Improv requires either a lot of practice, or a really in depth knowledge base on the topic, or both.
If you can’t find a free name brand toastmasters™ group, I’m sure you can find a more casual group based on the same principles through MeetUp or start your own on campus.
There are books/CDs/DVDs available for learning singing and accents, so I’m sure there must be a ton for public speaking and speech therapy. You might even find a bunch of cheap used ones on Amazon.
As for convincing the opposing side, google phrases like “getting to yes” and “how to win friends and influence people”. And drop the Hitler stuff. If you really want to influence people, you should learn not to be needlessly antagonistic. You can easily find much more palatable examples from which to draw your analogies. Unless your goal is to be a “shock jock” in which case, continue.
I’ll address the other posts later, but I wanted to address this one first. I don’t see ANYTHING wrong with admitting that Hitler was a great orator. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a piece of shit person or that I am some neo-Nazi. In fact, my political leanings are the antithesis of Hitler’s. He was an authoritarian socialist, while I am a laissez-faire/anarcho-capitalist (it changes based on whether I’m going for reality or idealism).
But, yes, I definitely do find his speeches “mesmerizing”. Listen to his speeches with accurate subtitles if you don’t know German. Many of his early speeches truly had great messages behind them, and he truly believed every word he was saying.
Here is an example of one of his speeches in English:
*"The great time has just begun. Germany has awoken. We have won power in Germany. Now we have to win over the German people. I know, my comrades, that it must have been difficult at times… …when you desired change that never came… …so again and again the appeal had to be made… …to continue the struggle… …you mustn’t act yourself, you must obey, you must give in… …you must submit to the overwhelming need to obey.
What we dreamed for years… …has become a reality. The symbol of the unification of all classes of the German people… …has become the symbol of the new Reich… …and thus, it has become the standard of the German people. The most previous possession you have in the world… …is your own people. And for this people… …and for the sake of this people…. …we will struggle and fight… …and never slacken… …never tire… …never lose courage… …and never lose faith.
A new community is being built in Germany…. …and it is our most beautiful goal and aim. Those who can’t even see past their own nose… …deserves our pity more than anything else. It is the luck to help, which rewards those… ….who commits themselves to this socialist state… …and this commitment must happen every new winter. Our social welfare system is so much more than just charity. Because we do not say to the rich people: Please, give something to the poor. Instead we say: German people, help yourself! Everyone must help, whether you are rich or poor! Everyone must have the belief that there’s always someone in a much… …worse situation than I am, and this person I want to help as a comrade."*
I can’t see how anyone could take that the wrong way. Possibly the greatest speech he’s ever given, in my opinion. Again, he was a piece of shit who should not be cast in a good light, but we can DEFINITELY learn from his amazing oratory skills.
That is the problem I often have. I am VERY convinced of my political views, and they are unorthodox, to say the least. I’m basically Ron Paul without the religion, and many people don’t understand his ideas and why (I think) they would work. I mean, if I’m in a room full of average Americans who simply support whatever candidate their party nominates, talking about the Federal Reserve or shutting down military bases won’t resonate well with them, because most of them don’t even know what the Fed is, or how we could help stop “terrorism” by shutting down military bases.
I don’t want to treat people as if they’re dumb or uneducated, but many people, even when presented with reasoning and logic, fall flat on their face due to stubbornness.
With that being said, I’m not also just another stubborn person. I am actually very open-minded. I used to be an ill-informed Bush supporter who simply supported him because my parents told me he was impeccable. I did my own research and looked extensively at SPEECHES (!), and looked at who I thought had they best ideas, and, more importantly, who actually believed what they were saying. I’m always willing to hear new ideas, and, if I was wrong, change my ideas to suit what I would then believe is right, but it’s a long-shot.
But, yes, I do feel that a problem of mine is trying to speak with more clarity, but tripping myself up when I try to not confuse or talk down to people.
There are no free Toastmasters near me. I’m saving up for something that is pertinent to the success of my career, so I can’t really spend money on anything other than necessities for a few months.
And I want to be a convincing speaker while staying true to myself. I don’t want to undermine my own integrity on my journey to becoming a great speaker. I want to MAKE my ideas appeal to my audiences, not form my ideas based on what I think people will like.
You took that COMPLETELY out of context. He was saying that the German people had to keep compromising and they kept giving in to the need to obey, because the change that they desired never came. He wasn’t telling the people that they needed to obey them, he was saying that they shouldn’t feel like they need to obey.
Well, yes, anyone can tell people what they want to hear. That’s easy. I want to tell people what they don’t want to hear, but convince them to open their mins and hear me out.
I agree. If the school doesn’t already have a debate team, see if you can start one. Or look into starting a Toastmasters chapter at your college. Starting and leading a new club is a great way to develop leadership skills. Toastmasters will appeal to all sorts of students, since we all have to speak in public when we get into the working world. (Plus I’m sure that some of the college’s employees might like to participate in a Toastmasters club.)
BTW, instead of looking to Hitler as a role model, study this list of the top 100 American political speeches of the twentieth century.
Someone who stands out for me in terms of clarity of argument and quality of oratory is the late, great Christopher Hitchens.
Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with his view he had a way of speaking that was compelling in the extreme. He is at the other end of the spectrum compared to Adolf though. Hitchens was understated in delivery though no less passionate. He was every bit the performer that Hitler was but was Stuart Lee to Hitler’s Robin Williams.
Now Hitchens was massively well read and could hold forth at the drop of a hat, unrehearsed, on myriad subject regarding art, literature and politics but his strongest points…and the points he makes when trying to sway opinion skewer his opponents…are ones that he has refined and honed over the years. Listen to him on you tube and you’ll see him referring to these on multiple occasions. No harm in that, a good point remains a good point regardless of repetition.
In this post, you appear to be saying that we are all mistaken in bringing politics into the thread, and yet you make agreement with at least part of Hitchens’ beliefs a requirement for checking him out. Am I reading that right, or do you just really suck at explaining yourself?
Take this thread as an object lesson. If you want to reach your audience, you can’t say stuff that distracts them from your primary message. If your only goal was to get information about improving your public speaking skills, mentioning Hitler was a mistake.
Well, yes, why would I want to listen to what I perceive as propaganda? I am big on conviction, I really am. I believe that, in order to make others believe what you have to say, you have to believe it with every ounce of your soul, and NEVER doubt it. In regards to religion, if you never doubt or question your beliefs, whether you’re a Muslim, a Christian, or an Atheist, you’re an idiot, as the existence of a god or deity can never be known, as a god or deity would be intangible. Now, my statement was contingent on Hitchens being agnostic, as most “intellectuals” are.
No, it wasn’t a mistake. When I mentioned Hitler, I was talking merely about his oratory skills, nothing more. I believe that he is the greatest orator of all-time, and I want to be on his level, in regards to speaking. This has nothing to do with the horrible things Hitler did or may have said, but simply his ability to persuade and use rhetoric to unify people and accept his ideas.
Yes, but one important way to improve your oratory skills is avoid bringing up inflammatory topics when discussing unrelated issues. LOL
There are various techniques to convincing people of things. See my earlier suggestions. Another strong method is to simply ask steered questions such that the person will think they came to the idea on their own. It all depends on how authentic you want to be with the process. Do you want to convince people by good means, appealing to rational arguments and well cited and supported facts, or by bad means, appealing to fear, fallacies, and psychological tricks? Do you want to do good, or merely be effective?
Depending on your answer, Hitler may not be a good example. He was effective, sure, but did he use oratory skills that were good or bad?