I’ve got another idea that will work to make your
speeches move from the “good” to the “excellent.” That idea is to use Stylistic
techniques in your presentations. How will you organize your speech? Will you
use metaphor in the introduction? How will you describe a value you advocate
without being too abstract? How do you like my use of dialectical questions in
this section of the packet? I chose to use questions in this paragraph because
I wanted your input and your interest. When you choose stylistic devices for
your speeches, you should have similar rationales. The speaker who incorporates
style into her speech is like a homebuilder who adds the fine trim and
decorations to a home, is like a gardener who manicures green lawns, is like
the artist painting aesthetic beauty, is like, well, you get the idea. What
will you do to your speech to bring out its persuasion?
STEP 1: DEFINE THE EXIGENCY
You need to understand the situation in which you
speak. You have a given audience. You have a given issue to discuss. You need
to connect the issue to your audience. Will your audience agree with your
position on the issue? Will they know much about the issue? Will they care
about the issue? A student in one of the Public Address classes I taught urged
termination of aid to the contras (a group fighting the government in Nicaragua
in the 1980’s). The day before he had heard another student give a pro-contra
speech. He knew the issue was fresh in people’s minds. He was aware people had
different levels of knowledge about the issue and he knew many in the audience
would not agree with him. He developed his speech with this knowledge in mind.
He considered opposing arguments, explained details some might not have
understood, and developed the speech so that his opponents would have
difficulty in disagreeing—by using stylistic devices. From your understanding
of the exigence in which you speak will come the vision you need to choose the
right stylistic techniques to use.
STEP 2: CHOOSE THE RIGHT STYLISTIC
DEVICE
The choice of the right stylistic device is not
easy. Wording a given portion of a speech just right, delivering a portion of a
speech, organizing the speech, each could literally take forever since there
are an infinite number of ways in which to do each of the parts of speech. The
art of speaking offers its painter a choice of brushes, colors, and drawings.
You know what you want to accomplish with your speech. You know the
difficulties you will face. The key is finding the right style to overcome the
difficulties to accomplish your goals. Bill Clinton has often given speeches in
the face of considerable opposition. Yet, he manages to keep a solid following
of supporters (although he certainly has his detractors as well). Clinton and
his speechwriters know that stories of hard working Americans, and appeals to
fair policies that solve problems are hard to attack. So, Clinton’s speeches
have a remarkable number of these stylistic techniques. What stylistic devices
will you choose? Again—define your needs and then find the right stylistic
device that meets the need.