Vocal and Action-language Culture and Expression

EXPRESSION.

The Speaker before the Audience.

When as speaker

you appear before an audience, in the pulpit, at the bar, or on the platform, you are supposed to be informed as to your subject, and to have arranged the matter for the easiest and most effective presentation. You must be thoroughly possessed by the subject and forget self, and in a measure the audience. Think not how to appear great, nor to win the applause of the audience. Your purpose now is to give the truth that stirs your own soul. All tricks and artifices are vain. Have a purpose; aim to accomplish it. Now leave all practice; execution is called for. Nothing so "makes the judicious grieve" as a speaker practising before his audience.

The speaker's bearing should be strong and confident, yet deferential. Stand free, but do not lounge. Very plainly the speaker should face the audience. Do not turn the back upon the audience even when addressing the past; any position that does not show part of the face to the audience is not admissible. Keep your eye upon the audience, for this gives controlling influence over them.

Every change of attitude should be controlled by a purpose, and be made only as a preparation for the delivery of a new idea, or before a paragraph or other division of the discourse. Thought should be taken to keep the lungs well supplied and the chest lifted. Just before speaking the first sentence, slowly fill the lungs by breathing through the nostrils, in the mean while looking upon the audience to challenge their attention. In beginning do not mumble the sounds.

safe to say that eight out of every ten speakers begin in such

a low and weak voice, that one half of an audience of average size do not hear the first part of the discourse. On the other hand, caution must be exercised not to begin by shouting. Begin on the conversational level. Direct the voice to the farthest person in the room, and with clearness and force lift the voice to this auditor, and be sure he hears.

In execution, your first effort should be to make yourself UNDERSTOOD; therefore clearly or distinctly speak the words, giving every syllable its due time in pronunciation, not prettily, but with force and smoothness.

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In the second place, you must make yourself FELT. quence consists in feeling a truth yourself, and in making those who hear you feel it." Do not seek to produce an "effect." This is an abomination. In expression, while preserving the unity, you must seek variety. Avoid being borne along by one emotion. Let thought and emotion have full play; let voice and action, untrammelled, do their part in responding. Whisper, plead, storm, persuade, in keeping with the thought and emotion. Lead the audience up step by step, seeking the legitimate conviction, "The truth, we will defend it, we will live it!"

The closing words should be adapted to compose the emotions and leave the thought of the effort upon the mind. Prof. Monroe gave his pupils the appropriate motto, "Have something to say; say it; stop."

As a reader you should be familiar with what you are to read. Avoid bending over to the page. If holding the book, lift it about as high as the shoulder, in the left hand, little finger and thumb keeping the book open, the remaining fingers supporting it. In representing two characters, for one, read to the right; for the other, to the left. Less action is required in reading than in speaking, except in strong forensic declamation or in dramatic delineation.

Think the thought, recall the scenes of the subject; give it to the audience.

Analysis of Written Language. Speech expresses thought and emotion by the varied use of emphasis, time, force, pitch, quality of voice, etc., as previously discussed.

Written language should be carefully analyzed to find out the sense of the author, the various sentiments, the strength of passion involved, in order to determine what parts require prominence, what are to be cast into the shade, what parts are separated in the sentence, though related in thought, that emphasis, pitch, inflection, rate, etc., may be intelligently applied. Every piece of composition has its own peculiar atmosphere, and the speaker should find it and let it permeate his mind.

With the selections for practice will be given the principal points in the analysis of the pieces. I will give first the style of delivery; second, the emotional attitude of the speaker; and indicate other points in analysis by the mechanics of expression. Proper emphasis, slurring and pauses, are the leading features in the mechanics of expression, and these are indicated in some of the selections given here for practice.*

Small capitals indicate the words that take the leading emphasis; italics, the words in the deepest shade (read on lower pitch and faster); the "0," a pause. Every measure, as in music, is to occupy the same time, to be consumed in pronunciation or pauses. Long quantity, though unaccented, may fill a measure. Be free in action, afterward criticise according to the principles of action-language.

The finer shades of expression must be wrought out by the student in the light of the instruction already given, as an attempt to give a complete analysis in book instruction would be laborious and confusing, if not impossible.

* Other selections are given for the students to analyze.

Simple Conversational. — Observe the inquiring mood of the elder brother, the easy-going mood of the landlord. Medium pitch, slow rate, simple inflections.

"Oh, 0 | he's DEAD," | 0 said the | landlord; |00|"been dead | these five | YEARS; 0 | 0 poor | old | man! | 0 0 | dead and forgotten 0 | LONG | ago!" | 0 0|00|

"But 0 | James, 0 | the SEC- | OND son, | 0 HE is 100 100 1

O alive >"

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