The art of persuasion: learn to defend your positions
Speech can have many different functions, but the most important for a person as a social being is a communicative function.
Psychologists usually distinguish two main ways or means of communication: verbal and non-verbal. The first method includes everything that we transmit with the help of the language as a mean of expressing thoughts. The second mean is our body language: facial expressions, body posture, gestures. This two factor influence how confident our performance will seem in the eyes of an audience.
But why can some people speak intelligibly and convincingly, while others do not? Why does many people’s speech seem unconvincing to us? You may suppose that the reason for this is a small vocabulary. That’s right, but the lack of vocabulary is not the only barrier to productive communication. What is missing? And here’s what. The communicative side of speech has three main aspects or sides.
- Informational aspect
The information side of speech can be defined as the ability to transfer knowledge, skills, and abilities in an accessible form, literally to find the most suitable words. The information side of performance must be legible, informative, intelligible and well-ordered. The text of the speech is usually prepared in advance and taught. You even do not have to do it always by yourself. Many politicians apply to the help of essay writer for hire, who own all the subtleties of compiling public appeals.
From here you can derive simple rules
- Do not chatter, keep the average pace of speaking, do not forget to use logical accents and punctuation.
- Use simple and understandable language.
- Be meaningful, talk on the topic, otherwise the interlocutor or listener may have the impression that you are trying to confuse him.
- Observe the principles of logic. Every new statement must logically follow the previous one.
- Emotional aspect
This side of speech is also capable of having a powerful effect on the listener. For most people, the emotionally colored statement sounds more sincere and convincing. In order to add bright colors to your performance, work on the following two components – the essence and the form.
Under the essence, we understand the choice of the burning, exciting, disruptive topic of your report. Rhetoric cannot exist for its own sake; it is a powerful instrument of influence and transmission of thoughts. You transmit to the audience some strong emotional message. You came on stage because you have something to say. It is important.
A form is a verbal wrapper of your statement. To make your story sound vividly, picturesque and convincing, use various literary expressions – metaphors, epithets, repetitions, phraseological units, etc.; use a variety of fresh, not boring vocabulary.
- Willful aspect
It is defined as the ability to convince, subordinate to one’s will and inspire. The most powerful tool of willful speech is competence, combined with external self-confidence. It is one condition. Another condition is the correctness of statement concerning phonetics and vocabulary.
The use of jargon, vulgarism, and provincialism is unlikely to make your speech convincing. The same applies to the use of word-substituting sounds like “uh-uh,” “uh-m,” and also such parasitic words as “okay,” “you know,” “let say,” etc.
The ability to speak expressively, easily and convincingly is a great science, which can be mastered only in practice.
