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IV

SOURCES OF POWER

The testimony of the greatest orators is that, whatever natural gifts a man may possess, no really good speech is ever made without thorough preparation. There are, of course, many ways of preparing a speech, some of which are not to be recomme ded. For example, to write out a composition, and then so to revise, condense, and polish it as to take out all its vitality and naturalness, may produce a good essay, but it will not make a good speech.

Thorough preparation does not imply that the speaker must necessarily write out and commit to memory so many pages of words. It means, rather, that whatever method the speaker finds best adapted to fix his speech in mind, he so thoroughly prepares the subject-matter that his ideas are perfectly clear in his mind, and when he comes to "think aloud," he does so with a precision and confidence born of second nature. He is recommended, therefore, to sketch in his mind, while out walking, or in the solitude of his library, a clear and vivid outline of his subject, and, the same as he would do in writing, mentally place under each division of his outline such headings as he intends to speak upon. He may carry the mental process to the extent of thinking out what he will say under each heading, until at length the entire subject is held in his mind with clearness and accuracy.

There can be no doubt that one of the greatest sources

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SOURCES OF POWER

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of power in extemporaneous speaking is that of previous practise. The method of a distinguished member of the House of Commons, described by Lord Dufferin, may be followed to advantage. When he intended to speak upon an important subject, he would write down his thoughts on paper as rapidly as possible, and then throw the paper into the fire. This he repeated several times, endeavoring at each effort to choose new phraseology, and destroying his composition as before. It is said that when he subsequently stood before his colleagues to speak, his mind was so steeped in his subject, and he was so fortified with appropriate word and phrase, that his listeners marveled at his depth and fluency.

The aspirant to distinction in public speaking should accustom himself to memorizing notable passages from great orations and poems that have found an enduring place in literature. These both furnish and fertilize the mind, and after a few months' diligent practise give to the speaker an accumulation of working material that will be to him an inexhaustible source of power. Here, again, we have the testimony of many of the world's great orators, who acknowledge their indebtedness to the habit of studying, translating, or memorizing, the great speeches of their predecessors.

There is no power in a speaker superior to that of clear statement. Nothing else will atone for lack of it. Tact, felicitous phrase, poetical embellishment, and sonorous voice, are powerless to convince intelligent men without that substratum of common sense upon which lucid statement of fact has its foundation. There is a lamentable want of strong reasoning in most men. The mental machinery has not been finely adjusted to carry on its work with

smoothness and accuracy. Clearness of statement comes from clearness of thought. The mind must be habituated to close and severe reasoning, to linking thought with thought in logical sequence, and to making clearly defined deductions from stated premises. This does not imply that a man is to give his whole mind to the study of abstract questions and philosophical problems. The student of public speaking will concern himself more particularly with palpable every-day questions of interest to men generally, and upon which they seek enlightenment.

The object of the real orator is not to be a graceful and faultless declaimer, but a man of power and authority, speaking out of a full mind and from a soul kindled by enthusiasm and human affection. When truth is properly conveyed by a speaker, it carries conviction along with it, and the listener believes in the man because the man believes in himself. Hence it is that he only is a great artist. who has so cultivated and controlled his powers that he can use them without undue effort and in just such degree as will most effectively convey the truth and force of his message to others. It will readily be seen, therefore, why long and severe mental discipline is necessary to success in this difficult art. All great speakers have been profound and diligent students, and he who seeks a royal road to oratorical fame is doomed to disappointment.

An examination of the speeches of Demosthenes does not disclose an unusual gift of language, but what most impresses the reader is the strength and supremacy of the orator's thought. It is not the man we think of, but of what he is saying, and it is chiefly this characteristic which constitutes greatness in oratory. The real source of power in speaking is not in the voice,

the imagination, or the

emotions, but in the intrinsic thought of the speaker. There is something unmistakably assuring in a man who is master of the facts. If he speaks deliberately, as a deep thinker is almost sure to do, the listener follows the working of his mind at the moment of utterance, and this transparency of method acts as an element of power in fascinating and influencing the auditor.

What the student of public speaking primarily needs is a frank, truthful, earnest habit of examining ideas and facts as they are presented to his mind in everyday life. He should look at questions from every viewpoint, as Lincoln is said to have done, and determine to get the truth at any cost. It is this fearless pursuit of truth that leads to fearless expression, and only after the thinker has made the ground good under his own feet can he hope to succeed as a guide and leader of other men.

Another important element of power is earnestness. This is not to be confounded with assumed and artificial feeling adapted consciously to certain ends, neither is it sudden impulse which may or may not do the right thing. Earnestness comes mainly from concentration of the speaker's energies upon his subject. It is a form of intensity by which all his best powers are enlisted in behalf of some cause, and stimulated into action by a profound sense of duty, patriotism, or the desire for useful service. True earnestness is born of sincerity and unselfishness. It is too great to intimidate, too serious to amuse, and too genuine to fall into bombast or empty declamation. There is nothing that imparts sympathetic power and a winning personality to a speaker like innate goodness of heart and life. When a man shows that he both understands and feels what he says, he is in a large way toward influencing other men,

and of persuading them to act as he desires. It is the power arising from loftiness of soul and sublime purpose which touches the lips of the orator, as if by magic, and bids them vibrate with the heart of humanity. Intelligence points the way, earnestness gives wings for flight, and consecrated unselfishness carries conviction and persuasion to men.

It goes without saying that one source of power in public speaking comes from self-confidence. A becoming modesty and even timidity often recommends itself at the beginning of an address, but the speaker, in order to get possession of his audience, must first get possession of himself. While there is a "flutter of spirits," or undue anxiety to please, there will be little chance of success. Self-confidence, like earnestness, is developed from within, by dwelling intently upon the importance of one's subject, and by placing a high estimate upon one's self. A man who has trained himself in his every-day conversation to think and speak in poise, is likely to enjoy the advantages of deliberate and self-possest speaking while addressing an audience. This poise, moreover, will manifest itself in his ability to think fluently on his feet, to phrase new sentences without confusion, and to punctuate his thoughts with frequent and judicious pauses. These are all elements of power in a speaker, and are worthy of the highest cultivation.

There is a peculiar power in skilful repetition, which serves to emphasize special thoughts and to impress them upon the listening mind. A striking example is that of the Master, in St. Matthew, 7:24-27:

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house

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