Training to acquire speech ability is an often overlooked but vitally important facet of public speaking. The general consensus is that one either has the ability or one does not. If they do not, it does not matter how much training to acquire speech ability they undergo-their abilities will be mediocre at best.

Never will they have the opportunity to rise in the ranks with such powerful speakers as Abraham Lincoln or Daniel Webster.

If they only knew! Many of the individuals throughout history that have been renowned for their abilities in public speaking were actually very poor speakers. They stuttered. They paused. They filled their speeches with nonsense and drivel intended to increase the length of their material but not the depth. These individuals required a tremendous amount of training to acquire speech ability!

From the time he was a child Abraham Lincoln practiced public speaking. Prior to his presidency his employers often referred to him as an “idle fellow” because he was far more likely to be found giving an oration to his fellow employees than doing his job. Who would have imagined a man like that becoming president of one of the largest nations in the world!

Daniel Webster, a senator from Massachusetts prior to the Civil War known for his inspiring orations, said that as a child he found public speaking to be incredibly difficult.

"I could not speak before the school…Many a piece did I commit to memory and rehearse in my room over and over again, but when the day came, and the schoolmaster called my name, and I saw all eyes turned upon my seat, I could not raise myself from it.... Mr. Buckminster always pressed and entreated, most winningly, that I would venture, but I could never command sufficient resolution. When the occasion was over I went home and wept bitter tears of mortification."

When asked about his speaking abilities Henry Clay, the man known throughout history as “The Great Compromiser” for his ability to bring others around to his way of thinking, said:

"I owe my success in life to one single fact, namely, at the age of twenty-seven I commenced, and continued for years, the practice of daily reading and speaking upon the contents of some historical or scientific book. These offhand efforts were made sometimes in a corn field, at others in the forests, and not infrequently in some distant barn with the horse and ox for my auditors. It is to this early practice in the art of all arts that I am indebted to the primary and leading impulses that stimulated me forward, and shaped and molded my entire destiny."

The purpose of these illustrations is to show that the greatest speakers of our time won their abilities in public speaking not through any natural inclination or talent but through careful training to acquire speech ability throughout the course of their lives. These were ordinary men with extraordinary ideas who learned how to present their extraordinary ideas in extraordinary ways. They learned the art of presenting their words with the proper expression. They overcame their handicaps. They learned to speak in a strong, clear voice. They wrote their speeches over and over again in their minds, trimming the fat until they could make their point in a clear and logical manner. Perhaps most importantly, these men believed so strongly in what they had to say that they were able to present their ideas in a way that would convince others to think as they did.

Acquiring prowess in public speaking through careful and intensive training to acquire speech ability is something that anyone can do. A person with enough intelligence to have an idea and the strength of personality to stand behind it can learn how to speak well, regardless of their natural inclinations.

For some individuals, those who suffer from handicaps or nervous disorders, the training process may be more difficult. It will certainly require a great deal more effort; however, modern day therapies have yielded results that are nothing short of miraculous when it comes to helping those with disabilities speak with conviction and skill.

Stuttering and stammering can be overcome. Weak voices can be strengthened, and speeches filled with “ums” and “ahs” can be made coherent. Careful training to acquire speech ability with a teacher that is willing to take the time and patience to help a speaker overcome their handicaps and their hesitancies can help anyone can learn to climb their mountains and achieve the kind of proficiency in public speaking that Abraham Lincoln used to inspire a nation so many centuries ago.

My Name Is Christopher Carlin And I Want To Give You Twenty Free Public Speaking Tips

 

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