Carnegie Language Breakthroughs and the Art of Communication

Chapter 24 The Art of Effective Communication (3)
When children speak, or when we usually talk to people, we always change the speed of our speech.This method is very pleasant to listen to, very natural, does not make people feel strange, and has an emphatic effect.In fact, this is the best way to make a point stand out.

Walter Stevens tells us in his book "Lincoln Through the Eyes of a Journalist," published by the Missouri Historical Society, that this method was Lincoln's favorite method of emphasizing a point. One: He'll utter a few words very quickly, and when it comes to the word or sentence he wishes to emphasize, he'll let his voice draw out and say each word with emphasis, and then it's like Sentences are finished quickly, like lightning... He prolongs the word or sentence he wants to emphasize, and spends almost as long on this sentence as he spends on the other five or six unimportant sentences.

Speaking in this way is bound to get the listener's attention.Give another example to illustrate.I often quote in my lectures the following passage from Bishop Gibbons.I want courage to be emphasized in my quotations, so I always draw out the important words as much as I can, and bring them up for emphasis, as if I were deeply moved by them myself— And I was really touched.Please read it aloud, try this method, and see how it works.

Try the following experiment: Say $3 million quickly, in a flat tone that makes it sound like it's a small amount of money.Then, say $000 again, slowly and with a heavy feeling, as if you were extremely impressed by the sheer amount of money.Does that sound like $3 is more than $3 million?

D. Pause before and after the main point

Lincoln often paused in the middle of the conversation.When he says something that he thinks is important and that he wants to impress on the minds of his listeners, he leans forward and looks directly into the eyes of the other person for a full minute. For a long time, but did not say a word.This sudden silence, at this time, silence speaks louder than sound.That is, it can attract people's attention.Doing this will cause everyone to pay attention, become alert, and listen to what the other person is going to say next.

Towards the end of the famous debate between Lincoln and Douglas, he was dismayed at the failure of all indications, and his anguished air consumed him, and it added to his speech. A lot of tragic and touching atmosphere.In the middle of his last speech he stopped suddenly and stood silent for a minute, looking at the faces of the crowd before him, half friends, half spectators, with his sunken, melancholy eyes as usual, It seemed to be full of tears that had never been shed.He pressed his hands together as if they were too weary for the helpless struggle, and then, in his characteristic monotonous voice, said: "My friends, whether Judge Douglas or myself Elected to the United States Senate, that's inconsequential, it doesn't matter at all; but the great question we put before you today is what matters, far above any personal interest or anyone's political future. Friends ’” Here he paused again, and the audience waited with bated breath for fear of missing a word, “even when Judge Douglas’ and my own poor, frail, useless tongue lay in its grave, The problem will continue to live, breathe and burn."

A biographer for him pointed out: "These simple words, as well as his speech attitude at the time, deeply touched everyone's heart."

Lincoln also often paused after saying what he wanted to emphasize.By keeping silent, he amplifies the power of these words, but also makes their meaning enter the heart of the listener, and has a huge impact on the other party.

Sir Oliver Roger often paused in his speeches, usually before and after important passages.Sometimes a sentence might be paused three or four times, and in doing so he tended to be unobtrusive.No one would have noticed this unless someone was analyzing Sir Roger's oratorical skills.

The great poet Kipling said: "Your silence speaks your heart." Using silence wisely in speaking can make the silence play its greatest role.It is a powerful tool.It's too important to ignore.However, it is often overlooked by beginning speakers.

The following passage is excerpted from Herman's "Lively Talking," where I have noted the pauses.I am not saying that the places I have marked are the only places a speaker should pause, or that they are the best places to pause.I'm just saying, it's one of the ways to pause.Where should stop is not static, it should be determined according to its meaning, atmosphere and feeling.If you pause at one point in your speech today, you may pause at another point when you give the same speech tomorrow.

Read the following passage aloud without pausing.Then read it again, pausing where I marked it.Take a look, what is the effect of pausing?

"Selling merchandise is a battle?" (Pause, let the "battle" enter the audience's mind), "Only the fighters win." (Pause, let this enter the audience's mind) "Maybe we don't like this situations, but we can neither create them nor change them." (Pause) "When you step into sales, take your courage." (Pause) "If you don't, (Pause, put suspense 1 second) Every time you strike out, you're going to get struck out and get nothing but a string of zeros." (Pause) "A hitter who fears the pitcher never gets to three Base." (Pause; let your words sink into the minds of the audience) "Keep this in mind." (Pause, let it go deeper) "Being able to hit the ball far, or even let it fly Nets, the man who hits the home run, is usually a player who, when he steps into position, (Pause, and prolong the suspense, so that everyone will listen attentively to how you will introduce this outstanding The thug) has made a firm determination in his heart."

Read the following quotes from famous people out loud and powerfully.Notice where you pause naturally.

America's great deserts are not located in Idaho, New Mexico, or Arizona, but under the hats of ordinary people.The Great American Desert is a psychological desert, not a physical one.

—— IS Closs

There are no panaceas for all diseases in the world, they are only slightly closer to the advertising words.

—Professor Foswell

I had to be especially nice to two people—God and Garfield.I must live with Garfield in this life and with God in death.

—James Garfield
A speaker who follows the guidelines I've laid out in this chapter will probably still have a hundred flaws in his talk.His speech may be exactly the same as he usually talks to people, so his voice may be uncomfortable, and he may also make grammatical errors and be rude.Plus, that might be a bit of an unpleasant move.One's uninhibited conversation in everyday life may itself need much improvement.Therefore, first bring your daily conversation to a state of perfect naturalness, and then bring this method to the podium.

improve your language
There are very few new things in this world.Even great speakers draw inspiration from reading and sources from books.Those who want to increase and expand their storage of words must constantly subject their minds to the baptism of literature.

An Englishman whose pockets were empty when he was out of a job had to walk the streets of Philadelphia in search of a job to get by.He went into the office of Paul Gibbons, a leading local businessman, and asked to meet Mr. Gibbons.Mr. Gibbons regarded the stranger with mistrust.His looks obviously worked against him.His clothes were ragged, the bottoms of his sleeves were worn down, and he looked shabby everywhere.Mr. Gibbons, partly out of curiosity, partly out of sympathy, agreed to receive him.

At first, Gibbons only intended to listen to the other party for a few seconds, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the seconds turned into minutes, and then the minutes turned into an hour, and the conversation was still going on... The end of the conversation Afterwards, Mr. Gibbons called Roland Taylor, the manager of Dillon Publishing in Philadelphia.Mr. Taylor is one of the big capitalists in Philadelphia. After receiving the call from Gibbons, Taylor entertained the stranger and arranged a good job for him.

By what kind of magic power did this man who looked very down and out influenced such two important figures in such a short period of time?The secret can be summed up in one sentence, that is his ability to express English.It turned out that he was a graduate of Oxford University, and he came to the United States to complete a business activity.Unfortunately, this plan failed, leaving him stranded in the United States with no family, no money and no friends at this time.Fortunately, his mother tongue is very standard and extremely beautiful. His language immediately moved the listener, and made the listener completely forget the pair of mud-stained leather shoes and his ragged coat. and his bearded face.It is his beautiful rhetoric that has become his passport to enter the most advanced business circles.

This man's story is somewhat unusual, but it also illustrates a broad and fundamental truth: We can always be judged by what we say.Our speech shows the degree of our self-cultivation, and it almost allows the listener to judge our origin.It is also a proof of our education and cultural level.

As mentioned earlier, there are only four ways we—you and I—engage with the world.It is in these four ways that others judge us and categorize us: what we do, what we look like, what we say, and how we say it.However, there are many people who spend their lives in a daze.After leaving school, they make no effort to increase their vocabulary, master the meanings of words, let alone speak correctly and affirmatively.He has become accustomed to the informal and imprecise expressions that are popular on the street and in the office.No wonder then that his speech was both vague and uncharacteristic.No wonder he often mispronounces or gets his grammar wrong!I even heard some colloquial words of many college graduates talking about ordinary people in the market.If even college graduates have become so uncultivated and do not pay attention to their own conduct, how can we expect that those who have to shorten their education due to insufficient financial means will not be like this?
One afternoon a few years ago, I was standing in the Colosseum in Rome and dreaming.A stranger came up to me, a tourist from one of the English colonies.He introduced himself first, and then began to talk about his travel experience in this "Eternal City".After he spoke for less than 3 minutes, expressions such as "You was" and "I done" began to come out one after another.That morning, when he got up, he specially polished his leather shoes and put on spotless and beautiful clothes, trying to maintain his self-esteem and win the respect of others.Unfortunately, he couldn't polish his vocabulary so that what he said was flawless.He might be ashamed of what he said when he was accosting a lady, if he hadn't taken off his hat, but he wasn't ashamed—no, he didn't even think about it, he made Wrong grammar, offended the ears of those who listened to him.Judging from what he said, he was standing there exposing himself, accepting the judgment and classification of others.His ability to use the English language is so pathetic that it is a constant and unmistakable declaration to the world that he is an uncultured human being.

Dr. Eliot, after serving as President of Harvard University for a third of a century, declared: "There is, I think, only one necessary mental skill in the education of a lady or gentleman, and that is the correct and graceful use of his (her) )’s native language.” This is a profound statement that deserves your deepest thought.

But, you may ask: how can we have an intimate relationship with language?How can we say them in a beautiful and correct way?I can easily tell you that there is nothing mysterious about the method we are going to use, nor is there any trickery.This method is an open secret.Lincoln used this method to achieve astonishing success.No other American but Lincoln ever wove language so beautifully, nor uttered such a phrase with such incomparable musical rhythm: "Hate no one, love all." From Lincoln's In terms of background, he is not so noble. His father is just a lazy, illiterate carpenter, and his mother is just an ordinary woman without special knowledge and skills. Is it because he is especially loved by God and endowed him with kindness? Gifted with language?
We have no evidence to support this inference.When he was elected to Congress, he used the adjective "imperfect" in Washington's official records to describe his education.During his lifetime, he received no more than 12 months of schooling.So, who is his mentor?Yes, Sagarin Burney and Carib Hajill in the Kentucky woods, and Yagiel Dussey and Andrew Knover along the Pigeon River in Indiana, were itinerant elementary school teachers.They wandered from one pioneer settlement to another, and stayed as long as the local pioneers offered ham and corn in exchange for teaching young children to read, write, and count.Of course, Lincoln received little help and enlightenment from them, and his daily situation did not help him much.

Moreover, none of the farmers, businessmen, lawyers, and litigants with whom he became acquainted in the Eighth Judicial District of Illinois had any special or magical gift for languages.It is a good thing that Lincoln did not waste all his time on these companions of equal or lesser talent than he was—a great fact you must remember.Instead, he befriended some of the brightest minds of his time—some of the most famous singers and poets of all time.How did he make friends with these people who did not live in a different era?After reading the following story, you will understand.

He could recite entire volumes of Burns, Byron, Browning by heart.He also wrote a speech commenting on Burns.He kept a volume of Byron's poems in his office and another at home.The book in the office, as I read it frequently, will automatically open the page of "Don Juan" as soon as I pick it up.

When he entered the White House, the tragic burden of the Civil War sapped his energy and carved deep lines into his face.Despite this, he still often finds time to read in bed with a collection of poems by the British poet Hood.Sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night and flip through this collection of poems. When he happened to see some poems that inspired him or made him happy, he would get up immediately, wearing only pajamas and slippers, quietly Search each room of the White House one by one.He even wakes up his secretary and reads poems to him one by one.When he was in the White House, he would also find time to review the famous Shakespeare that he had already memorized, and he often criticized some actors' thinking on Shakespeare, and put forward his own unique views on this famous book.He once wrote to Hargit, Shakespeare's famous actor, saying: "I have read some of Shakespeare's plays. I have probably read it about as much as any lay reader. "King Lear" "Liar" Cha III, Henry VIII, Hamlet, especially Macbeth, in my opinion, there is no play comparable to "Macbeth", it is really well written!"

Lincoln loved poetry.He not only recited and recited in private, but also in public, and even tried to write poetry.He once read a long poem he had written at his sister's wedding.In his middle age he filled a notebook with his writings.Even his best friend wouldn't allow him to read them when he wasn't fully confident in them.

Robinson wrote in his book "Lincoln's Literary Accomplishment": "This great self-taught man wrapped his thoughts with real cultural materials. He may be called a genius or wit. His growth The process is the same as that of Erasmus, one of the leaders of the Renaissance described by Professor Emerton. Although he has left school, he still educates himself in the only way of education and acquires Success. The method is never-ending study and practice.”

(End of this chapter)