4. Stage II: Location in rhetoric

Location is the rhetoric section, which discusses the techniques for constructing a complete utterance.

The construction of the utterance is determined by its meaningful unity and semantic completeness.

The substantive unity of the statement means that his main thought, the theme, is deployed in a successive series of interconnected thoughts.

Semantic completeness of the statement means that the purpose for which the statement is created and addressed to the audience is achieved by applying the necessary and sufficient verbal means.

Location Elements

Introduction

The main task of the introduction is the expression of the speaker's ethical relations with the audience, determining the place of a given speech among others and the meaning of the topic for the audience. In the introduction, the so-called oratorical manners are manifested - ethical features, on the basis of which mutual trust is established between the speaker and the audience: honesty, modesty, benevolence, forethought.

The manifestation and correct expression of public morals in the introduction is extremely important: if the speaker is not clear or tactful enough to present his attitude to the audience and to the subject of speech, then the subsequent installation of the audience will not only be critical, but negative. Since any rhetorical argumentation, especially deliberative, is accepted or rejected in close connection with the assessment of the personality and position of the speaker, the quality of the introduction determines the success of the entire speech.

The introduction solves the following tasks: 1) to draw the attention of the audience to the speaker and the subject of speech; 2) arouse interest in the problem; 3) to establish the main common places of speech acceptable to the audience and the speaker; 4) to establish trust between the speaker and the audience - to create a favorable attitude to the proposals that the speaker will put forward, and to the arguments that he will apply.

The introduction with oratorical precaution is applied when the audience is negatively adjusted to the position of the orator. For example, in a speech it is proposed to adopt a law or decision against which the audience spoke or which, in the opinion of the audience, are incompatible with its interests.

An example of an introduction with oratorical precaution can be seen in the speech of P.A. Stolypin "On the Sea Defense", pronounced in the State Duma on May 24, 1908:

“After all that was said here about the marine estimate, you will realize, gentlemen, that the heavy sense of hopelessness to defend the loans requested for the construction of battleships, with which I embark on the heavy duty of defending an almost hopeless, almost lost cause. You ask me: why the government will not bow down before the inevitable, why not join the majority of the State Duma, why not refuse loans?

After all, it is obvious to everyone that the negative attitude of the majority of the State Duma has no basis for any anti-state incentives; these refusals, the majority of the State Duma would like to give impetus to the naval department, would like to put an end to abuses once and for all, would like to establish the line between the past and the present. The refusal of the State Duma should, in the opinion of the majority of the Duma, become a turning point in the history of the Russian fleet; this should be the point that the Russian people's representation would like to put under the chapter on Tsushima in order to start a new chapter, the pages of which should be pages of honest, hard work, pages of recreating Russia's maritime glory.

Therefore, gentlemen, it may become unclear obstinacy of the government: after all, it is too ungrateful to defend the existing order, and it may be too unfair to convince anyone that everything is fine. Here, gentlemen, those thoughts or approximately those thoughts that should have arisen in many of you; and if, in spite of this, I consider it my duty to speak out to you, then for you, of course, it will be clear that the motive reason for this is not at all departmental stubbornness, but the foundation of a different, higher order.

Maybe, although in a weak measure, it will be helped by the fact that, apart from, of course, principally opposition parties, which will always and in all oppose the proposals of the government, the other parties are not completely unanimous in this not so simple matter, and among them is still persons who did not succumb, perhaps, to the feeling of self-suggestion, to which the majority of the State Duma fell. This gives me hope if not to change the already predetermined opinion of the State Duma, then to prove that another opinion, a different opinion, and that this view is not insane and not criminal, can exist in this matter. ”

As can be seen from the example, the introduction with oratorical precaution is constructed as follows.

- The Ritor joins the emotional assessment of the problem by the audience and is disappointed that he has to perform in such difficult circumstances.

- The Ritor establishes moments, mostly of a moral nature, but also special, related to the technical side of the issue, which unite him with the audience (in the example - patriotic feelings and desire for the good of the fatherland, responsibility for the common cause); these common places are presented as the most significant.

- The Ritor expresses an understanding of the position of the audience and respect for it, but it also indicates a sense of duty and necessity, which encourage him to defend his position.

- The Ritor represents the position of the audience as a collective and caused by a natural emotion (feeling of suggestion), but not as an independent thoughtful and sober, which is not stated directly, but implied.

- The Ritor seeks to show that the audience in its approaches to the problem is heterogeneous, and finds those points where the audience can be divided.

- The opinion of the audience, based on emotions, the speaker speaks against the need for a sober, comprehensive and independent analysis of the problem, guided by those common places that unite the speaker with the audience. Thus, he distracts the audience from the collective emotion, separates it as much as possible and begins to organize a group of supporters who sympathize and are ready, at least, to listen to and evaluate his arguments.

- The general position of the rhetor contrasts discrepancies with the audience as significantly less significant.

- After the introduction with oratorical precaution, it is recommended to immediately proceed to the analytical technical argumentation - evidence that requires attention and reduces emotion.

An introduction with an oratorical precaution is usually more extensive than a regular introduction, because with the introductory part of speech, the rhetor calms the audience and achieves a closer verbal and emotional contact with it.

Entry ex abrupto . This type of introduction is used when the audience is very excited and the speaker needs to calm it down before moving on to the problem statement. The main task of the ex abrupto entry is to gain the attention of the audience and maintain unanimity with it throughout the speech.

The classic example of the introduction of ex abrupto is the beginning of Cicero’s first speech against Catiline:

“How long will you, Catilina, abuse our patience? How long will you still, in your rabies, scoff at us? To what extent will you boast of your insolence, not knowing the bridle? Were you not alarmed by the night guards on the Palatine, not by the guards, bypassing the city, by the presence of all honest people, by the choice of this reliably protected place for the meeting of the Senate, or by the face and eyes of everyone present? Do you not understand that your intentions are open? Do not you see that your plot is already known to all present and disclosed? Which of us, in your opinion, does not know what you did last, that the previous night, where you were, whom you called, what decision did you take? Oh, times! Oh, morals! The Senate understands all this, the consul sees, and this person is still alive. ”

The meaning of the ex abrupto introduction is that the speaker does not try to change the emotion of the audience, but, on the contrary, joins it and excites it, doing so until the emotion reaches the limit and thus does not discharge. Sometimes at this critical moment, the speaker stimulates the audience to work together, for example, to singing a hymn, chanting slogans, etc. After that, the speaker proceeds to the main part of speech, maintaining, however, a fairly high level of emotional stress of speech.

Technically, such an introduction, as is evident from the example, involves focusing on the subject of speech, direct reference to this subject, the use of dialogism techniques (addresses, questions, instructions, appeals, borrowing) so that these dialogical techniques in the audience’s perception become its own. words and questions. Thus, the position of the speaker becomes the position of the audience, which, in a state of excitement, easily assimilates and takes the speaker for their own views, and if borrowings are used, then the words of the speaker, representing, for example, the position of his opponent, are taken as real words of this opponent.

The introduction of ex abrupto requires a very high oratorical technique and self-control, the ability to speak with the audience in its language and the ability to maintain a high level of emotion throughout the entire, often very lengthy, speech.

General recommendations

1. It is necessary to treat the introduction with special attention, since the subsequent success of the speech depends on it.

2. It is important to pay attention to public speaking mores - honesty, modesty, benevolence, forethought, however, not imposing himself on the audience: the orator is precisely these qualities that do not speak about them.

3. The introduction should be moderately emotional, the speaker enters speech gradually; if the speech is started too vigorously, then the emotions of the audience will fade away in the course of speech, and the speaker himself will quickly get tired and will not be able to keep the tight structure of speech for a long time.

4. The introduction should be as brief as possible, the prolonged introduction leads to the fact that the speaker and the audience lose the idea of ​​the main content of the speech.

5. It is necessary to avoid extraneous sources of introduction, all kinds of stories, examples from the life of the speaker, anecdotes and the like: the introduction should not distract the audience from the main content of the speech and should be associated with its main position.

6. An introduction is pronounced or read first, and is composed last; only having made and having prepared speech, it is necessary to address to the introduction.

7. An introduction is the most improvisational part of every speech, especially oral speech, and therefore it should not be written: when starting a public speech, the speaker always faces a more or less unexpected situation, and the introduction prepared in advance, and even more so, can damage it.

The style of introduction should be simple, you should not use scientists unfamiliar to the audience, difficult-to-pronounce words and complex constructions; in the introduction, the speaker uses the language of the audience, but in no case does not resort to low, coarse, non-literary words and expressions.