Thanks for all you do,

Brett, I’d like to comment on your comment. In “new media” I think people tend to only comment on things that they can relate to in the context of their personal history. Things like adventure or humor… “I remember when… happened to me”. Or things they already know and/or love, cooking for example.

In your comment, you stated: “The rhetoric series is a lot of work but doesn’t seem to be as popular as some of the other articles we do, so I wasn’t sure if I should keep going with it.”. I don’t know if you’re counting popularity by “hits” or “comments”, but if it’s comments, see above. I suspect that most of us aren’t skilled orators (I, myself, didn’t know how to spell rhetoric before you started this series!) so we don’t have the background to comment intellagently. If you’re judging by hits, never fear, we’ll all be referring back to the series over the years. Eventually, all of us are going to have that “uh, oh!” moment that we’ll need to prepare for.

Like our freind Tsosamotse before me, I will be giving a speech at a wedding (this coming April). Not as Best Man, but as the father of the Bride. Maggie is our oldest child and the first to be married, so this is a very important event for both myself and my own bride. Maggie’s dated her fiance for about ten years. They lived with us for several of those years. I find myself in the eviable position of being able to refer to Billy as a very good freind, rather than “just” my son-in-law. I couldn’t think of a better man to accept my daughters hand from my own. Which makes this event even MORE important.

The length of this comment belies the fact that I’m a man of little words, so please undestand that I am very anxious and apprehensive about my speech. This series is invaluable to me, and will be for many others in the future.

Both you and Kate are regularly encouraging and teaching us, I’d like to give a little encouragement back. You guys are awesome! I’d also like to thank you. Not for your hours, efforts, writing or research this time, but just for, well… helping!

Tod

The following audio lectures with printed transcripts from The Teaching Company are very good:
* Hale, John R. Art of Public Speaking: Lessons from the Greatest Speeches in History. Also TTC.
* Hall, James. Tools of Thinking: Understanding the World Through Experience and Reason.
* Landon, Brooks. Building Great Sentences.
* Zarefsky, David. Argumentation: The Study of Effective Reasoning, 2nd ed.

Thanks very much for the comment! The rhetoric series is a lot of work but doesn’t seem to be as popular as some of the other articles we do, so I wasn’t sure if I should keep going with it. So it’s good to know that readers like you are so into it! Thanks for the encouragement. Congrats on giving a great best man’s speech. I was just at a wedding where the best man gave a speech that had everyone cringing in embarrassment for him. It’s awesome that you took the time to read up on the subject and apply what you read.

I do definitely plan on putting this together in an ebook once the series is finished.

When thinking about introduction, and indeed structure as a whole, I’ve found Churchill’s advice to be very helpful. I tried to find the reference, but was unable, so I’m quoting from memory: “When you have something important to say, say it. Hammer it home again and again. Hit them with it until their ears ring.”

The quotes belie the fact that this probably more of a summary and not as poetic as Churchill. Still, it makes the point. And will keep speakers on task and on target and prevent them from getting muddled in schemes and tropes and rhetorical surprises that, while effective in seasoned pens, will in the hands of new speakers be used far too often and will produce an overly restful reaction from the crowd.

Thanks for the hard work on this! Cheers!

Can’t wait for the next installment!