Public Speaking and the art of elocution
I am that type of person that do believe in the power of either spoken or written words, therefore public speaking is among both my personal and professional interests. I gained my initial knowledge on rhetoric back at the time I was studying Public Relations in Bulgaria. I consider myself quite lucky having the opportunity to learn about this ancient tradition and practice it through analysis of current political debates and figures. Rhetoric helped me to go beyond the surface and understand why certain words are used on particular occasions (like during president debates on the TV) backed with specific nonverbal language and how that influence people. During that time, I also got introduced to the art of elocution.
What is elocution?
The word itself is of Latin origin elocutio which means “voice production, a speaking out, utterance, manner of expression”[1]. It is further defined as an art of careful speaking with clear pronunciation and good ability to control the voice.[2] In short, it is about the way you deliver an oral expression.
Specific instructions on how to speak can be found among the ancient Greek philosophers. In his article dedicated to public speaking Dr. Chris WH Woo mentions Aristotle’s treaties on rhetoric as an early example of the art of speech. I would, however, argue that that ancient sources from that era related to public speaking were directed specifically at the way of oral expression through a particular form. It did not include the daily verbal interactions where there is also the need for elocution.
If I have to give a comprehensive definition of elocution it will be the following:
The art of proper oral expression of oneself and his/ her needs taking into account any personal verbal disfunctions or external
Where can we apply elocution today?
One of the pitfalls of living in the 3.0 www era is that whenever you need to do research on a certain topic you always come up with too many answers some of the them – quite far from the original meaning.
It is the same case with elocution or eloquence, as I’m kindly suggested by Word. I came across these wonderful articles on Paperjam magazine here and also this interview in French. I think they are worth reading because of the tons of useful tips on public speaking you will learn. However, they do not really reflect the nature of colocution. Further to that, they also do not mention the fact that, for example, French language is quite precise in terms of expression and one of the few languages in the world where the slightest deviations from the established form of speaking would make it impossible for people to understand you.
Why should you learn elocution?
Thankfully, today the art of elocution is widely accessible for everyone. There are tons of courses and classes you can take online to work on the structure of your verbal expression, voice clarity and non-verbal expression. However, my advice is to first clearly identify your needs and look for ways on how to improve.
Sometimes people think they lack enough vocabulary or practice in a certain language and that is the main obstacle for a clearer oral expression. In many of these cases it will be worth checking on how clearly you express yourself in your own language. The highest the level, the highest is the probability to have a clearer expression in another foreign language. In addition to that, you should also take into consideration what language you’d like to improve your delivery. As a Communication profession I will also consider the setting in which you need to speak – is it among close people or at the office, how often do you talk to senior management, for instance? Do you need to participate in public presentations, or to teach? These would require you to master a bit different set of articulation skills. It is also worth consulting on this topic before proceeding further with any costly or time requiring activities. Also, you should be careful on the proposal itself – too many people now use elocution in various contexts and at the end it might not be what you are looking for.
Last, but not least – be consistent in your elocution efforst in order to see any results :)
