Publish at February 15 2023 Updated February 15 2023
Any successful public speaking is meant to be eloquent. Its realization is very often the result of several exercises. Among these exercises, reading aloud is a very old practice whose origin lies in the way ancient texts were written.
The medium and the spelling being difficult, reading aloud was necessary to ensure comprehension (Schreiber, 2017). In this article, the point is not to revisit the history of this exercise but to present eight oratory skills developed through reading aloud.
The Larousse dictionary defines eloquence as "Art, talent for speaking well, persuading and convincing by speech."
If to persuade the speaker needs to put his pathos or feelings into play, to convince, he must resort to arguments. Arguments are the result of reasoning based on reliable data, knowledge. Several types of arguments can be used: authority, statistics, cause, consequence, norms, etc. These arguments can be searched in several sources but the main source remains the document: books, reports, articles, magazines etc.
Reading gives you access to knowledge that can be useful when speaking in public. Beyond arguments, reading improves your style
No one can master the entire lexicon of a language, however everyone has their own vocabulary and can improve it. A speaker's vocabulary is the set of words that that person is able to use in communication. Reading therefore provides additional words to enrich one's vocabulary, especially since "a poor vocabulary reflects a poor thought". (Julien Soulié, French language specialist). Therefore, one must read with curiosity in order to learn new words.
Louis Mouchotte (2022) returning to Julien Soulié's words, specifies "read more, but not just any old way." This precision is all the more important since the comprehension of a text also lies in the ability to articulate well. Each person has his idiolect and each community his sociolect and therefore he can have a variety of accents but the ideal for a speaker would be to articulate well.
If the language being used is recognized by the International Phonetic Alphabet (API), the speaker must follow its rules or rules of articulation in the language of expression. Reading, which very often begins with learning syllables, cultivates correct pronunciation and in turn correct intonation. Reading aloud helps to pronounce the syllables and sounds correctly.
Speakers are very often advised not to have a monotonous style, as this puts the audience to sleep. One way to improve intonation is to read aloud. Punctuation, figures of speech such as aggradation, repetition, and many others allow readers to change the rhythm of reading and give the text a certain cadence.
This exercise prepares the speaker to perform effectively when he or she is in front of a lectern or audience. Public speaking becomes a true demonstration of reading aloud.
Just as note-taking strengthens the ability to remember, so does reading aloud. Reading aloud is all about hearing yourself. This exercise, according to a Canadian study published in the journal Memory cited on the site Ladepeche.fr, "would be the best technique for retaining a certain amount of information in the long term."
The ideal speaker is that person who can express himself or herself for several minutes without support. In turn, he or she must have good memorization skills, and reading aloud helps develop this skill.
Public speaking in many contexts is similar to role-playing. The speaker does not necessarily express himself as he does in real life, in a normal exchange situation. He must have a certain approach, practice and even prepare his improvisation. He often changes his character depending on the speech he is developing or embodying.
This embodiment of a role can find its foundation in reading aloud. When you read a novel, sometimes you will be in the character's shoes to better identify the plot. You will imitate a man's voice when you read a male character's words and a woman's voice when you read a woman's words. This role-playing therefore prepares you for your various public speaking engagements and consequently strengthens your eloquence.
In the article titled "10 Benefits of Reading Aloud," the eighth benefit deals with attention and concentration. In fact, reading a text requires a certain amount of concentration just like speaking in public, "When you hear a story, you focus on it and you don't realize that this concentration is actually learning in a relaxed way."
This concentration you develop while reading is the same concentration you need to face the audience that can help throw you off. As a result, you have to be confident.
The biggest difficulty that people who are afraid of public speaking face is related to lack of self-confidence. Yet some of these people have no trouble reading. It would therefore be wise for them to move from simple reading to reading aloud. It would allow them to first face their own voice and then the listeners, if the reading is done in an audience setting.
Reading is very often learned in school and done in the presence of the audience. There are students who are reluctant to read in class because they are afraid of the reaction of their peers. Despite this reluctance, the teacher finds tricks to facilitate learning. Reading and especially in front of an audience prepares you for public speaking.
Philologist Guy Merlin Nana (2013) asserts that orality is the basis of writing. Drawing on this orientation and after highlighting the relationship, let's say interdependence between the two communication systems, we can deduce that the hyphen that connects them is reading aloud. Reading aloud is to practice writing through orality. In this sense, reading feeds orality and vice versa.
Photo : DepositPhotos - Syda_Productions
Bibliography
Nana Tadoun, Guy Merlin, "Oralidad, modernidad e intertextualidad en La Huérfana y otros cuentos de Mbol Nang" Tonos Digitales, 2013, https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=4481724
Schreiber, Cécilia , "Reading aloud, an activity conducive to fine text comprehension" Education, 2017,
https://dumas.ccsd.cnrs.fr/dumas-01754805/document
Mouchotte, Louis, "An expert's advice for enriching one's vocabulary," 2022,
https://www.lefigaro.fr/langue-francaise/expressions-francaises/les-conseils-d-un-expert-pour-enrichir-son-vocabulaire-20220624
"- 10 benefits of reading aloud," https://urlz.fr/kMEZ
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