CHAPTER IX. UNITY AND PROPORTION IN EXTEMPORE In What Does Unity Consist. The extemporaneous speaker should see to it that his speech possesses the quality of unity. Unity consists in having all the parts of a speech so fitted together that the thread of thought may be continuous and unbroken. There can be nothing worse than a disconnected and disjointed speech. And yet many of this kind are heard. To learn to give a speech with a unity of thought and a unity of purpose, with all its parts perfectly joined together and all driving straight forward to a definite object and a definite end is worthy the highest and most intelligent effort of the student of public speaking. Do not be satisfied with an imperfect and disconnected speech. To "make a few remarks" upon a subject does not constitute a speech. Organize your material. Get it into shape. Let there be a continuous thread of thought running through it from the beginning to the end to give connectedness and unity. Have one subject and stick to it. Don't try to cover the entire universe as some speakers seem to think it their duty to do. Nothing destroys the unity of a speech so much as to try to cover too much ground. One of the best ways to secure unity is to be brief. Brander Matthews in his "Notes on Speech-Making" mentions the fact that Judge Hoar delighted the Harvard students year after year with his five-minute speeches which contained "but one original idea, clearly stated, and but one fresh story well told." It is easy to see how such a speech would have the essential quality of unity. Another good way to secure unity is to prepare yourself so thoroughly that you feel you have more to say than you have time in which to say it and feel under pressure to condense and compact your thought, actuated by this idea and constrained by this feeling you will be less liable to ramble and digress and you will move right on to the accomplishment of your purpose. To quote again from Mr. Matthews: "Unity of purpose lends weight to the words of a speaker who is willing to compact his thoughts.' The extempore speaker should not only have unity in his speech, but he must also observe the principle of proportion. By proportion is meant the giving to each part of his speech its proper amount of time, space and attention. For example if you have three points which you wish to make or three heads, we will say, in your What Is Meant by Proportion. outline your time should be divided equally among the three providing they are of equal importance. But if your points are not all of equal importance you should govern yourself accordingly. The amount of time and attention given to each point or proposition should be in proportion to its importance. Some speakers will spend altogether too much time in elucidating a point which is in its very nature trivial and unimportant. If you have a point or proposition in your speech which is less important than some others do not give it too much attention, but pass on quickly to some of your more weighty considerations and you will have more time to devote to them. Another way to make plain to your mind the meaning of proportion is this: Suppose you are going to be called upon at next meeting of the class to give a five-minute extempore speech and you have three points you wish to make, would it be right to spend four minutes of the time on your first point? Or if you have an "Introduction" in your speech would it be violating the principle of proportion if you were to spend three of the five minutes allotted to you, on the introduction? Many an experienced speaker is found guilty of spending too much time in his introduction. And it often happens that a speaker will lay a broad and deep foundation for a very insignificant superstructure. Don't make your "introduction" bigger than your speech. The best way to avoid this mistake is to plunge right into the subject matter of your speech and proceed at once to make your first point. Whenever you are called upon to mke a speech by all means find out in advance how much time you are to occupy and then divide your points and plan your speech accordingly and. then in making your speech stick to your plan. This is the only safe way to secure proportion. A certain minister was recently heard to give an address at chapel. He was allotted ten minutes in which to make his speech. He spent five minutes in giving his introduction. Then he had three points he wished to make. He spent four minutes on his first point and had hardly got started on his second when the bell rang and he had to close with his second point unfinished and his third point untouched. He had not mastered the principle of proportion in speech-making. Let the student study till he understands what is meant by proportion in all its phases and then let him show his mastery of this principle in his actual practice in speaking. Their to The principles of unity and proportion in speechmaking are closely related to one another. Indeed they are so closely related that it is difficult to treat of the one without trespassing upon the other. Webster's definition of "untiy" as applied to oratory or discourse is: "The due subordination and reference to every part of the development of one leading idea to the establishment of the main proposition." And what is this but saying essentially that the unity of a speech Each Other. depends upon the proper carrying out of the principle of proportion. Unity and proportion as applied to the art of extempore speaking go hand in hand and one can hardly be violated without violating the other. In fact if the speaker has properly adjusted the various parts of his speech in their relation to each other, his speech can hardly fail to possess unity. While on the other hand if he have a continuous thread of thought running through the speech from beginning to end or one main proposition to establish he will no doubt feel the necessity of distributing his subordinate ideas and propositions in such a way as to secure due proportion. There are no two principles in Extemporaneous Speaking more important than these two and none that are more often violated by public speakers, whether extemporaneous or otherwise. Let the stud ent strive with all his might to master these two principles and put them into practice in his speeches before the class. If these essentials are mastered while you are a student in public speaking you will probably never violate them when you are called upon to make speeches later on in life. THOUGHT PURPOSE OF LESSON IX. Every speech should have in it a central purpose or thought. And having decided what his Central Purpose or Thought is to be, the speaker should bend every effort to the accomplishment of his purpose. Definiteness of purpose thought out clearly beforehand will secure definiteness of results in the end. No speaker should To Have a Central Purpose or Thought. attempt to make a speech until he has clearly decided in his own mind what he intends to accomplish by it. Singleness of purpose should be the aim of every public speaker. To accomplish a definite purpose. To leave one definite thought in the minds of the audience is the highest art. Most speakers try to say too much and in doing so fail to leave a single definite impression. About one good strong thought or proposition well elucidated is all the average audience can assimilate and carry away with them. Analyze your own thoughts in this matter after having listened to a speech. How many speeches that you have listened to have left a single definite impression upon your mind? To quote from Lyman Abbott: The speaker should ask himself, "What result is this speech to accomplish?" Then with regard to central thought. "What thought lodged in the minds of the audience will best accomplish this result?" Then as a third step he suggests, "An analysis of this central thought into three or four propositions, the enforcement and illustration of which will serve to fasten in the minds of the hearers the central thought and so to secure the desired result." It is necessary for the speaker to think out in advance just how much time he is going to devote to each point. This point was briefly mentioned in paragraph two, but it must be more fully discussed here as it properly comes under the Thought Purpose of this lesson. This is one of the most important considerations in the preparation of an extemporaneTo Give Due ous speech. The relative importance of Proportion your various points should be carefully To Each Part thought out beforehand. The amount of of Your Speech time to be given to each point should not According to be left to be decided by chance or the Its Relative inspiration of the moment. You should Importance. have clearly in mind some definite things you are going to say concerning each point. Plan to say just what is necessary to make the point plain and then stop. Don't ramble around forever on one point. Get on to the next. Don't let your speech drag. Keep moving. Don't forget that the Thought Purpose of each lesson is to prepare you for the proper carrying out of the points under the Delivery Purpose. If in the preparation of your next speech you decide clearly beforehand in your own mind just what the relative importance of each part of your speech is you will be much more apt to secure unity and proportion when you come to deliver the speech. You will find that to prepare an extemporaneous speech and prepare it right will take about as much time as to prepare a manuscript. The preparation must be even more thorough. The subject must be even more carefully thought out. The mind must be familiar with it in all its aspects. Having decided on what the central thought is to be the speaker should see to it that every subordinate thought and proposition goes to reinforce and support this main or central thought. All illustrations chosen should be such as to bear directly on the main object of the speech. Any illustration that does not contribute something to the main idea must necessarily detract from the strength of the speech. The skilled speaker will marshall his facts and his arguments as the skilled general his soldiers and bring them all to bear upon the important point of attack. All anecdotes related To Make All |