The Rules of Speech are Arbitrary
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January 28th, 2012

The Rules of Speech are Arbitrary

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Discussion (11)¬

  1. ChayaFradle says:

    What is a W speech. Is this George W Bush?

  2. ChayaFradle says:

    I missed the original post. Who are we talking about? Who gave speeches?

  3. ongre13 says:

    If I remember correctly W's handlers had to teach him how to speak well. They settled on 3 word phrases. If you listen to his speeches that is exactly what he does. All his speeches were staccato 3 word shots.
    Sorry about the suggestion to listen to dubya's speeches, that is to cruel.

    • Steven S says:

      It was too bad they couldn't work on his vocabulary! xD

    • Darrin Bell says:

      I'm sorry, but I listened to every major speech the man gave, and that's more than enough for me, for one lifetime. I don't think I can bring myself to do that ever again, even for research purposes. I want to hang onto what's left of my soul. To paraphrase, "when you look into to a W speech, the W speech also looks into you."

    • Joe Mama says:

      Maybe that explains how he simultaneously managed to sound like a third grader AND condescending to someone of lower intelligence.

      • Macushla Bubbe says:

        Wait… you mean someone of lower intelligence to W?! 'Cause 3rd graders would not be. Until Rick Perry came along, I wasn't sure ANYone was.

  4. ChayaFradle says:

    The rules of speech are not arbitrary. They are geared toward not putting the audience to sleep, toward getting a point made in a way that the audience receives the message willingly, and sometimes toward persuading the audience to either believe or do something. There are rules which govern effective communication which have been shown to be multinational. This is why Toastmasters can be an international organization. They all go by the same, non-arbitrary rules so that they all can give and receive information and share beliefs in a non-threatening way. Also, they learn to give effective and helpful evaluations of other people's speeches. The best way is called the "sandwich" approach. You can use this in all areas of life, including arguments or relationship issues. Say something positive, then give a constructive suggestion in your opinion, and then end on a positive note. This kind of sandwich has no calories. Hahaha.

  5. Dave Aronson says:

    Okay, maybe varying *randomly* is a bit wack, but deliberate variation of pace can be an effective public speaking technique. The Toastmasters introductory manual has ten projects; one of them is on vocal variety, including pitch, volume, and pace.