Does it really matter if you've got a speech written that you're sure is mind-blowing? Well, to be honest, it does. It takes a lot more than just matter to fire up an audience. You need to grab them by their eyes and ears as well as their minds.
The visual sense is the first that comes into play, so your appearance is crucial. While looking great is a great advantage, dressing great can win the day, too. Clothes really do make a man, so the accent should be on elegance, preferably understated.
While prejudices do tend to subtly influence the audience, good grooming and an immaculate appearance, down to clean hair and nails, could help a speaker make an impression that counts. A public speaker needs to exude vim and vigor and good health sends out a message that's strong and sure.
Gladstone, Lincoln, Webster, Everett, SpurgeoN... the list of men who fuelled oratory with robust health is long. A perfect balance between exercise, diet, sleep and vacationing should be maintained. This translates into a mental vigor that conceives and organizes subjects well and presents powerfully. This is especially essential from the pulpit so that every sermon goes forth full of energy to revitalize and refresh the souls of the listeners.
Last but not least is the power of elocution. Speakers must be trained in the art of voice modulation and pitch. They must practice, practice, practice till their voice comes out clear and strong. The world's greatest orators from time immemorial have all used the power of their voice as a well-honed, persuasive tool to awaken emotions, to change perceptions, to incite, to calm, to feel, to think.
Cicero and Demosthenes were rigorous in their training for years. From the time he was young, Henry Clay would read out from a book, sometimes in a forest or a field, sometimes in a barn with animals for his audience. To this early discipline he felt he owed his subsequent success. Chatham preferred practicing in front of a mirror. And Curran who stuttered, worked his way through constant practice to become an eloquent forensic advocate. Beecher let all the vowels rip through different pitches in the open air and he had at his command an instrument that could convey any thought or feeling.
Of equal importance in elocution skills is posturing. The eyes, face, arms, hands, body and stance can be trained to be used with control and skill in order to elicit the right response. Yes, an overall attention to how one looks and sounds does make for a better speech.
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