There is, of course, certain preparation necessary for effective public
speaking. The so-called impromptu speech is largely the product of
previous knowledge and study. What the speaker has read, what he has
seen, what he has heard,--in short, what he actually knows, furnishes
the available material for his use.
As the public speaker gains in experience, however, he learns to put
aside, at the time of speaking, all conscious thought of rules or
methods. He learns through discipline how to abandon himself to the
subject in hand and to give spontaneous expression to all his powers.
_Primarily, then, the public speaker should have a well-stored mind._ He
should have mental culture in a broad way; sound judgment, a sense of
proportion, mental alertness, a retentive memory, tact, and common
sense,--these are vital to good speaking.
_The physical requirements of the public speaker_ comprise good health
and bodily vigor. He must have power of endurance, since there will be
at times arduous demands upon him. It is worthy of note that most of the
world's great orators have been men with great animal vitality.
The student of public speaking should give careful attention to his
personal appearance, which includes care of the teeth. His clothes,
linen, and the evidence of general care and cleanliness, will play an
important part in the impression he makes upon an audience.
_Elocutionary training is essential._ Daily drill in deep breathing,
articulation, pronunciation, voice culture, gesture, and expression, are
prerequisites to polished speech. Experienced public speakers of the
best type know the necessity for daily practise.
_The mental training of the public speaker_, so often neglected, should
be regular and thorough. A reliable memory and a vivid imagination are
his indispensable allies.
_The moral side of the public speaker_ will include the development of
character, sympathy, self-confidence and kindred qualities. To be a
leader of other men, a speaker must have clear, settled, vigorous views
upon the subject under consideration.
So much, briefly, as to the previous preparation of the speaker.