Learning Public Speaking From Great Orators

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Who says public speaking can’t be practiced and perfected? Many people think that great orators are somehow magically born with the art of public speaking! That somehow they had the ability to stir up the masses with their words. Though true, albeit to a certain extent, anyone can become a great orator with enough practice!

Remember that clichéd statement, “Practice makes perfect”, well, that’s what you need to do first. Start speaking up! Be it any event, like a wedding, a dinner party etc. Speaking up in front of a small audience helps develop much needed confidence and can tell you how people react to a speech.

If you look at great orators, both from today and the past, you will notice that all of them have a distinct style of speech. They combined and phrased their words in a beautiful and an eloquent way, that left their audience moved! You can do that too. Let’s see what we can learn from great orators of today and from those of the days gone by:

• Winston Churchill: Everyone knows Churchill was famous for his speeches which are now etched in the speech hall of fame! From “we shall fight on the beaches” to “the sinews of peace”, Churchill was known for swaying people with his choice of words and his use of rhetoric. Despite suffering from a speech impediment, he became one of the notable speakers of the last century.

• Martin Luther King: Widely known for his gospel style of speech and his prophetic voice, King is also known for his use of rhetoric. His famous speech “I have a dream” is said to be a masterpiece and his still hailed as one of the best speeches in the history. King was known for using text and ideas from previous speeches and incorporating them into his speeches. So, powerful words, use of rhetoric coupled with a booming voice is what made his speeches legendary.

• Barrack Obama: “Yes we can”, does this sound familiar? Obama is another great orator known for his booming voice and his style of speech. He has the art of grabbing his audience’s attention, mastered like a pro. This is because most of his speeches revolve around the concerns of his audience. Also, Obama is known to keep all of his speeches simple and to the point, but with a powerful message packed in them, just like his famous “Yes we can” slogan.