Cicero bequeathed: "Every speaker is obliged to excite, persuade and charm his audience." And Aristotle explained that it’s pathos that is responsible for the excitement. Why did the word pathos in everyday life become ironic-condemning, even abusive? How did the literary term go to the dictionary of modern glamor? Why is it impossible to do in public speaking without pathos? The point, of course, is the appropriateness of using the word. We share our conclusions and life hacks according to the techniques of oratory, which from ordinary speech will make brilliant.
What is pathos
Paphos is a rhetorical category, a special way of expressing suffering, strong passion, and emotional arousal. As one of the methods of persuading the audience, the pathos was part of the rhetoric - oratory, first described by the ancient Greek thinker Aristotle. According to Aristotle, pathos is "feeling, inspiration, embedded in speech". The key elements of the concept were originally"high idea or spirit", "moral cleansing", "inner movement of the soul". The use of the word" pathos "until recently corresponded to its definition in all dictionaries.
Today pathos became synonymous with self-made ego and acquired a negative context. Some dictionaries provide such a definition of what the word pathos means. "excessively elevated speech, external manifestation of inspiration, which gives the impression of false". Synonymous with the word pathetic call vain, sugary, hypocritical, insincere. Accordingly, a pretentious person who is what is called, works for the public, behaves exaggeratedly demonstratively, in his speech uses complex, irrelevantly beautiful words or complex turns. And all in order to impress others.
Modern linguists say that bookish, exclusively literary words "pathos", "pathetic"became the main components of a glamorous dictionary. Perhaps because to describe life"higher standard“Words luxurious, elite, elegant turned out to be not enough. Paphos became the exclusive word that was given new meaning. Glamorous dictionary puts its meanings in the word“ pathos ”- this is the highest rating of a living or nonliving subject, events. social networks, cars, girls, funerals, parties, performances and shoes.
The question “what is a pompous person” from the point of view of glamorous slang becomes relevant. This is a person who pushes and attracts at the same time. He is bad and good, because the pathos is inherent in his nature. In a negative sense, pathos is associated with deceit, bombast, and showing off. In the positive - describes a confident person who knows his own worth.
Similar metamorphoses exist in the English language. Translated from the Greek, "pathos" (pathos) is a passion. And in modern English, "pathetic" is "pathetic," "touching."
Paphos in literature
Paphos is applicable to speech and writing, where it is understood as the leading emotional tone or emotional mood of the work. In literary studies, he combines all the techniques of argumentation that emotionally affect the listener. Paphos happens:
- Heroic - reflects the greatness of the hero.
- Dramatic - characters are described with a special drama and anguish.
- Tragic - associated with the predetermination of fate, the price paid for the violation of the "higher" law.
- Satirical - built on the mocking denial of outdated foundations of society.
- Romantic - describes the enthusiastic state of the soul in striving for the ideal.
- Sentimental - in the center is compassion, sympathy for another (often helpless) person.
Paphos in the film industry is a relevant and necessary element. Especially in the adventure film, where the viewer must be kept in suspense from the first minute. Usually lofty, exaggerated solemn phrases and memorable monologues of the Main Characters with capital letters. These are the “I'll be back” of the Terminator, “I am the king of the world” of the hero Leonardo DiCaprio from the “Titanic”, “Who will come to us with the sword, Alexander Nevsky will die from the sword”.
How to learn to speak in public
Outstanding personalities owe a great deal to the skill that they perfectly mastered - the ability to perform. But convincing speakers are not born, they become. The main thing - to find the right words, to seize the attention and be heard. According to Aristotle, a bright orator should master the three components of rhetoric: logos (logical judgments), ethos (universal values) and pathos (emotions).
Many people are afraid to speak to an audience. And it does not have to be a big hall. Excitement sometimes makes it difficult to say a toast at a friends wedding or read a paper standing at the blackboard. Fortunately, there are books that have collected the experience of great speakers. They will help to master the art of public speaking and speak brightly, sincerely, energetically in front of any audience.
Prepare for performance. Unnecessary excitement often causes a lack of knowledge about the topic of the speech. And the public feels it instantly. The key to success will be a thorough preparation: planning speech, making cards with theses, repeating the material several times. Additionally useful training diaphragm, the choice of the correct pitch, voice rate.
Get to know your audience. It is not enough to thoroughly know your speech, you need to know who will hear it. It is one thing to speak to first-year students, and another to speak to the board of directors. It is advisable to find out the average age, the status of listeners and the reasons for which they will listen to you. Well, if you have the opportunity to visit the place of performance in advance, it will make you feel more confident.
Work out the content of speech. In any speech there are two memorable moments: the beginning and the end. The success of the performance will depend on their effect:
- The first phrase is that everybody, without exception, listens to it, so it must be powerful and be sure to evoke an audience response.
- A bright beginning is the speaker’s “high point”, therefore the beginning should be bright and informative. A successful aphorism, a compliment to an audience, or a short story from life is best suited.
- The main presentation - should be built around one idea. Here you can joke, talk about serious things, quote great ones, praise or criticize other speeches, share ideas. The main thing is to establish an emotional connection with the audience and speak the same language with it.
- Completion is another illustration of a speech idea. This may be a story, a call to action. The main thing is to convey to the audience your emotions of pride, enthusiasm or hope and finish on time.
7 lifehacks, how to improve the quality of public speaking
Preparation, thoughtful speech and rehearsals are only half the battle. Success largely depends on the personality of the speaker, his ability to interest the audience. To help novice speakers, we have collected 7 life hacks, which will help to become a real hero of public speeches:
- Keep it simple. If we add dosed pathos to speech, the meaning of the words will increase. But too convoluted sentences, complex terms, long quotes, or the language of abstractions will distract attention from the main point.
- Kidding, but in moderation. Humor perfectly dilutes complex explanations, helps to keep attention all the time of performance. But inappropriate jokes or jokes as a joke only offend the audience.
- Connect emotions. Real emotions will not only show listeners to you, the present, but will respond in their souls. Contradictions give energy, criticism causes revival and helps to establish informal relationships with listeners. But boasting, arrogance, aggression, anger - a reliable way to lose the trust of the audience.
- Coordinate facial expressions and the meaning of the speech. The manner of speaking, gestures, the pose of the speaker mean no less than the meaning of the speech. But if the speaker’s behavior contradicts his words, the listeners at least remain at a loss.
- Tell a story of defeat. Success stories are actively unwound and create the illusion of ideality. Failure stories are much deeper and more motivating. But they work only when the author, despite difficulties, has succeeded.
- Come up with two spare plans.. The performance may unexpectedly be delayed or will end faster. Consider what you can throw out of speech in the first case or add in the second. But the main thing is to do it in such a way as not to spoil the effect of the performance.
- Watch the speeches of famous speakers. Learning famous speeches is a great way to master oratory. The famous speeches of Martin Luther King, Steve Jobs, Nick Vujcic, Oprah Winfrey will tell you how to surprise, excite the listeners, be remembered for their originality.
Top 3 motivational speakers: what is the secret of popularity
Among the motivational speakers are well-known TV presenters, politicians, writers, religious figures. Each of them tells a difficult story of his life and is able to reach the most indifferent listener. But the themes and approaches are different. We collected the TOP-3 of the most inspiring people and professional secrets they shared.
Tony robbins recognized as the number one motivational speaker in the world. The success of his speeches is determined by:
- Appearance and acting skills - with his two-meter height and thunderous voice, he fills the whole scene, which attracts listeners like a magnet.
- Good humor - he uses jokes and eagerly laughs with the audience.
- Knowledge of the material - read everything that was published on psychology, healthy lifestyles, public speaking.
Brian tracy more than a speaker — author of self-development books, business coach, entrepreneur, and coach. In his book, shares tips:
- Perform to win. The mind is the main asset, use it to the maximum. This will help earn more, become more confident.
- Start your speeches in different ways. A good start to a speech or presentation guarantees success. Think over what you will say while standing on the stage, consider the audience, the topic of the previous performance, the time of day.
- Smile sincerely, hold on modestly. When you smile, you radiate goodwill. When you keep modestly, you do not demonstrate superiority over the audience.
Joe Yazbek - often speaks in front of the auditorium and teaches businessmen oratory. At his seminars he shares secrets:
- During the performance, watch everything around. Learn the memory of memory, so as not to read from the sheet. When you go on stage, look in the last rows, feel the atmosphere of the hall.
- Make up your speech yourself. Do not trust writing theses or speaking to someone else. Be sure to print and bring the speech with you, so that it is not lost in the e-mail, for example.
- Make it speech so that her ideas smoothly transform one into another. The transition from one idea to another - connecting thread performances. If the transition is imperceptible, it will turn out smooth, natural.
Findings:
- Paphos is such a device in speech, literature or film industry, which causes strong feelings and experiences.
- In the language of glamor, one adjective "pathos" describes all the charms of a beautiful, sweet life.
- Passion and emotionality are basic tricks of performance, which help to convey the thoughts of the audience, to keep the attention of listeners, to get support.
- Motivational speakers are modern rhetoricians who share their secrets of successful public speaking.
