PUBLIC SPEAKING DALE/DOROTHY

1. Developing Courage and Self-Confidence 1

2. Self-Confidence Through Preparation 17

3. How Famous Speakers Prepared Their Addresses 37

4. The Improvement of Memory 57

5. Essential Elements in Successful Speaking 79

6. The Secret of Good Delivery 91

7. Platform Presence and Personality 109

8. How to Open a Talk 12

9. How to Close a Talk 14

10. How to Make Your Meaning Clear 165

11. How to Interest Your Audience 183

12. Improving Your Diction 199

Appendix/ Speech Building with Exercises 221

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Developing Courage and Self-Confidence 

More than five hundred thousand men andwomen, since 1912, have been members of public speaking courses using my methods. Many of them have written statements telling why they enrolled for this training andwhat they hoped to obtain from it. Naturally, the phraseology varied; but the central desire in these letters, the basic want in the vast majority, remained surprisingly the same:“When I am called upon to stand up and speak,” person after person wrote, “I become so self-conscious, so frightened, that I can’t think clearly, can’t concentrate, can’t re-member what I had intended to say. 1 want to gain self-confidence, poise, and the ability to think on my feet. I want to get my thoughts together in logical order and I want to be able to say my say clearly and convincingly before a business or club group or audience.” Thousands of their confessions sounded about like that. To cite a concrete case: Years ago, a gentleman here called Mr. D. W. Ghent, joined my public speaking course in Philadelphia. Shortly after the opening session, he invited me to lunch with him in the Manufacturers’ Club.

He was a man of middle age and had always led an activelife; was head of his own manufacturing establishment,aleader in church work and civic activities. While wewerehaving lunch that day, he leaned across the table and said:“1 have been asked many times to talk before variousgatherings, but I have never been able to do so. I get sofussed, my mind becomes an utter blank: so I have sidestepped it all my life. But I am chairman now of a boardof college trustees. 1 must preside at their meetings. I simplyhave to do some talking. ... Do you think it will be possible for me to learn to speak at this late date in mylife?”“Do I think, Mr. Ghent?” 1 replied. “It is not a questionof my thinking. I know you can, and I know you will if youwill only practice and follow the directions and instructions.” He wanted to believe that, but it seemed too rosy, toooptimistic. “I am afraid you are just being kind,” heanswered, “that you are merely trying to encourage me.”After he had completed his training, we lost touch witheach other for a while. Later, we met and lunched togetheragain at the Manufacturers’ Club. We sat in the samecorner and occupied the same table that we had had that we had had onthefirst occasion. Reminding him of our former conversation,I asked him if I had been too sanguine then. He tookalittle red-backed notebook out of his pocket and showedmea list of talks and dates for which he was booked. “Andthe ability to make these,” he confessed, “the pleasure I getin doing it, the additional service I can render to the community—these are among the most gratifying things in mylife.” An important disarmament conference had been heldinWashington shortly before that. When it was knownthatthe British Prime Minister was planning to attend it, theBaptists of Philadelphia cabled, inviting him to speak at agreat mass meeting to be held in their city. And Mr. Ghentinformed me that he himself had been chosen, from amongall the Baptists of that city, to introduce England’s premierto the audience. And this was the man And this was the man who had sat at that same table less Developing Courage and Self-Confidence 3than three years before and solemnly asked me if I thoughthe would ever be able to talk in public! Was the rapidity with which he forged ahead in hisspeaking ability unusual? Not at alL There have beenhundreds of similar cases. For example—to quote one morespecific instance—years ago, a Brooklyn physician, whomwe will call Dr. Curtis, spent the winter in Florida nearthetraining grounds of the Giants. Bring an enthusiastic baseball fan, he often went to see them practice. In time, hebecame quite friendly with the team, and was invited toattend a banquet given in their honor. After the coffee and nuts were served, several prominentguests were called upon to “say a few words.” , and I am going to ask Dr. Curtis to talk on a Baseball Player’s Health.” Was he prepared? Of course. He had had the best preparation in the world: he had been studying hygiene andpracticing medicine for almost a third of a century. Hecould have sat in his chair and talked about this subject allnight to the man seated on his right or left But to get upand say the same things to even a small audience—that wasanother matter. That was a paralyzing matter. His heartdoubled its pace and skipped beats at the very contemplation of it. He had never made a public speech in his life,and every thought that he had had now took wings. What was he to do? The audience was applauding.Everyone was looking at him. He shook his head. Butthatserved only to heighten the applause, to increase the demand. The cries of “Dr. Curtis1 Speech! Speech!louder and more insistent He was in positive misery. He knew that if he got uphewould fail, that he would be unable to utter half a dozensentences. So he arose, and, without saying a word, turnedhis back on his friends and walked silently out of the room,a deeply embarrassed and humiliated man. Small wonder that one of the first things he did after getting back to Brooklyn was to enroll in my course in Public HOW TO DEVELOP SELF-CONFIDENCE4 Speaking. He didn’t propose to be put to the blush andbestricken dumb a second time. He was the kind of student that delights an instructor: hewas in dead earnest. He wanted to be able to talk, and was in dead earnest. He wanted to be able to talk, and therewas no halfheartedness about his desire. He prepared histalks thoroughly, he practiced them with a will, andhenever missed a single session of the course. He did precisely what such a student always does: heprogressed at a rate that surprised him, that surpassed hisfondest hopes. After the first few sessions his nervousnesssubsided, his confidence mounted higher and higher. In twomonths he had become the star speaker of the group. Hewas soon accepting invitations to speak elsewhere; he nowloved the feel and exhilaration of it, the distinction andthe additional friends it brought him. A member of the New York City Republican CampaignCommittee, hearing one of his public addresses, invited Dr,Curtis to stump the city for his party. How surprised thatpolitician would have been had he realized that only a yearbefore, the speaker had gotten up and left a public banquethall in shame and confusion because he was tongue-tiedwith audience-fearf The gaining of self-confidence and courage, and theability to think calmly and clearly while talking to a groupis not one-tenth as difficult as most people imagine. It is not one-tenth as difficult as most people imagine. It is nota gift bestowed by Providence on only a few rarely endowedindividuals. It is like the ability to play golf. Anyonecandevelop his own latent capacity if he has sufficient desire todo so. Is there the faintest shadow of a reason why you shouldnot be able to think as well in a perpendicular positionbefore an audience as you can when sitting down? Surely,you know there is not. In fact, you ought to think betterwhen facing a group. Their presence ought to stir you andlift you. A great many speakers will tell you that the pres-ence of an audience is a stimulus, an inspiration, that drivestheir brains to function more clearly, more keenly. At suchtimes, thoughts, facts, ideas that they did not knowtheypossessed, ‘‘drift smoking by,” as Henry Ward Beechersaid; and they have but to reach out and lay their hot upon them. That ought to be your experience. It probably will be if you practice and persevere. Of this much, however, you may be absolutely sure:training and practice will wear away your audience-frightand give you self-confidence and an abiding courage. Do not imagine that your case is unusually difficult. Eventhose who afterward became the most eloquent representatives of their generation were, at the outset of their careers,afflicted by this blinding fear and self-consciousness. William Jennings Bryan, battle-marked veteran that hewas, admitted that in his first attempts, his knees fairlysmote together. Mark Twain, the first time he stood up to lecture, felt asif his mouth were filled with cotton and his pulse werespeeding for some prize cup. Grant took Vicksburg and led to victory one of thegreatest armies the world had ever seen up to that time; yet,when he attempted to speak in public, he admitted he hadsomehing very like locomotor ataxia. The late Jean Jaur&s, the most powerful political speakerthat France produced during his generation, sat, for that France produced during his generation, sat, for a year,tongue-tied in the Chamber of Deputies before he couldsummon up the courage to make his initial speech. “The first time I attempted to make a public talk,” confessed Lloyd George, “I tell you I was in a state of misery.It is no figure of speech, but literally true, that my tongueclove to the roof of my mouth; and, at first, I could hardlyget out a word.” John Bright, the illustrious Englishman who, during thecivil war, defended in England the cause of union andemancipation, made his maiden speech before a groupofcountry folk gathered in a school building. He wassofrightened on the way to the place, so fearful that he wouldfail, that he implored his companion to start applausetobolster him up whenever he showed signs of giving waytohis nervousness. Charles Stewart Parnell, the great Irish leader, at theoutset of his speaking career, was so nervous, accordingtothe testimony of his brother, that he frequently clenchedhisfists until his nails sank into his flesh and his bled. 6 HOW TO DEVELOP SELF-CONFIDENCEDisraeli admitted that he would rather have led a cavalrycharge than to have faced the House of Commons for thefirst time. His opening speech there was a ghastly failure.So was Sheridan’s. In fact, so many of the famous speakers of England havemade poor showings at first that there is now a feelinginParliament that it is rather an inauspicious omen forayoung man’s initial talk to be a decided success. So takeheart. After watching the careers and aiding somewhat in thedevelopment of so many speakers, the author is always development of so many speakers, the author is always gladwhen a student has, at the outset, a certain amountofflutter and nervous agitation. There is a certain responsibility in making a talk, evenifit is to only two dozen men or women in a business meeting—a certain strain, a certain shock, a certain excitement. Thespeaker ought to be keyed up like a thoroughbred strainingat the bit. The immortal Cicero said, two thousand yearsago, that all public speaking of real merit was characterizedby nervousness. Speakers often experience this same feeling even whenthey are talking over the radio. “Microphone fright,” it iscalled. When Charlie Chaplin went on the air, he hadhisspeech all written out. Surely he was used to audiences. Hetoured this country back in 1912 with a vaudeville sketchentitled “A Night in a Music Hall.” Before that he wasonthe legitimate stage in England. Yet, when he went intothe padded room and faced the microphone, he had a feel-ing in the stomach not unlike the sensation one gets whenhe crosses the Atlantic during a stormy February. James Kirkwood, a famous motion picture James Kirkwood, a famous motion picture actor anddirector, had a similar experience. He used to be a star onthe speaking stage; but, when he came out of the sendingroom after addressing the invisible audience, he was mopping perspiration from his brow. “An opening night onBroadway,” he confessed, “is nothing in comparisontothat.” Some people, no matter how often they speak, alwaysexperience tliis self-consciousness just before they com- Developing Courage and Self-Confidence 7mence but, in a few seconds after they have gotten ontheirfeet, it disappears. Even Lincoln felt shy for the eet, it disappears. Even Lincoln felt shy for the few opening moments.“Atfirst he was very awkward,” relates his law partner, Herndon, “and it seemed a real labor to adjust himself to hissurroundings. He struggled for a time under a feelingofapparent diffidence and sensitiveness, and these only addedto his awkwardness. I have often seen and sympathizedwith Mr. Lincoln during these moments. When he beganspeaking, his voice was shrill, piping, and unpleasant. Hismanner, his attitude, his dark, yellow face, wrinkled anddry, his oddity of pose, his diffident movements—everything seemed to be against him, but only for a short time.”In a few moments he gained composure and warmthandearnestness, and his real speech began. Your experience may be similar to his. In order to get the most out of your efforts to becomeagood speaker in public, and to get it with rapidity anddis-patch, four things are essential:

First: Start with a Strong and Persistent DesireThis is of far more importance than you probablyrealize. If an instructor could look into your mind and heartnow and ascertain the depth of your desires, he could foretell, almost with certainty, the swiftness of the progress youwill make. If your desire is pale and flabby, your achievements will also take on that hue and consistency. But,ifyou go after your subject with persistence, and with theenergy of a bulldog after a cat, nothing underneath theMilky Way will defeat you. Therefore, arouse your enthusiasm for this self-study.Enumerate its benefits. Think of what additional self-confidence and the ability to talk more convincingly in publicwill mean to you. Think of what it may mean and whatitought to mean, in dollars and cents. Think of what it maymean to you socially; of the friends it will bring, of theincrease of your personal influence, of the leadership it give you. And it will give you leadership more rapidly thanalmost any other activity you can think of or imagine. “There is no other accomplishment,” stated ChaunceyM. Depew, “which any man can have that will so quicklymake for him a career and secure recognition as the abilityto speak acceptably.” Philip D. Armour, after he had amassed millions, said:“I would rather have been a great speaker than a greatcapitalist.” It is an attainment that almost every person of educationlongs for. After Andrew Carnegie’s death there was found,among his papers, a plan for his life drawn up when hewasthirty-three years of age. He then felt that in two more yearshe could so arrange his business as to have an annualincome of fifty thousand; so He proposed to retire at thirty-five,go to Oxford and get a thorough education, and “pay special attention to speaking in public.” Think of the glow of satisfaction and pleasure that willaccrue from the exercise of this new power. The author hastraveled around over no small part of the world; accrue from the exercise of this new power. The author hastraveled around over no small part of the world; andhashad many and varied experiences; but for downright andlasting inward satisfaction, he knows of few things that willcompare to standing before an audience and making menthink your thoughts after you. It will give you a senseofstrength, a feeling of power. It will appeal to your prideofpersonal accomplishment It will set you off from and raiseyou above your fellow men. There is magic in it and a neverto-be-forgotten thrill. “Two minutes before I begin,”aspeaker confessed, “I would rather be whipped than start;but two minutes before I finish, I would rather be shot thanstop.” In every effort, some men grow faint-hearted and fall bythe wayside; so you should keep thinking of what this skillwill mean to you until your desire is white hot. You shouldstart this program with an enthusiasm that will carry youthrough triumphant to the end. Set aside one certain nightof the week for the reading of these chapters. In short,make it as easy as possible to go ahead. Make it as as possible to retreat. When Julius Caesar sailed over the channel from Gaul Developing Courage and Self-Confidence 9and landed with his legions on what is now England, whatdid he do to insure the success of his arms? A very cleverthing: he halted his soldiers on the chalk cliffs of Dover,and, looking down over the waves two hundred feet below,they saw red tongues of fire consume every ship in whichthey had crossed. In the enemy’s country, with the last linkwith the Continent gone, the last means of retreating burned,there was but one thing left for them to do: to advance,toconquer. That is precisely what they did. Such was the spirit of the immortal Caesar. Whynotmake it yours, too, in this war to exterminate any foolishfear of audiences? 

Second: Know Thoroughly What You Are Going to Talk About

Unless a person has thought out and planned histalk and knows what he is going to say, he can’t feel verycomfortable when he faces his auditors. He is like the blindleading the blind. Under such circumstances, your speakerought to be self-conscious, ought to feel repentant, oughtto be ashamed of his negligence. “I was elected to the Legislature in the fall of 1881,”Teddy Roosevelt wrote in his Autobiography, “and foundmyself the youngest man in that body. Like all young menand inexperienced members, I had considerable difficulty inteaching myself to speak. I profited much by the adviceofa hard-headed old countryman—who was unconsciouslyparaphrasing the Duke of Wellington, who was himselfdoubtless paraphrasing somebody else. The advice ran:‘Don’t speak until you are sure you have something to say,and know just what it is; then say it, and sit down.’ ” This “hard-headed old countryman” ought to have toldRoosevelt of another aid in overcoming nervousness. Heought to have added: “It will help you to throw off embarrassment if you can find something to do before barrassment if you can find something to do before anaudience—if you can exhibit something, write a wordonthe blackboard, or point out a spot on the map, or moveatable, or throw open a window, or shift some books and to HOW TO DEVELOP SELF-CONFIDENCEpapers—any physical action with a purpose behind it mayhelp you to feel more at home/’ True, it is not always easy to find an excuse for doingsuch things; but there is the suggestion. Use it if youcan;but use it the first few times only. A baby does not clingtochairs after it once learns to walk. 

Third: Act Confident 

One of the most famous psychologists that America has produced. Professor William James, wroteasfollows: Action seems to follow feeling, but really action andfeeling go together; and by regulating the action, whichisunder the more direct control of the will, we canindirectly regulate the feeling, which is not Thus the sovereign voluntary path to cheerfulness,ifour spontaneous cheerfulness be lost, is to sit up cheerfully and to act and speak as if cheerfulness wereal-ready there. If such conduct does not make youfeelcheerful, nothing else on that occasion can. So, to feel brave, act as if we were brave, use all ofour will to that end, and a courage fit will very likely

One of the most famous psychologists that America has produced. Professor William James, wr

One of the most famous psychologists that America has produced. Professor William James, wroteasfollows: Action seems to follow feeling, but really action andfeeling go together; and by regulating the action, whichisunder the more direct control of the will, we canindirectly regulate the feeling, which is not Thus the sovereign voluntary path to cheerfulness,ifour spontaneous cheerfulness be lost, is to sit up cheerfully and to act and speak as if cheerfulness wereal-ready there. If such conduct does not make youfeelcheerful, nothing else on that occasion can. So, to feel brave, act as if we were brave, use all ofour will to that end, and a courage fit will very likelyreplace the fit of fear. Apply Professor James’ advice. To develop courage whenyou are facing an audience, act as if you already had it. Ofcourse, unless you are prepared, all the acting in the worldwill avail but little. But granted that you know whatyouare going to talk about, step out briskly and take a deepbreath. In fact, breathe deeply for thirty seconds before youever face your audience. The increased supply of oxygenwill buoy you up and give you courage. The greatever face your audience. The increased supply of oxygenwill buoy you up and give you courage. The great tenor,Jean de Reszke, used to say that when you had your breathso you “could sit on it” nervousness vanished. In every age, in every clime, men have always admiredcourage; so, no matter how your heart may be poundingin- Developing Courage and Self-Co?ifidence nside, stride forth bravely, stop, stand still and act as if youloved it. Draw yourself up to your full height, look your audiencestraight in the eyes, and begin to talk as confidently asifevery one of them owed you money. Imagine that they do.Imagine that they have assembled there to beg you for

Imagine that they have assembled there to beg you for anextension of credit. The psychological effect on you will bebeneficial. Do not nervously button and unbutton your coat, playwith your beads, or fumble with your hands. If you mustmake nervous movements, place your hands behind yourback and twist your fingers there where no one can see theperformance—or wiggle your toes. As a general rule, it is bad for a speaker to hide behindfurniture; but it may give you a little courage the first fewtimes to stand behind a table or chair and to grip themtightly—or hold a coin firmly in the palm of your hand. How did Teddy Roosevelt develop his characteristiccourage and self-reliance? Was he endowed by nature witha venturesome and daring spirit? Not at all. “Having beena rather sickly and awkward boy,” he confesses in hisAutobiography , “I was, as a young man, at first bothnervous and distrustful of my own prowess. I had to trainmyself painfully and laboriously not merely as regards mybody but as regards my soul and spirit.” Fortunately, he has told us how he achieved the trans-formation: “When a boy,” he writes, “I read a passageinone of Marryat’s books which always impressed me. In thispassage the captain of some small British man-of-warisexplaining to the hero how to acquire the quality of fearless-ness. He says that at the outset almost every manisfrightened when he goes into action, but that the coursetofollow is for the man to keep follow is for the man to keep such a grip on himself thathe can act just as if he were not frightened. After this iskept up long enough, it changes from pretense to reality,and the man does in very fact become fearless by sheer dintof practicing fearlessness when he does not feel it. (I amusing my own language, not Marryat’s.) “This was the theory upon which I went. There wereallkinds of things of which I was afraid at first, ranging from 12 HOW TO DEVELOP SELF-CONFIDENCEgrizzly bears to ‘mean’ horses and gun-fighters; but by actingas if I was not afraid I gradually ceased to be afraid. Mostmen can have the same experience if they choose.” You can have that very experience, too, if you wish. “Inwar,” said Marshal Foch, “the best defensive is an offensive.” So take the offensive against your fears. Go outtomeet them, battle them, conquer them by sheer boldnessatevery opportunity. Have a message, and then think of yourself as a WesternUnion boy instructed to deliver it. We pay slight attentionto the boy. It is the telegram that w

to the boy. It is the telegram that we want. The messagethat is the thing. Keep your mind on it Keep your heartinit. Know it like the back of your hand. Believe it feelingly.Then talk as if you were determined to say it. Do that, andthe chances are ten to one that you will soon be masterofthe occasion and master of yourself. Fourth

Fourth: Practice! Practice! Practice! The last point we have to make here is emphatically the most important. Even though you forget everythingyou have read so far, do remember this: the first way,thelast way, the never-failing way to develop self-confidenceinspeaking is—to speak. Really the whole matter finallysimmers down to but one essential; practice, practice, practice. That is the sine qua non of it all, “the without whichnot.” “Any beginner,” warned Roosevelt, “is apt to have ‘buckfever.’ ‘Buck fever’ means a state of intense nervous excitement which may be entirely divorced from timidity. It mayaffect a man the first time he has to speak to a large audi-ence just as it may affect him the first time he sees a buckor goes into battle. What such a man needs is not courage,but nerve control, coolheadedness. This he can get onlybyactual practice. He must, by custom and repeated exerciseof self-mastery, get his nerves thoroughly under control.This is largely a matter of habit; in the sense of repeatedeffort and repeated exercise of will power. If the manhas Developing Courage and Self-Confidence the right stuff in him, he will grow stronger and strongerwith each exercise of it.” You want to get rid of your audience fear? Let us seewhat causes it. “Fear is begotten of ignorance and uncertainty,” saysProfessor Robinson in The Mind in the Making. To putitanother way: it is the result of a lack of confidence. And what causes that? ft is the result of not knowingwhat you can really do. And not knowing what you candois caused by a lack of experience. When you get a recordof successful experience behind you, your fears will vanish;they will melt like night mists under the glare of a July sun.One thing is certain: the accepted way to learn to swimis to plunge into the water. You have been reading thisbook long enough. Why not toss it aside now, and get busywith the real work in hand. Choose your subject, preferably one on which you havesome knowledge, and construct a three-minute talk. Practice the talk by yourself a number of times. Then give it, ifpossible, to the group for whom it is intended, or beforeagroup of friends, putting into the elfort all your force andpower.

Summary 1. A few thousand students have written theauthor stating why they wanted training in public speakingand what they hoped to obtain from it. The prime reasonthat almost all of them gave was this: they wanted to conquer their nervousness, to be able to think on their feet, andto speak with self-confidence and ease before a groupofany size. 2. The ability to do this is not difficult to acquire. It isnot a gift bestowed by Providence on only a few rarelyendowed individuals. It is like the ability to play golf: anyman or woman—every person—can develop his ownlatentcapacity if he has sufficient desire to do so. 3. Many experienced speakers can think better andtalkbetter when facing a group than they can in conversationwith an individual. The presence of the larger number provesto be a stimulus, an inspiration. If you faithfully follow thesuggestions in this book, the time may come when that willbe your experience, too; and you will look forward withpositive pleasure to making an address. 4. Do not imagine that your case is unusual. Manymenwho afterward became famous speakers were, at the outsetof their careers, beset with self-consciousness and almostparalyzed with audience fright. This was the experienceofBryan, Jean Jaur&s, Lloyd George, Charles Stewart Par

Bryan, Jean Jaur&s, Lloyd George, Charles Stewart Parnell,John Bright, Disraeli, Sheridan and a host of others. 5. No matter how often you speak, you may alwaysexperience this self-consciousness just before you begin; but,in a few seconds after you have gotten on your feet, it willvanish completely. 6. In order to get the most out of this book and to getitwith rapidity and dispatch, do these four things: Developing Courage and Self-Confidence 15a. Start with a strong and persistent desire. Enumeratethe benefits this effort to train yourself will bring you.Arouse your enthusiasm for it. Think what it can meantoyou financially, socially and in terms of increased influence and leadership. Remember that upon the depthof your desire will depend the swiftness of your progress.b. Prepare. You can’t feel confident unless you knowwhat you are going to say. c. Act confident. “To feel brave,” advises ProfessorWilliam James, “act as if we were brave, use all of ourwill to that end, and a courage fit will very likely replacethe fit of fear.” Teddy Roosevelt confessed that he con-quered his fear of grizzly bears, mean the fit of fear.” Teddy Roosevelt confessed that he con-quered his fear of grizzly bears, mean horses, and gunfighters by that method. You can conquer your fear ofaudiences by taking advantage of this psychological fact.d. Practice. This is the most important point of all.Fear is the result of a lack of confidence; and a lack ofconfidence is the result of not knowing what you can do;and that is caused by a lack of experience. So get a recordof successful experience behind you, and your fears willvanish.