Oration: A skill used with grace, civility, and humility

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.” Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 2, William Shakespeare

I have dozed off, cried, contemplated, sat sullen, laughed, embarrassingly giggled, and even ready to charge an enemy phalanx line while listening to speeches. Such is the power of an orator. The feelings speeches can evoke within the human mind; even the soul can be overpowering and just as quickly underwhelming. Why? Musicians have an expression when discussing the perfecting of their craft — playing beyond the notes — is the refrain. An orator, like a musician, creates sentences from words. Those sentences are crafted into sentences and then paragraphs. Like a music sheet, the orator looks at those words on the paper. The orator considers many aspects and how those words will sound from the human ear, be seen by the human eye, into the mind, and down to the heart. The feeling. Just like music notes. The challenge, and therefore, the reward, and risks, come from expressing those words beyond their formal enunciation. And not just the words themselves, but the sentence and the paragraph. The tone. Perhaps, orators should use the same refrain as musicians — speaking beyond the words. To paraphrase a pupil of Ludwig van Beethoven, Ferdinand Ries, “To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.” How will the orator lead the audience through a journey with cohesion and collaboration?

This paper argues the ability to give a speech stirring the hearts and minds of the audience starts from a disciplined approach evolving into an art form of pronunciation and emotion. Using four speech purpose examples (i.e., informative, motivational, entertaining, and persuasive), the evidence will show a variety of approaches to an audience’s engagement. The speech successes do not always follow the strict public speaking rubric, as shown. The organization of this evidence comes in three parts. Part one outlines the rubric used for speeches. Part two dissects these speeches against the rubric used for speeches. Finally, part three compares and contrasts four of the five speeches.

A speech is a verbal journey with the speaker leading the audience. Speeches of any sort should include a beginning, middle, and end. Within those confines comes the complexity of giving an address. The 5 P’s of public speaking (i.e., preparation, practice, presenting, process, and progress) should be intertwined naturally between the creator and presenter of the speech. Impactful speeches implement some versions of the Communication Formula for giving successful speeches. This formula breaks down a speech’s success between the following percentages: 55% body language, 38% vocal tone, and 7% verbal content. The rubric of grading a speech can be broken down further. The body language can be separated into proxemic movements (e.g., use of space the speaker occupies) and kinesic movements (e.g., body gestures such as the face, hands, and mouth). The second part of the speech rubric is vocal tones. Vocal tones work together with body language to create a natural harmonic effect. This leaves the audience accepting a speech’s perfection without wondering why. To expand on vocal tones, they can be broken down into (1) speed/rate, (2) pitch, (3) pauses, (4) enunciation, (5) pronunciation, (6) inflection, and (7) volume. Lastly comes the verbal content. The verbal content starts in the introduction with a strong opening sentence (e.g., WOW), thesis, the value for the audience (e.g., WIIFM), and credibility statement (e.g., speaker’s experience on the topic). The speech body has at least three main points with supportive statements and transition sentences. The last part of the verbal content ends with the conclusion, where the restatement of the thesis and a memorable ending statement (e.g., WOW+) give the audience a strong send-off. Variations of this speech rubric allow the speaker to lead their audience with cohesion and collaboration.

Informative speeches can be “dry” yet still hit their intended mark. Simon Sinek’s TEDx talk, “Start with Why,” WOW statement (0:22–0:40) starts strong on content but not with his body language (i.e., looking down and pacing). The WIIFM uses names of people and well-known companies as examples of why we should care about how some people or companies bring value. The credibility statement drives the rest of the speech with two sentences from 1:30 to 1:51, including humility and recognition of Sinek’s past mistakes. The body of speech involves three points that hit home the key message of “why.” Sinek’s power comes from the simplicity of word choices, pauses around critical points (e.g., 5:28 “nobody bought one”), and kinesic movements (e.g., 5:30 where he scratches his head on the phrase “we can’t even imagine”). His thesis restatement and WOW+ hits the simplicity for us to improve our messaging to the world at large. Information speeches can inspire and inform even there the speaker looks down (too many times to count) and points at the audience (14:39).

A motivational speech under the Monroe guidelines should be a dynamic event. Naval Admiral William McRaven (Head of all US Special Operations Command and former Navy Seal) speaking to the University of Texas graduation class of 2014, speaking behind a podium, and holding the lectern the entire time, never showed any kinesic or proxemic movement. Yet his WIIFM statement connected to the student body (0:38 “throbbing headache from the night before”) instantly allowed him to quickly transfer to the need step (1:04 to 3:05). The body of the speech (3:06 to 18:31) merged the satisfaction and visualization steps. For example, during one point with the satisfaction step (4:46 to 6:12), McRaven talked about the importance of making your bed as a solution to change the world. Yet, at 5:51, he stated, “If you can’t do the little things right, you will never be able to do the big things right,” interpreted as guiding the audience to look forward. These two steps utilized narratives of McRaven’s military experience throughout the speech. The conclusion (thesis restatement and WOW+) took just 60 seconds, where the salient points and thesis were restated. The WOW+ (19:19) ended with a positive inspiration (“what started here will indeed have changed the world — for the better”). McRaven’s motivational speech under the Monroe guidelines took artistic license to inspire all as the audience walks into the future.

An entertainment speech can cover a broad spectrum, from a celebrated actor’s performance to an amateur’s ceremony speech. Al Pacino, in The Scent of a Woman, gives an entertainment speech resting heavily on ethos (2:17 “I’d show you but I’m too old, I’m too tired, I’m too f**** blind”), pathos (2:49 “But there isn’t nothing like the sight of an amputated spirit”), and logos (3:35 “As I came in here, I heard those words “Cradle of leadership”). The winding road utilizing these three tools takes the audience on a wonderful emotional journey. The subtleties of the articulation and enunciation (0:14 “But not a snitch!” in the WOW statement or 1:17 “I’m just getting warmed up”) increase the potency of this entertainment speech given in a boarding school in front of the student body and disciplinary committee. Pacino plays a blind retired Army colonel. The speech setting, behind a desk, limits proxemic movement, which matters not because of the overwhelming power of Pacino’s kinesic movements (e.g., 2:24, 3:40). The vocal control of pauses (e.g., 4:18–4:24 of silence), inflection (4:35 “without EXCEPTION I knew”), and volume (2:24 “I’d take a flamethrower to this place”) increase the power of the entertainment and message. The variety of all these speech strategies and tactics make for a very entertaining 5:38 minutes. The organization of the speech does not follow a standard speech rubric. However, the movie writers, and the actor, Al Pacino, provide the listener with enough speech rubric metrics to rate this speech as spellbinding.

Persuasive speeches can sway the mind, encourage the heart, and take the listener along a cohesive and collaborative journey.

In the Madmen, persuasive speech, the actor portraying the character, Don Draper, opens with a subtle WOW (0:27 “Technology is a glittering lure”) to a client wanting to sell their new technology product. The speech quickly moves to the WIIFM (0:38 “where the public has a sentimental bond with the product”) using pathos and changes to the voice cadence and volume where the audience needs to “lean” into to hear what could come next. The credibility statement (0:42–1:15) weaves his experience from newness (this speech is about selling the marketing firm’s ability to win a new client) to nostalgia. The audience is left with the suspense of how a new tech product can bring nostalgia to the experience. In the speech body, over the next 71 seconds (1:22–2:33), Draper weaves the audience of two, the potential client, through emotions of watching pictures, clicking through a wheel, connected with simple and poignant words of emotion (2:12 “ache to go again,” 2:33 “travel like a child, round and round, back home again”). The photos are aligned with the words. The audience, the two prospects, and the show’s viewers are left to fill in their emotions of capturing moments on film. The WOW+ packs two punches — the phrase itself and the pause. The WOW+ phrase at 2:50, “to a place we know where we are loved,” brings to an emotional state and then, for 36 seconds, no speaking, leaving the audience to focus on themselves and the product’s intent. The audience is left to their emotive thoughts and how they want to capture their moments with this new technology.

In the Newsroom persuasive speech, the actor portraying the character, Will McAvoy, opens with a strong WOW (0:17 “it’s [America] not the greatest country in the world”). The audience is left with no credibility statement. This creates suspense, an odd form of engagement with the audience, which gives the actor the authority for such a bold statement. The WIIFM statement (1:04 “you…sorority girl”) insults the questioner and audience. Reverse psychology. The speech quickly moves into Monroe’s need step (1:09–1:38) with the rapid listing of facts with a strong authoritative voice. The speech swings back into a persuasion speech after a 12-second pause (1:52–2:04) with the statement, “we sure used to be.” The speech then focused on hope about a past where “we waged wars on poverty, not poor people” (2:17) and “we never beat our chests, we built great big things” (2:26). The speech continues by giving examples of America’s remarkable past based on character, civility, and grace ending with “we [America] didn’t scare so easily” (2:55). This gives the audience hope that a past strength could be once again. The WOW+ (3:14 “the first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one”) leaves the audience with the admission America is not the greatest country in the world anymore. Still, with the hope, it could be yet again.

The informative and motivational speeches share two common themes: (1) audience and (2) speaker voice. The audience attending these two speeches had a specific goal. In the case of Sinek, the audience paid to listen to a TEDx talk, and for McRaven, the students wanted to graduate from college. The common theme — is intent. An assumption could be made that a speech audience attending for the purpose (i.e., wanting to achieve a goal) could give liberties or latitude to the speaker’s body movement and facial expressions. For example, Sinek constantly looks down at the floor, points at the audience several times, uses filler words, makes bland or no facial expressions, and slumps. McRaven, ever the soldier, reads from a prepared speech, holds onto the podium for the entire 19:26 minute speech, and has a poker facial expression for the whole of the speech. And yet, the audience is drawn in, evidenced by laughter with McRaven’s speech and Sinek’s 9.2 million YouTube views of his speech. McRaven’s speech was not memorized; it was being read within a formal delivery. Sinek’s speech was impromptu and felt very casual and comfortable. Both speakers use jargon (11:11 “Law of diffusion of innovation” for Sinek or 2:37 “500-pound IED” for McRaven) with physical or verbal props (Sinek used a white paper board and McRaven used great examples to explain) to keep the audience engaged. The speaker’s voices used pauses, pitch, volume, and rate with different levels of engagement but used them nonetheless. McRaven, 4:12 “constantly harassed” emphasized the word “harassed,” whereas Sinek, 10:44 “he quit” highlighted the entire phrase. Sinek used pauses, pitch, volume, and rate with much more enthusiasm and frequency than McRaven. Both speeches achieve their goals of keeping the audience moving forward.

Honey and vinegar are the approaches used for these two persuasion speeches. In the Madmen speech, Draper stands the entire time, whereas McVoy sits the whole time in the Newsroom speech. No physical movement — as traditionally defined for both speakers. Yet, Draper uses subtle facial features (0:42 a smirk when talking of past job leaving the audience wondering, 0:55 eyebrows go up with the word “new,” 2:03 head nod when talking about time) to create movement enhanced with his voice control. McVoy has no subtle facial expressions (0:28 turning to beat down his co-presenters, 1:03 pointing at a specific person in the audience, 2:29 waving one hand to denote tech advances). Their versions of the movement were enough to enhance the persuasion purpose. The speeches utilize polar opposite voice pitch, rate, and volume to persuade the audience. Draper uses soft tones, with subtle and timed pauses to the photos on the screen, and a very slow speaking cadence to match the emotion of his sales persuasion speech. As a marketing executive, persuasion comes from within, and the voice styles allowed his audience to convince themselves. Draper’s voice and words provided a cohesive and collaborative journey to get there. McVoy employed a different speech strategy — vinegar — with his voice pitch, rate, and volume. An assumption could be made, McVoy, a super informed national newscaster, answering questions from less informed undergraduate students, felt “done” with these questions. So, his stinging persuasive speech began (0:17) with anger. McVoy’s voice rate increases during the needs section (1:00–1:44), where he borrows Monroe’s sequence during his persuasion speech. Yet, beginning at 2:04, after a 12-second pause to give the audience a moment to catch their breath, the voice changes. McVoy brings to bear the calming voice of Churchill or Roosevelt during their World War II radio speeches. In an unexpected turn of events, the speech ends with sadness, leaving the audience admitting — America is not the greatest country in the world anymore.

Bottom line — the responsibility of an orator, or anyone giving a speech, large or small, essential or forgettable, strives to add to the audience’s experience and life. Additions can be microscopic or Titanic. The critical issue for an orator — do no harm. As discussed with examples in this paper, the blueprint for giving a speech is mainly academic. Almost robotic. It’s a fool’s paradise believing the speech blueprint marks the end for perfecting a speech delivery. It compares to thinking one has climbed Mt. Everest by reaching base camp. Reaching that mountain’s summit requires four additional stages. Giving a speech that talks beyond the words on any topic only requires passion and original purpose. No matter if the issue delves into the labyrinth worlds of nanotechnology or raising a child. Words can destroy or build bridges. Let our words be a connector of positive energy.

Bibliography

Brest, Martin. Scent of a Woman. United States: Universal Pictures. 1992. YouTube. Entertainment speech video, 5:38. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd10x8LiuBc

McRaven, William, H. Naval Admiral. “Admiral McRaven addresses the University of Texas at Austin Class of 2014.” The University of Texas at Austin. May 23, 2014. YouTube. Motivational speech video, 19:26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaQZFhrW0fU

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Sinek, Simon. “Start with why — how great leaders inspire action.” TED Talk. September 28, 2009. YouTube. Informative speech video, 18:01. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA

Sorkin, Alan. Writer. The Newsroom, Season 1, Episode 1, “We Just Decided To.” 2012. HBO. Persuasive speech video, 3.27. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML3qYHWRIZk

Thayer, Alexander Wheelock. Thayer’s Life of Beethoven. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. 1970.

Weiner, Matthew, and Veith, Robin. Writers. Madmen, Season 1, Episode 13, “The Wheel.” 2007. AMC. Persuasive speech video, 3.26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRbEg5HosBo

Zarefsky, David. Public Speaking: Strategies for Success. Eighth edition. New York, NY: Pearson. 2017.