY
A MAN'S A MAN FOR A' THAT
ARTEMUS WARD'S LECTURE
JIM BLUDSO, OF THE PRAIRIE BELLE
THE TRIAL OF ABNER BARROW
PART THREE
PLATFORM PRACTICE
THE BENEFITS OF A COLLEGE EDUCATION
WHAT THE COLLEGE GIVES
MEMORIAL DAY ADDRESS
WILLIAM MCKINLEY
ROBERT E. LEE
FAREWELL ADDRESS TO THE UNITED STATES SENATE
THE DEATH OF GARFIELD
THE SECOND INAUGURAL ADDRESS
THE DEATH OF PRINCE ALBERT
AN APPRECIATION OF MR. GLADSTONE
WILLIAM E. GLADSTONE
THE SOLDIER'S CREED
COMPETITION IN COLLEGE
A MASTER OF THE SITUATION
WIT AND HUMOR
A MESSAGE TO GARCIA
SHAKESPEARE'S "MARK ANTONY"
ANDR. AND HALE
THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON
THE HOMES OF THE PEOPLE
GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT
AMERICAN COURAGE
THE MINUTEMEN OF THE REVOLUTION
PAUL REVERE'S RIDE
THE ARTS OF THE ANCIENTS
A MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY
THE EXECUTION OF RODRIGUEZ
THE INFORMAL DISCUSSION
THE FLOOD OF BOOKS
EFFECTIVENESS IN SPEAKING
BOOKS, LITERATURE, AND THE PEOPLE
EDUCATION FOR BUSINESS
THE BEGINNINGS OF AMERICAN ORATORY
DANIEL WEBSTER, THE MAN
THE ENDURING VALUE OF SPEECH
TO COLLEGE GIRLS
THE ART OF ACTING
ADDRESS TO THE FRESHMAN CLASS AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY
WITH TENNYSON AT FARRINGFORD
NOTES ON SPEECH-MAKING
HUNTING THE GRIZZLY
ARGUMENT AND PERSUASION
ON RETAINING THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
SPEECH OF WILLIAM MCKINLEY
DEBATE ON THE TARIFF
SPEECH OF CHARLES F. CRISP
SOUTH CAROLINA AND MASSACHUSETTS
REPLY BY DANIEL WEBSTER
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
NOMINATING ULYSSES S. GRANT
THE CHOICE OF A PARTY
NOMINATING JOHN SHERMAN
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
THE CALL TO DEMOCRATS
NOMINATING WOODROW WILSON
DEMOCRATIC FAITH
ENGLAND AND AMERICA
ON HOME RULE IN IRELAND
THE LEGAL PLEA
THE DARTMOUTH COLLEGE CASE
IN DEFENSE OF THE KENNISTONS
IN DEFENCE OF JOHN E. COOK
IN DEFENSE OF THE SOLDIERS
IN DEFENSE OF LORD GEORGE GORDON
PRONOUNCING SENTENCE FOR HIGH TREASON
THE IMPEACHMENT OF ANDREW JOHNSON
THE AFTER-DINNER SPEECH
AT A UNIVERSITY CLUB DINNER
THE EVACUATION OF NEW YORK
TIES OF KINSHIP
CANADA, ENGLAND, AND THE UNITED STATES
MONSIEUR AND MADAME
THE TYPICAL AMERICAN
THE PILGRIM MOTHERS
BRIGHT LAND TO WESTWARD
WOMAN
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
TO ATHLETIC VICTORS
THE BABIES
THE OCCASIONAL POEM
CHARLES DICKENS
THE MARINERS OF ENGLAND
CLASS POEM
A TROOP OF THE GUARD
THE BOYS
THE ANECDOTE
THE MOB CONQUERED
AN EXAMPLE OF FAITH
THE RAIL-SPLITTER
O'CONNELL'S WIT
A RELIABLE TEAM
MEG'S MARRIAGE
OUTDOING MRS. PARTINGTON
CIRCUMSTANCE NOT A CAUSE
MORE TERRIBLE THAN THE LIONS
IRVING, THE ACTOR
WENDELL PHILLIPS'S TACT
BAKED BEANS AND CULTURE
SECRETARY CHASE'S CHIN-FLY
REVIEW EXERCISES
TONE
INFLECTION
ENUNCIATION
REVIEW EXERCISES
EMPHASIS
MELODY
FEELING
TONE COLOR
VARIETY—IN PITCH, TIME, FORCE, COLOR, AND MODULATION
GESTURE
CHARACTERIZATION