Great Speech

[Dana Sheets]

There's lots of talk around the idea of "right speech" being that if you say something a certain way you are more likely to act in a certain way. However, it's also fun to explore the idea of great speech. How do you inspire, captivate, motivate?

What teacher doesn't sometimes find themselves rallying the troups? Here's a brief on a video program produced around this idea.

THE NATURE OF GREAT SPEAKING
written & narrated by Michael Osborn, Ph.D.

Using the classical writing of Longinus, a Roman scholar who prepared a treatise on public speaking called "On The Sublime," Dr. Michael Osborn explains the greatness of this century’s finest speaker, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"That is truly great which bears a repeated examination and which it is difficult or rather impossible to withstand, and the memory of which is strong and hard to efface." -- Longinus


Measures of Greatness in Public Speaking

* Elevation of Mind: If the speech is to be great, then there must be greatness in the speaker.

* Audiences will accept a speaker’s message if they feel its points have been adequately proved. Among the forms of proof audiences consider:

* Ethos: Proof by the character of the speaker: Morality (trustworthy), Ability (knowledgeable). Attractiveness (likable)

* Logos: Proof by reasoning (evidence, logic)

* Pathos: Proof by appeals to emotion

* The ethos of the great speaker must be undeniable strong—the sense of the speaker’s character, ability, or magnetism must be unquestioned—they must seem elevated.

* Superior Structure: The speech must seem to build as it progresses, to rise to some height of insight and emotion as it carries its audience along with it.

* Bold Imagery: Striking images occur when "carried away by enthusiasm and passion," the audience thinks it sees what the speaker describes.

* Great Challenge: The speech must respond to, rise to, some formidable challenge. Something must call forth greatness in the speaker-influenced by the significance of the occasion, the expectation of the audience. Great challenge can only occur in a time of crisis and the speaker must rise to the occasion.

* Transport: Great speaking gives the audience a sense of almost being born anew. The orator in a great speech give the audience new eyes to se through and the world looks different as a result of the speech. Both audience and orator are never quite the same after a great speech.


Five Functions of Great Rhetorical Language

o Depiction - makes the audience see the world in a different and distinctive way.
o Arouse powerful emotion - makes the audience feel deeply about the world revealed in the speech
o Identification - helps the audience define who and why they are
o Incite action - points out the path the audience must follow and moves the audience along that path.
o Commemorate our past - helps the audience appreciate what they have done; to remember a common heritage.

[RACastanet]

Very useful information Dana. Thanks.

Rich

[jorvik]

Quote
"Using the classical writing of Longinus, a Roman scholar who prepared a treatise on public speaking called "On The Sublime," Dr. Michael Osborn explains the greatness of this century’s finest speaker, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "

Who said he was the greatest speaker this Century?
If anything I would have said Adolf Hitler ( most of you folks know that I'm quite a bit left of centre, so I don't support his politics )....I'm sure that there are quite a few others as well

[Bill Glasheen]

The Third Reich was a National Socialist Party.

FYI, oh left of centre one...

- Bill

[jorvik]

Yeah
so is tony b. liar
( just trying to show I don't support hitler or his policy )