Preaching

Carter Shelley, a Presbyterian minister, once told me that she had learned how to preach well not from any classes, but rather from reading two authors. Frederick Buechner and Dick Francis. I've read much Buechner since then and can understand why she would say this, but have not yet read Dick Francis. To those two authors however, I would now add Augustine. We just read his De Doctrina Christiana for AKMA's class and I found it to be amazing, especially the fourth book, which focused on speaking eloquently.

Of particular use I found his teachings on the three manners of speaking: plainly, moderately, or grandly. He reasons that when one means to teach an audience or to prove by fact, one should employ the plain style, for further eloquence will detract from that which you are explaining. He continues that when one needs to convince an audience of one's eloquent ability, on should employ the moderate style, which will delight an audience. Finally, if one means to sway an audience to a particular perspective, or to move an audience to action which they know to be right but are not yet engaging, one should utilize the grand style. For it is in this style that one can make use of one's full range of grandiloquence! Speeches can have in them parts of all styles, and no speech should be solely in one style. Nor should one misuse or over use any style, as this leads to ineffectiveness in the future.

All this is to say, I love it and will definitely make use of it in my speaking engagements in the future! I think that I had already internalized much of his lessons before reading them, but it always helps to have this reinforcement. Augustine would probably have benefitted, as I have benefitted from his teachings, from my understanding and use of the two methods which I call "muse" and "pipeline".

The Muse is a method which one cannot control, but merely harness when it is upon one. When the Muse settles on you, you are possessed of an ability to speak persuasively and eloquently without any preparation. Your words fall into place with an unrivaled grace and your intonation cannot be misunderstood. Contrarily, the pipeline is an ability which one can control, but which few have. To turn on the pipeline means that one can now speak or write convincingly at great length about a subject of which one may be lacking sufficient knowledge. It is a useful tool to employ every once in a while, but not to be overused at all. If one gains a reputation as an eloquent speaker, then one's pipeline is all the more effective, if not abused by overuse.

-R