Hands-free narration of this study — good for the car.
Synopsis
Man is 'a feeling animal,' and a speaker's ability to move an audience to action depends almost wholly on his ability to touch their emotions rather than merely inform their minds. Immortal speeches were never delivered on dry technical subjects — they were 'charged with emotional force,' born in crises when 'the public heart is flaming with passion.' Enthusiasm is contagious; illustrations from advertising, political rallies, and even a hair-tonic salesman on a street corner show how emotional appeal outsells cold argument. Yet enthusiasm cannot be manufactured or slipped on like a garment; it must grow out of genuinely entering into one's subject the way an actor lives a role or a painter enters the nature of what he paints — 'you must actually ENTER INTO the character you impersonate, the cause you advocate, the case you argue.' Behind all truly great speech lies a broad, genuine sympathy for humanity, since selfishness is the root of all sin and self-abnegation the mark of greatness. Sincerity cannot be counterfeited; feigned feeling is quickly detected, for 'nature is forever putting a premium on reality.' The chapter closes by urging speakers to feel deeply and let that feeling show, since half-hearted delivery betrays a divided heart.
Key points
- Man is a feeling animal; persuasion depends on touching emotion, not only reason.
- The greatest speeches in history were born of crisis and passion, not calm technical subjects.
- Enthusiasm is contagious but cannot be faked or 'slipped on like a smoking jacket.'
- Genuine feeling requires entering deeply into the subject or cause, as an actor enters a role.
- Sincerity and sympathy for humanity are the root of all truly moving speech; pretense is always detected.
Key texts
- Acts 17:16
- Matthew 5:1-12
- Jeremiah 20:9
- 2 Corinthians 5:14
From the book
Chapter X — Feeling and Enthusiasm · Open the reader
- “Man is a feeling animal, hence the public speaker's ability to arouse men to action depends almost wholly on his ability to touch their emotions.”
- “You must actually ENTER INTO the character you impersonate, the cause you advocate, the case you argue.”
- “Nature is forever putting a premium on reality.”
Put it into practice
- Before speaking, ask what genuine feeling you have about the subject, not merely what facts you have gathered.
- Refuse to fake emotion you do not have; instead enter deeply enough into the subject that real feeling arises.
- Cultivate sympathy for the people your message concerns, since selfish or narrow speeches rarely move anyone.
- Comprehension
1. Why, according to the chapter, does a speaker's power to move an audience depend on emotion rather than reasoning alone?
- Scripture
2. What example does the chapter give of Paul's speech being born of sympathy for humanity?
- Comprehension
3. What single method does the chapter give for acquiring feeling in speech?
- Doctrinal Clarity
4. Why does the chapter insist that feigned emotion always fails?
- Contrast
5. Contrast the modest clerk's speech on Home Rule with the speeches of the experienced lawyers in the same exercise.
- Doctrinal Clarity
6. What does the chapter say is the 'seal and sign of greatness,' and how does this relate to selfishness?
- Comprehension
7. According to Webster's quotation, where does true eloquence come from and where does it not come from?
- Doctrinal Clarity
8. How does the chapter describe the danger of trying to add feeling to a speech 'to suit the need of the moment'?
- Application
9. Recall a time you spoke or taught about something you did not genuinely feel. What was the result, and what would 'entering into' the subject have required of you?
- Application
10. Name one subject you could not currently speak about with real feeling, and describe one step toward genuinely entering into it.