Chapter 13 - Previous Preparation - Physical

Health | Elocution | Appearance | Mental | General Knowledge | Memory | Rhetoric | Originality | Imagination | Personal Magnetism | Logical Instincts | Figures Of Oratory | Moral | Religion | Sympathy | Fearlessness | Self-renunciation | Perseverance And Industry | Strong Opinions And Convictions

Health

Health and bodily vigor are prerequisite conditions to success in public speaking. The distinguished orators of the world have almost invariably been men of strong vitality and commanding appearance. Burke, Brougham, Clay, Webster, Pinkney, Choate, Everett, Lincoln, Sumner, Hall, Spurgeon, Beecher, Gladstone, Brooks, and many others were men of this type. Robust health has a cheering influence and is a sweetener of work. To maintain this condition daily attention must be given to physical exercise, deep breathing, bathing, sleep, diet, and recreation.

Doctor Storrs names among specific conditions to success in preaching: Physical vigor, kept at its highest attainable point. He adds: '' The general and harmonious intellectual vigor, whereby one conceives subjects clearly and fully, analyzes them rapidly, sets them forth with exactness in an orderly presentation, and urges them powerfully on those who listen this requires opulence of health; a sustained and abounding physical vigor.”1

Doctor Watson's advice to preachers is equally applicable to other classes of speakers: 'l The working minister should have his study recharged with oxygen every hour, to sleep with his bedroom window open, to walk four miles a day, to play an outdoor game once a week, to have six weeks1 holiday a year and once in seven years three months all that his thought and teaching may be oxygenated and the fresh air of Christianity fill the souls of his people.''1

Elocution.

A public speaker must have a thorough practical knowledge of the art of elocution. The voice, face, arms, and body should be trained to respond with ease and accuracy. The voice and delivery can be highly developed even where the natural conditions seem unpromising. The great orators of the world have been untiring workers in this art. Demosthenes and Cicero subjected themselves for years to a rigorous course of vocal training. Chatham disciplined himself before a looking-glass. Curran, who stuttered in his speech, through diligent practise became one of the most eloquent forensic advocates the world has ever seen. Henry Clay, from young manhood, read and spoke daily upon the contents of some historical or scientific book. "These off-hand efforts," he says, "were made sometimes in a cornfield, at others in the forest, and not unfrequently in some distant barn, with the horse and ox for my auditors. It is to this early practise in the great art of all arts that I am indebted for the primary and leading impulses that stimulated me forward, and shaped and molded my entire subsequent destiny."

1Richard S. Storrs, D. D., Preaching tvithout Notes, p. 86.

Beecher tells of having been drilled incessantly for three years in posturing, gesture, and voice-culture. He was accustomed to practise in the open air, exploding all the vowels throughout the various pitches; and to this drill he attributes his possession of a flexible instrument that accommodated itself readily to all kinds of thought and feeling.2

Appearance.

An attractive personal appearance is of undoubted advantage to a speaker, as even the first impression made by him may determine his subsequent success or failure. Prejudices and preferences are formed by an audience quickly and unconsciously. The speaker who wishes to make the best impression, therefore, should make the most of himself. His clothes should be plain and in good style. Flashy jewelry should not be worn. He should remember that immaculate linen and scrupulous care of the nails, teeth and hair, are unmistakable signs of culture and refinement.

1Ian Maclaren, The Cure of Souls, p. 281.
8 Henry Ward Beecher, Yale Lectures on Preaching, p. 135.

MENTAL

1. General knowledge.

An ideal orator is necessarily a man of extensive knowledge. According to the ancients he should be well-grounded in religion, law, philosophy, history, logic, and numerous other subjects. Cicero, in speaking of the incredible magnitude and difficulty of the art as a reason for the scarcity of orators, says: "A knowledge of a vast number of things is necessary, without which volubility of words is empty and ridiculous; speech itself is to be formed, not merely by choice, but by careful construction of words; and all the emotions of the mind, which nature has given to man, must be intimately known; for all the force and art of speaking must be employed in allaying or exciting the feelings of those who listen. To this must be added a certain portion of grace and wit, learning worthy of a well-bred man, and quickness and brevity in replying as well as attacking, accompanied with a refined decorum and urbanity. Besides, the whole of antiquity and a multitude of examples are to be kept in the memory; nor is the knowledge of laws in general, or of the civil law in particular, to be neglected.''1

Modern writers on this subject, however, do not demand so much of an orator. Bautain says: ' * The orator's capital is that sum of science or knowledge which is necessary to him in order to speak pertinently upon any subject whatever; and science or knowledge is not extemporized. Al-tho knowledge does not give the talent for speaking, still he who knows well what he has to say, has many chances of saying it well, especially if he has a clear and distinct conception of it."

2. Memory.

An orator should have a good memory. If naturally defective, it can be greatly improved by judicious exercise. There are numerous systems for training the memory, but only a few suggestions can be offered here.

Correct methods of study and observation will produce a good memory. The habit of careful selection should be cultivated, as only a limited amount of new material can be assimilated at one time. To read large amounts of matter one does not care to remember is harmful to the memory. The aim should always be to secure distinct images and ideas. There should be a deep interest in what is read. Committing to memory lines of prose and poetry will do much to strengthen a weak memory.

3. Rhetoric.

An orator must have a thorough and practical knowledge of rhetoric. Cicero says that writing is the best and most excellent modeler and teacher of oratory. "For," says he, "if what is meditated and considered easily surpasses sudden and extemporary speech, a constan and diligent habit of writing will surely be of more effect than meditation and consideration itself; since all the arguments relating to the subject on which we write, whether they are suggested by art, or by a certain power of genius and understanding, will present themselves, and occur to us, while we examine and contemplate it in the full light of our intellect; and all thoughts and words, which are the most expressive of their kind, must of necessity come under and submit to the keenness of our judgment while writing; and a fair arrangement and collocation of the words is effected by writing in a certain rhythm and measure, not poetical, but oratorical.''

Doctor Channing, in suggesting the use of the pen, says: "We doubt whether a man ever brings his faculties to bear with their whole force on a subject until he writes upon it. ... By attempting to seize his thoughts, and fix them in an enduring form, he finds them vague and unsatisfactory, to a degree which he did not suspect, and toils for a precision and harmony of views, of which he never before felt the need."

1Cicero, On Oratory and Orators.

One should aim to acquire a wide vocabulary. There is intrinsic pleasure in the study of words and their finer shades of meaning. The consciousness of a thorough mastery of language, too, gives confidence to the speaker, while adding force and accuracy to his utterance. Webster's masterly style is due in large measure to his daily habit of studying the dictionary. For rhetorical and oratorical improvement, one should read and closely analyze the writings of the best authors, then endeavor to write out in one's own words what has been read. Reading aloud every day passages from the masters of oratory will gradually cultivate an oratorical style.

4. Originality.

The development of originality does not preclude one from studying the language and thoughts of others. What is read, however, must be sifted through a man's own mental processes before he can truthfully call it his own. Lowell says: '' That thought is his who at the last expresses it the best.''

The test of originality is whether the thoughts we receive from others are uttered again unchanged, or are assimilated, changed, and amplified in the process. Professor Esenwein suggests as some of the sources of originality:

1. Original minds are observers of nature. About us everywhere are thousands of facts and things waiting to be observed.

2. Original minds have learned to think consecutively. This is simply the ability to think and reflect systematically.

3. Original minds cherish the companionship of great thoughts. In a few great books one will find the epoch making thoughts of all ages and a close contact with them will fertilize and animate his own mind.

4. Original minds dare to be themselves. Despite the martyrdom, the loss of popularity, or temporary sacrifice, a man must be willing to stand upon his own feet. An orator must necessarily gather his thoughts from many sources, but originality lies in clothing them in a new dress or giving them a fresh representation. Such thoughts must bear the stamp of individuality.

5. Imagination.

An orator must be able to portray scenes and pictures with his voice and language. This ability to represent objects and events not present to the senses is the image-making power.

Doctor Neff places a high estimate on this faculty. He says: " Whether the images are produced by direct observation, by conversation, by reading, or reflection, this imaging faculty is the central power of man, and out of it will spring forth all the marvelous and, at present, unconceived achievements of the future. Upon it depends the destiny of each individual man or woman now on earth. Here in this silent workshop of the human brain is formed in microscopic miniature all the originals of man's outward doings. Here is the home of genius and the secret of life's failures. In this chamber murder is first committed, or the holiest acts of charity first performed. All virtue was born here and all vice here first took shape. And because these were first mentally enacted they were afterwards performed outwardly. Every act is twice performed, and the second doing is the child of the first."

This subject properly belongs to psychology, but a few suggestions are offered here: A study of the works of imaginative writers and poets will stimulate and develop this faculty. The Bible is replete with imagery and should be carefully read and pondered. The books of Job and Isaiah are particularly recommended. The material for the imagination should be the best obtainable, and therefore selected with care and deliberation. The aim should constantly be to secure images that are complete and symmetrical and to furnish the necessary details of a mental picture with skill and rapidity. A study of the sciences, particularly astronomy, is recommended as giving scope for the cultivation of the imagination.

6. Personal Magnetism.

This subtle power of attraction is a quality possessed by few persons. It is a potent influence in swaying and moving an audience, and is asso ciated with geniality, sympathy, frankness, manliness, persuasiveness and an attractive personal appearance. There is a purely animal magnetism, which passes from speaker to audience and back again, swiftly and silently. This magnetic quality is sometimes found in the voice, in the eyes, or may be reflected in the whole personality of the speaker. The human eye as "the window of the soul" is one of the most effective and direct means of communica tion between man and man.

7. Logical Instincts.

A successful orator should be able to instinctively arrange his thoughts in clear and logical order. The various parts should be linked together in obvious and logical relationship. There should be the necessary vivacity, earnestness, and progressiveness, and all tendency to "dryness" carefully avoided. Models having this logical instinct, such as Demosthenes, Cicero, Burke, and Webster, should be closely studied. If necessary spend six months in studying a great speech, taking it apart, seeing how it is put together, and analyzing it in all its details.

8. Figures of Oratory.

A public speaker should have a practical knowledge of the principal figures of oratory, sometimes called figures of emphasis. These are: 1. Antithesis. 2. Rhetorical Repetition. 3. Recapitulation. 4.
Climax. 5. Accumulation. 6. Interrogation. 7. Exclamation. 8. Command. 9. Denunciation. 10. Appeal to Deity. 11. Vision. 12. Prediction. 13. Egoism. 14. Isolation.

MORAL

1. Religion.

A truly successful orator must be a religious man that is, one of Godward bearing. This will put upon his utterance the unmistakable stamp of honesty and sincerity, so that men will instinctively believe in him.

2. Character. Character and reputation are not synonymous. One is what a man is, the other what people believe him to be. Doctor Conwell names four essentials in the character of a public speaker: 1. Reputation, in the better sense of what a man truly is. 2. Good sense, or zeal with knowledge.

3. Expert acquaintance with his subject, or evidence of special research and superior knowledge. 4. Philanthropy, or a sincere interest in the welfare of anaudience and a desire to move them to action.1 Henry "Ward Beecher in his "Yale Lectures on Preaching' ' says: “A minister ought to be entirely, inside and out, a pattern man; not a pattern man in abstention, but a man of grace, generosity, magnanimity, peaceableness, sweetness, tho of high spirit and self-defensory power when required ; a man who is broad, and wide, and full of precious contents. You must come up to a much higher level than common manhood, if you mean to be a preacher."

3. Sympathy.

Nervous, sensitive, diffident natures frequently produce the best speakers, as these qualities are common to the sympathetic temperament. This faculty when developed enables one to enter whole-heartedly into the lives and interests of others. The ability to direct the mind at will into emotional channels and instantly arouse appropriate feeling, is of great value to any speaker. Gentleness of manner, sincerity of purpose, and breadth of view, are parts of the sympathetic nature.

4. Fearlessness.

This rests primarily on personal character and increases with the right kind of knowledge and experience. The realization of being right, of espousing a worthy cause even against great odds, or a deep sense of duty, will often give courage to an otherwise timid speaker. This unflinching attitude is illustrated in Garrison, when he said: "I am in earnest! I will not equivocate I will not excuse I will not retreat a single inch and I will be heard!'' The things that contribute most to fearlessness in a public speaker are: character; a thorough knowledge of the subject in hand; a wide and varied vocabulary; a deep-rooted belief in the cause advocated; a knowledge of the audience to be addressed; and a subordinating of self-interests.

1 Russell H. Conwell, Oratory, pp. 21,22.

5. Self-renunciation.

To be preeminently successful, an orator should relinquish all self-interest. Upon great oratorical occasions a speaker practically offers himself a living sacrifice to his cause. His subject is so much larger than himself that he is unconsciously lost in it. This self-renunciation must be voluntary and complete.

6. Perseverance and Industry.

The most successful orators have been men of indomitable perseverance and untiring industry. They have worked long and late, studying, observing, reflecting, writing, revising and practising aloud their speeches.

Alexander Hamilton once said: "Men give me some credit for genius. All the genius I have lies in this: When I have a subject in hand, I study it profoundly. Day and night it is before me. I explore it in all its bearings. My mind becomes pervaded with it. Then the effort which I make is what the people are pleased to call the fruits of genius. It is the fruit of labor and thought."

Carlyle says: "Sweat of the brow, and up from that to sweat of the brain; sweat of the heart, up to that * agony of bloody sweat/ which all men have called divine! Oh, brother, if this is not worship, then I say, the more pity for worship! for this is the noblest thing yet discovered under God's sky."

7. Strong Opinions and Convictions.

A man can not hope to be a leader of others unless he has clear, vigorous and settled views upon the subject under consideration. If his ideas are like a weathercock, changing at every turn of the wind, he will utterly to convince his fellow men.

His motto should be like that of the late Joseph Cook: “Clearness at any cost.”

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