Publish at February 23 2022 Updated March 04 2022
Among the skills are sought after these days, soft skills are gaining in importance whether it be through initiative, teamwork and communication. In this last category, eloquent candidates will have a better chance of standing out.
In fact, recruiters are increasingly looking for eloquence skills. It might seem strange if we only believe eloquent people as people who use big words and are comfortable speaking without notes. Yet public speaking is more about fluency, being able to make yourself understood and create an emotional connection with others. Aristotle already noted that some debates were more often won on weak arguments delivered by playing on emotions than a more sustained but cold proposition.
This means containing your message and your diction, avoiding filler words and phrases, thinking before you speak, and pacing your presentation. Elements that are not innate but can be learned. Consequently, eyes are turning to school.
Until recently, mastering the oral arts was not a priority in school. Yet while not all students will need to master writing in their future careers, they will all need to communicate verbally. Teaching itself is itself a conversation between the teacher who distributes his or her knowledge and the learners who can, through their questions, push it further. Not to mention that teaching eloquence goes hand in hand with mastering ideas as Ghislain Prades, co-founder of the Atelier de la Langue Française, explains. The latter organizes in hundreds of classes courses and activities where young people can express themselves.
In the wake of this, in France, we feel a return of eloquence and its learning at all educational levels: from primary school to university, it seems that this skill is being put back in value as shown by this edition of the journal Recherches & Travaux published at the end of 2021.
The resumption of the grand oral test for the general and technological baccalaureate has led to the teaching of eloquence in third and second grade. Eloquence contests are also gaining popularity and are even in soccer clubs. A good idea to undo the image of the sportsman who necessarily speaks badly. Quebec, though not having this tradition, is starting to flirt with the implementation of public speaking competitions among youth.
This skill is perceived as fundamental with the learners themselves who see the future possibilities for them. With practice and work on what needs to be improved, this famous fear of public speaking gradually diminishes. Learning to speak generally leads to greater confidence in one's abilities and message, which makes for better communication.
Of course, covid-19 has complicated this integration of eloquence instruction. Yet, despite the distance, some have succeeded. For example, this teacher of Letters at Henry Bordeaux College in Cognin succeeded with a reading application (Glose Education) to perform different exercises on the subject. Students could record themselves reading excerpts, speak tongue twisters or give their appreciation of a passage that other classmates could consult. In this way, it was possible to debate a work without having been in the same room.
The return of eloquence may bode well for the future. In a world where the art of discussion seems to have been lost to invective, teaching the art of speech and structuring one's thoughts seems a sensible way to counter relativism and prepare tomorrow's adults to better express themselves to their peers and the public at large.
Illustration : Productschool on Unsplash
References:
"Oratorical Art, The First Courses In Eloquence Begin." St. Benigne High School And Higher Education. Last updated November 26, 2021. https://www.sb-lycee.fr/art-oratoire-les-premiers-cours-deloquence-commencent/.
Belhout, Dalale. "Eloquence, A Skill Highly Sought After By Companies." DigitalRecruiters. Last updated January 30, 2022. https://www.digitalrecruiters.com/blog/leloquence-une-competence-tres-recherchee-par-les-entreprises.
Bolmont, Laure. ""My Wish For 2022? That We Put In Place A Policy In Favor Of Eloquence." Gislain Prades, Co-founder Of The French Language Workshop." France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte D'Azur. Last updated: January 14, 2022. https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/provence-alpes-cote-d-azur/bouches-du-rhone/aix-en-provence/mon-v-u-pour-2022-que-l-on-mette-en-place-une-politique-en-faveur-de-l-eloquence-gislain-prades-co-fondateur-de-l-atelier-de-la-langue-francaise-2410312.html.
Glose Education. Accessed February 18, 2022. https://glose.education/.
Hémard, Adrien. "Les Concours D'éloquence S'invitent Dans Les Centres De Formation." SOFOOT.com. Last updated May 11, 2021. https://www.sofoot.com/les-concours-d-eloquence-s-invitent-dans-les-centres-de-formation-499318.html.
Lacerte-Gauthier, Felix. "Un Concours Pour Promouvoir Le Français Chez Les Jeunes." Le Journal De Montreal. Last updated April 9, 2021. https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2021/04/09/un-concours-pour-promouvoir-le-francais-chez-les-jeunes.
Lokoli, Stephanie. "Teaching Eloquence through an Online Reading App." Grenoble Academy Letters Page. Last updated May 1, 2021. https://lettres-pedagogie.web.ac-grenoble.fr/index.php/article/teaching-the-loquence-grace-an-application-of-reading-online#:~:text=Enseigner%20l'%C3%A9loquence%20gr%C3%A2ce%20%C3%A0%20une%20application%20de%20lecture%20en%20ligne,-Pr%C3%A9sentation%20de%20l&text=Le%20projet%20%22Enseigner%20l'%C3%A9loquence,de%20la%20DRANE%20de%20Grenoble.
Perrot, Agnès. "Apprendre à Parler, C'est Faire Société." Apprentis D'Auteuil. Last updated June 29, 2021. https://www.apprentis-auteuil.org/actualites/education-scolarite/lart-de-bien-parler-un-enjeu-porteur-de-sens-pour-les-jeunes.html.
"Why Isn't Speaking a Priority in School?" Inventio. Last updated: August 25, 2019. https://josephrottner-inventio.com/portfolio/pourquoi-loral-nest-pas-une-priorite-a-lecole/.
University of Lausanne. "Recherches & Travaux, No. 99: "Penser Le Retour De L'éloquence Et De Son Enseignement." Fabula. Last updated December 9, 2021. https://www.fabula.org/actualites/recherches-etamp-travaux_105453.php.
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