Much as a teacher may wince at the thought, he is also an entertainer — for unless he can hold his audience, he cannot really instruct or edify them.

A speech is entertaining only when serenely detached from all information.

The only way to entertain some folks is to listen to them.

Th' only way t' entertain some folks is t' listen t' 'em.

You talk. There is no such thing as “a talk,” unless it’s canned, and it shouldn’t be. There is also no “audience.” There are individuals, who need to be included in the conversation. A well-practised and competent public speaker addresses a single, identifiable person, watches that individual nod, shake his head, frown, or look confused, and responds appropriately and directly to those gestures and expressions. Then, after a few phrases, rounding out some idea, he switches to another audience member, and does the same thing.

The lecturer should give the audience full reason to believe that all his powers have been exerted for their pleasure and instruction.

And so when you stand in their presence to speak, about anything, it matters less the reason for gathering, it could be a funeral, a party, a wedding, a meeting etc., your intention is for you to get your audience not only hear what you have to say, but that ultimately they understand, buy into and agree with you.

A creator needs only one enthusiast to justify him.

The audience will only truly respect you when they have no idea what is going on.

Your audience is one single reader. I have found that sometimes it helps to pick out one person-a real person you know, or an imagined person-and write to that one.

The key for any speaker is to establish his own point of view for the audience, so they can see the game through his eyes.

There is nothing more inspiring than a speaker who makes clear to his audience that he has need of them.

An orator whose purpose is to persuade men must speak the things they wish to hear; an orator, whose purpose is to move men, must also avoid disturbing the emotional effect by any obtrusion of intellectual antagonism; but an author whose purpose is to instruct men, who appeals to the intellect, must be careless of their opinions, and think only of truth. It will often be a question when a man is or is not wise in advancing unpalateable opinions, or in preaching heresies; but it can never be a question that a man should be silent if unprepared to speak the truth as he conceives it. Deference to popular opinion is one great source of bad writing, and is all the more disastrous because the deference is paid to some purely hypothetical requirement. When a man fails to see the truth of certain generally accepted views, there is no law compelling him to provoke animosity by announcing his dissent. He may be excused if he shrink from the lurid glory of martyrdom; he may be justified in not placing himself in a position of singularity. He may even be commended for not helping to perplex mankind with doubts which he feels to be founded on limited and possibly erroneous investigation. But if allegiance to truth lays no stern command upon him to speak out his immature dissent, it does lay a stern command not to speak out hypocritical assent.

There is only one thing that it requires real courage to say, and that is a truism.