THE ART OF SPEAKING

The power of speech, the power to express oneself, ones thoughts and ones
emotions is one of the greatest powers that the human race has been bestowed
upon through the process of evolution. Speaking is one of the necessities through
which humans communicate. But, effective speaking is an art. In its highest form
effective speaking has the power to control and direct the minds of thousands of
individuals. Since the dawn of civilization, many efficient speakers and orators have
influenced and shaped the ideas and thoughts of thousands through their great
speeches.
Speaking, like any other art form, has some basic elements on which the very core
of the subject matter relies. The five basic elements of speaking is often expressed
as who is saying what to whom using what medium and with what effects?
Hence, the speaker has to realize the following points at the back of his mind before
delivering his speech- who the audience is, what is the subject matter to be
delivered and what effect does the speaker intend to get across to the audience
with the medium at hand.
The forms of public speaking have evolved into a multitude of different forms such
as motivational, influential, persuasive, informative and translational, to name a
few.
The art of speaking as a subject is very old. Ancient Egyptians and Greeks used to
train the common folk in this subject and considered it an important skill in both
public and private life. Renowned orators such as Plato, Aristotle and Socrates
developed many theories of public speaking. Although the ancient Latin style of
speaking lost its influence after the Second World War, plain speaking, which was
rather effective and more intelligible to the common man, gained popularity. Among
the ones who popularized the contemporary style of speaking were the likes of
Abraham Lincoln, Adolf Hitler, John F. Kennedy, Charlie Chaplin, Bill Clinton and
Barack Obama.
The rudiments of effective speaking although deals with the emphasis of the subject
matter, but, effective delivery of the speech is a mlange of a multitude of traits on
the part of the speaker, such as- use of gestures, control of the voice, knowledge of
the vocabulary and word choice, speaking notes, pitches and appropriate use of
humor.
A speaker armed with the above mentioned qualities will not only be successful in
getting his point across to the audience but will also be able to control the emotions
and persuade the audience. Thus, in conclusion it may be stated that speaking is
also an art which can be nurtured and perfected by constant practice and
implementation of appropriate strategies.