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Now in the world there is a large exchange of information, and quite diverse, and the exchange is carried out in various ways. IN modern times, no matter how sad it may be, but all live communication was replaced by the Internet c social networks. A man of the 21st century lives in a world of great opportunities, innovative technologies, so to speak, keeps up with the times, and everything seems to be fine, progress does not stand still, but, one big but, along with all this, the ability to speak correctly and beautifully, express one’s thoughts disappears somewhere. Many have long ceased to pay attention to elementary grammatical or punctuation errors that they make when writing something, since this has become the norm. The same thing happens in spoken language. Sometimes a person speaks, and it seems that he himself does not understand what he is trying to convey to his listener. In this case, it’s not even worth talking about the listener, of course, that he will not understand anything. That's the trouble modern society. There are so many words in the language to say what you think about, dream about, what you want to do, but many cannot connect two words to express their thoughts intelligibly.

It is from this moment that the question arises: “What then is the correct verbal communication? And what should it be? It is a common truth that it is necessary to speak not only coherently and correctly, but also beautifully. But few can boast that he was taught the art of eloquence and that he possesses it. An item likerhetoric, are not taught in all schools, and if they include it in the program, they often cannot find good teachers. Simply put, beautiful speech for most people is something they supposedly need to learn, but do not know how and where to do it. We decided to devote a series of articles to this important topic - rhetoric, as the ability to speak correctly and beautifully.

It is important for every person to be able to communicate, since such a skill is a good helper in many situations. life situations. Almost all successes in studies, work, and personal life are built on communication skills. If the information is presented by the speaker concisely and structured, then it will reach the listeners in the best possible way. The science that studies all the details of oratory is called rhetoric. It is thanks to her that you can make your speech clear and convincing.

Rhetoric helps to give speech clarity, specificity, persuasiveness.

And correct verbal communication or oral communication activity, according to the definition of A.V. Sokolova (born in 1934, a specialist in the field of social communications), "there is a spiritual communication of social subjects." Even in ancient times, Aristotle, whose role in the development of classical rhetoric is most significant, answered this question as follows:

"All speech is made up of three elements: from the speaker himself, from the subject of which he speaks, and from the person to whom he refers; it is the ultimate goal of everything; (I mean the listener)." [ 1 ]

And here the question arises: "Is Aristotle's statement relevant today?". The answer to this question is multifaceted. But first, let's look at the origins of rhetoric.

Rhetoric in ancient times

The origin of rhetoric began in ancient Greece. Due to the fact that democracy was being formed in this state, the ability to convince gained considerable popularity in society.

Every resident of the city had the opportunity to be trained in oratory, which was taughtsophists.These sages considered rhetoric to be the science of persuasion, which studies the means of verbally defeating an opponent. Because of this, in the future, the word "sophism" caused a negative reaction. Indeed, with them, rhetoric was considered as a trick, an invention, although even earlier this science was considered the highest skill, ability.

IN Ancient Greece many works were created that reveal rhetoric. The author of the classical Greek treatise on this science is the famous thinker Aristotle.

This work, called "Rhetoric", singled out oratory among all other sciences. It defined the principles on which speech should be built, and indicated the methods used as evidence. Thanks to this treatise, Aristotle became the founder of rhetoric as a science.

IN Ancient Rome Mark Tullius Cicero (106 - 43 BC) contributed to the formation of rhetoric, who was engaged in politics, philosophy and oratory. He created a work called "Brutus or about famous speakers", describing the development of science in the names of popular speakers. He also wrote the work "On the Orator", in which he spoke about what kind of speech behavior a worthy speaker should have.

Then Cicero created the book "Orator", revealing the basics of eloquence.

Cicero considered rhetoric the most difficult science, unlike others. He argued that in order to become a worthy speaker, a person needs to have deep knowledge in all areas of life. Otherwise, he simply will not be able to maintain a dialogue with another person.

Mark Fabius Quintilian, in his 12 book Rhetorical Instructions, analyzed rhetoric, supplementing it with his own conclusions regarding all its components. He appreciated the clarity of the style, the speaker's ability to arouse emotions in listeners. Rhetoric was defined by him as "the science of speaking well". Quintilian also added to the teachings of rhetoric, pointing out the importance of the non-verbal component.

In the Middle Ages, rhetoric became known ashomiletics, church eloquence and, of course, changed the appearance and inner content. Now eloquence was aimed at glorifying God and his majesty, and also at proving the existence of higher power exclusively speculative, in theory, in words.

Development of rhetoric in Russia

Rhetoric in Russia arose on the basis of Roman science. Unfortunately, it has not always been so popular. Over time, when political and social regimes changed, the need for it was perceived differently.

The development of Russian rhetoric in stages:

• Ancient Rus' (until 988). Life-telling is an intra-social function of well-speech. It is obvious to those who remember that the letter "Zh" in Slavic alphabet is called "live". The conceptual root “speech” (speech as an expression of thought) is directly present in both words, which indicates a very serious attitude towards what is said by the individual. Even the letter "R" had the name "rtsy". And "Rtsy" is a form imperative mood, similar in meaning to the current "river". Here the priesthood should have been imperious (in the sense that words should not remain without consequences corresponding to their meaning) “to speak” about how society should live and how it should solve the problems that arise in its life, and what will happen if it lives otherwise it won't solve the problem.
• Rus' of the Kyiv period (XII - XVII centuries). During this period, the term "rhetoric" and educational books on it did not yet exist. But even then and before, some of its rules certainly applied. People at that time called the ethics of speech rhetoric, eloquence, eloquence or rhetoric. The art of the word was taught on the basis of liturgical texts created by the preachers. For example, one of these collections is "Bee", written in the XIII century.
• First half of the 17th century. During this period, an important reference event was the publication of the first Russian textbook, revealing the foundations of rhetoric.
• End of XVII - beginning and mid-eighteenth century. At this stage, the book "Rhetoric" was published, written by Mikhail Usachev. Also, many works were created, such as "Old Believer Rhetoric", the works "Poetics", "Ethics", several lectures on the rhetorical art of Feofan Prokopovich.

• XVIII century. IN given time rhetoric was formed Russian science, a huge contribution to which was made by Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov. He wrote several works dedicated to her, of which the book "Rhetoric" became the basis for the development of this science.
• Beginning and middle of the 19th century. This period is characterized by the fact that a rhetorical boom took place in the country. Well-known authors published a large number teaching aids. These include the works of I.S. Riga, N.F. Koshansky, A.F. Merzlyakova, A.I. Galich, K.P. Zelensky, M.M. Speransky.
• However, starting from the second half of the century, literature began to actively replace this science. Soviet people studied stylistics, linguistics, culture of speech and, to a lesser extent, rhetoric.

What is the state of rhetoric today?

In some places it is taught, it is included in the number of not optional, but compulsory disciplines. However, tongue-tied tongue and elementary inability to speak publicly from this, alas, does not become less. Once sociologists asked respondents about what they are most afraid of. The answers were quite predictable - a serious illness or death: both of our own and of people close to us. Indeed, we are often powerless against this scourge. But in second place, with a very small margin from the fear of death, is ... the fear of public speaking. Strange and unexpected? It's like saying...

Think back to yourself in your school days. When did the test start at the beginning of the lesson? homework and someone was certainly called to the board. How did it feel when your name was called? Even when I was ready and confident in myself, excitement still began, and even panic. You go to the blackboard - and it seems that your steps resound in silence, and your heart is pounding as if trying to jump out of your chest. Neither give nor take - you go to the execution. So there were fears, and some more!

It is from these half-childish fears that the first need for rhetoric as a way to gain self-confidence follows. After all, if you figure out why some people are afraid to open their mouths at the blackboard, why are they dumbfounded, although they know everything or almost everything? They simply do not have the skill of connected, competent, beautiful speech- all those skills that rhetoric teaches.

And when there is also a mess in the head, in thoughts, then in oral, in sounding speech there will be the same confusion. If you cannot formulate the thesis of a future speech orally, in theory, you will almost certainly get lost and confused in practice. So the sooner and more integrally the worldview, the system of our views, is formed, the better for us. And then the head will be clear.

In general, it is enough to ask yourself a simple question: what will happen if you cannot perform adequately and fail miserably? The world won't disappear. We must understand that any experience is valuable, including negative ones. In other words, there is more to gain than to lose. And there are plenty of ways to get rid of fears.

Secondly, rhetoric is simply indispensable when we go through the process of primary and, moreover, secondary socialization - from family to a friendly company, school and university, not to mention an adult, independent life. We are helped to decide on life all around - moreover, doing this most often not with the help of non-verbal means of communication, but through a living word. There is no perfect replacement for him, and it is unlikely that one will ever be found. If you do not acquire the skills of successful communication, full-fledged communication in time, you are unlikely to achieve anything significant in life. So you will, as they say, stew in your own juice, you will be as dumb as a fish, and you will convulsively swallow insults mixed with anger and envy at the world- they say, I'm so wonderful, but they underestimated me, they didn't notice me. And it is better to act! How did Demosthenes - the greatest orator of antiquity. After all, he did not give any hopes, but he overcame his weaknesses - physical and spiritual - and became what he became. So there is someone to look up to.

When experienced trainers in the field of rhetoric begin to ask the audience who and why wants to learn how to speak well in public, many are cunning and rush to hide behind beautiful phrases like "I want a promotion" or "I want to influence others." All these remarks have their share of truth, but not all of it. And the whole secret, or rather, the lack of it, lies in the fact that many people secretly want to enjoy the very process of speaking and the effect it produces. They are just embarrassed or afraid to admit it - to themselves and to people.

So, thirdly, there is little that compares with the pleasure of a successful public speaking, especially when you feel a taste for this business. Just imagine in the foreseeable future - they listen to you with ever-increasing attention, people eagerly catch your every word, the contact between you and the audience is strong and stable, the mood is friendly. Of course, such an almost ideal situation still needs to grow and reach out. But even here everything is in our hands.

Fourthly, the power of a word increases many times over when this word is public, heard, and then picked up by many. Especially if this word comes from a person who is competent in many matters, who is confident and calm, retaining a sense of dignity, benevolent towards the audience and not towering over it. A good speaker, and part-time - a psychologist or teacher, educator - a godsend for any company, educational institution, team.

Finally, for those who dream of a career and financial success, the word is also a powerful lever and tool for influencing the minds and feelings of people. Of course, not all of us can be great orators - someone needs to sow, and plow, and build, and make something with their own hands - but that boss and leader who does not go into his pocket for a word, who has a speech, who has the gift of persuasion and charm, is no longer just a boss and leader, but a real charismatic leader, who will be followed even to the ends of the world. If we delve into the history that is not so far from us, read the memoirs, then we will find out what wonderful speakers Napoleon Bonaparte, Trotsky, Hitler and Mussolini were. They do not cease to be great dictators and villains. That is why it is important to skillfully manage your influence and not use it to your detriment. So the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky is three times right when he called the word “commander of human strength” (“To Sergei Yesenin”, 1926).

And the word is the speaker's main tool, given to him by God or by nature. And the one who has joined rhetoric seriously and for a long time will never ask why it is needed.

Afterword

There is a science in the world that bears a proud name - rhetoric. It's a pity, of course, but there are people who do not know about its existence or its meaning. So it is rhetoric that deals with questions of correct and beautiful speech, speaking the most plain language. It is rhetoric that sorts out errors in communication. In our opinion, it would not hurt to introduce it into schools as a compulsory subject. It's just that, looking at the modern young generation, it is clear that she would obviously not hurt many.

And in conclusion, returning to the question of the relevance of Aristotle's statement, we can say that it is more than relevant. After all, if you think about it, then being well prepared, having a decent vocabulary, being able to collect your thoughts into a single whole and convey them to the audience, taking into account the characteristics of the audience, is very important. hard labour. But feasible. As Cicero said:

“Eloquence is something that is more difficult than it seems, and is born from a lot of knowledge and efforts.”

It is no coincidence that he put efforts after knowledge. Only by understanding well why and why this or that knowledge is needed, a person will try to master it.

Well, even if not all of us know the art of eloquence, but we can and should speak beautifully, correctly, politely and clearly. That's just why Aristotle's statement is relevant to this day. People are gradually unlearning how to speak the way it was supposed to, and no matter how sad it may be, but the fact remains. But it's up to us to fix it. At least on a personal level. Is not it?

In the following articles on rhetoric, we will provide both instructive stories and methods for improving your oratory skills.

It is generally accepted that the art of rhetoric, the ability to deliver a vivid speech without preparation, is a natural gift. Some speakers assume that they are able to speak without preparation if they know what the audience will be like and what the topic will be. Alas, such arrogance rarely leads to success.

The secret of impromptu is planning

Deep in content, perfect in form, replete with rhetorical devices, speech requires thorough preparation. The true talent of a speaker is to anticipate situations that require impromptu in advance, and ... to have a sufficient number of blanks. Yes, there are times when you are unexpectedly invited to say a toast, but shouldn't you be prepared for such a turn of events when going to a dinner party?

The master to make an impression with his semantic pauses and hesitations, which everyone perceived as impromptu, always created speeches in advance and skillfully presented them to the audience as an improvisation. good speech begins long before the speaker meets the audience. Slightly exaggerating, we can say that the preparation for each, even the shortest speech, includes all previous life experience.

From idea to plan

Direct planning - milestone speeches. Where to start?

You probably often speak on topics that you know perfectly at the level of the smallest details stored in memory. If your memory stores the words, phrases, sentences necessary for a clear and consistent presentation of thoughts - use a schematic notation system.

Refresh old thoughts about the subject, using old notes, supplement them with new ones. Write down thoughts as they arise. free associations. Then re-read the material, establish a connection and sequence, determine which of the outlines will form the basis of the speech.

Write a short schematic plan in the form of key phrases. Each item is one or two sentences. Special attention- Introduction and concluding part. The main part, consisting of several points, should be well structured logically.

If the speech is voluminous, each part must be completed with a summary of what has been said and a transition to the next. Generalizations, reminders, repetitions are needed so that listeners do not lose the thread of the story.

The conclusion should be short and clear. Try to concentrate the main idea in the final phrase, appeal not only to the mind, but also to the heart of the listeners.

Unless you have the rare amount of memory to speak from short abstracts without stuttering or getting confused, you need to have something more than a simple speech outline before your eyes.

Is it worth it to say "as written"?

Probably, you have met speakers more than once who read the speech “from a piece of paper”. And it happens that the “papers” are invisibly present: long, boring phrases, monotonous intonations, monotonous official words. Unfortunately, what is appropriate in an article or report is not always easily perceived by ear.

Do I need to make a full recording of the speech? No! It's a devastatingly boring activity with unpleasant consequences. If you look at the listeners, you will certainly lose where you left off in a long text, and you will not be able to continue until you find the very place. These pauses are perceived as "freezing" and annoying.

Adapt your notes for spoken language. On the example of Churchill there is a golden mean. It consists of a complete record of proposals, but in the form of a plan. With paragraphs. Underlining and highlighting text in various other ways. Even drawings, if you draw. Keep your phrases short and energetic, your intonations lively and persuasive. Liven up the text with a joke, proverb, or aphorism.

Voice the speech several times, including non-verbal aspects: gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice. Flipping through the pages, make sure that you are fluent in the text. Choose a comfortable pace for yourself and your audience. Allow yourself to let your thoughts float freely, but do not get carried away with endless stories, keep the topic. Keep time in mind: if the time limit is short, sacrifice details while maintaining structure.

In order to confidently keep within the limits of the regulations, you can rehearse with a clock - to set how many minutes you need to sound the page of the finished plan at a comfortable pace. In the future, this will help you feel the time that you have.

How will our word resonate

Audience reaction is an important component of public success. “It is not given to us to predict how our word will respond,” the poet wrote. And yet, you should at least in general terms assume how your words will have the necessary impact.

In order to make contact with the audience, devote enough time to technical details - during the speech they should not interfere or distract attention. It is advisable to check the lighting, sound equipment, and the venue of the performance in advance and bring it into line with your wishes in time.

Give yourself ten minutes of silence and solitude before you start your presentation. Ten minutes of complete rest is not a whim or a whim. By tuning in to the audience, you show respect for the audience, take the first step towards them.

Everything that is reflected on the faces or in the eyes of the listeners, almost instantly makes you understand what you have achieved. Such feedback is a prerequisite for both a teaching lecture and an effective presentation. Plan the audience's reaction by referring to their emotional experience.

Much of what has been said applies to speaking in front of a television audience. Entries in a notebook or on cards are replaced by a teleprompter - with its skillful use, your performance will be perceived as an improvisation, which always impresses the audience. Looking at the camera, you look into the eyes of anyone who is sitting at the screen. A direct look at the camera maintains attention, because it is impolite to turn away.

There is one serious difficulty in television communication: you know that the audience is sitting in front of the screen, but you do not feel their presence, you cannot recognize facial expressions, you do not see their eyes, indicating inattention or, on the contrary, concentration. Instead, you can mentally imagine well-known listeners, friends or colleagues.

And the last question: what to do with excitement? Take him as an ally. You are ready to speak and confident in yourself - and a slight excitement will give your speech a lively emotionality and persuasiveness.

How nice to listen to a person whose speech is literate and interesting at the same time. Unfortunately, there are very few such people. Most often, the vast majority are tongue-tied, cannot build both grammatically and stylistically, use a poor lexicon. And if such people also have to speak to the public, then the latter is to be regretted.

Components of a beautiful speech

Speech technique is a combination of several components, knowing which you can gradually learn. It includes several factors. And the main one among them is diction. The technique of speech would be impossible without a clear pronunciation of sounds - vowels and especially consonants. It seems that speaking clearly and clearly is easy. In reality, things are exactly the opposite, and learning diction can take a lot of time.

In addition, it is very important to be able to speak convincingly and emotionally. This is how you can manage the audience and influence it. Expressive, lively speech can captivate people so much that they will agree with all the arguments of the speaker, without wanting to.

And further. It's important to know what to say. The speech technique hides many nuances that you just need to take into account and keep constantly in your head.

Maybe a speech pathologist?

It may very well be that you will have to remember such a specialist, despite the fact that you are already past the age when he is so needed. Some people have real porridge in their mouths, and some sounds are pronounced completely wrong.

Sometimes just understanding what you are doing wrong is enough to start speaking right. But it often happens that it is very difficult to correct the situation, so you should not even start. History knows many examples of famous speakers who had undelivered sounds, but this did not stop them from winning over an audience.

Are we going to a Russian lesson?

And one more nuance. Almost every one of us speaks very quickly, "eating" many words and endings. In everyday life, this is normal, because a dialogue reigns here - what you didn’t hear, you can ask again. Although, of course, you need to strive to ensure that it is clean and beautiful. Well, and even more so on the podium! After all, here one side is already listening, and it is sometimes very difficult to guess what the speaker wanted to say. What are we actually seeing?

Proper breathing

Breathing tends to cause a lot of confusion in people. We all breathe and without it we cannot exist. What is so difficult here? However, there are difficulties, and considerable ones. The speaker is like a singer or a wind instrument player who just needs the right breath. It is this that will help to maintain the clarity of the narration, the correct intonation, and will not allow the voice to break in an unnecessary place.

There are several. Namely: chest, in which the shoulders rise up, abdominal and diaphragmatic. As a rule, women breathe through their chest, unlike men. Perhaps that is why there are fewer good speakers among the beautiful half of humanity. Indeed, in this art, diaphragmatic breathing is required, that is, one in which the diaphragm works.

To set it up, you need to perform simple exercises, but it is important to do it regularly. After a short period of constant and hard work, which in their load is no different from physical exercise, you will notice that you will begin to breathe in a completely different way.

How to train breathing?

Proper speech technique includes daily exercises to develop and optimize the respiratory apparatus. We always speak on the exhale, and it is especially important that it be long, but not bring us to exhaustion. Unlike exhalation, inhalation should be vigorous and short. Otherwise, there would be long awkward pauses between words. Although in themselves they are also simply necessary for beautiful speech, nevertheless, these gaps should not be prolonged. That is why it is necessary to perform exercises for a long breath, while you need to make sure that the air fills the area of ​​​​the diaphragm, and then slowly, portionwise consumed. At the same time, you do not need to bring yourself to a state where a person has already used up all the air, but continues to speak. It doesn't look very nice. It is better to stop and "take a breath" again.

Diction also needs practice.

At the same time as doing breathing exercises, do not forget about diction. It should be given a small amount of time, 10-15 minutes daily. Very soon you will notice how your speech will become intelligible and well understood by others. There are many different exercises for diction. But first you need to soberly evaluate your speech. To do this, it will be enough just to record your voice on the recorder, and then listen to the recording very carefully. It would be nice to ask someone else to evaluate your diction, perhaps outsiders will notice something that eludes your attention and hearing.

So, pay attention to the following points:

• consonant sounds. What are they: correct or not, do we swallow them?
• What do soft consonants sound like?
• How do you pronounce consonants at the junction of two words.
• How to pronounce unstressed vowels.
• How consonants sound in different parts of the word.

As a rule, you will notice some general trend or error. Perhaps others listening to the recording will hear something else. All of this is the front for future work on voice and speech in general.

The concept of articulation

In general, we can say that diction and articulation are one and the same. There are articulatory muscles that are involved in the process of making sounds, and they need to be trained. These muscles form correct sounds, which is why it is important that they are sturdy and strong.

To strengthen them, you can and should perform special exercises, which include a set of exercises for the tongue, jaws, lips and even cheeks.

You can just make faces, and then lightly massage your cheeks and lips. In addition, there are many exercises for children with speech therapy problems. The most common of these are the "needle" when you need to make a sharp tongue and reach as high as possible in the nose, and the "shovel" when the tongue is as relaxed as possible.

Finding a teacher

If you care a lot about speaking technique, courses are the best thing for you. You can learn to speak beautifully and correctly at home for a long time and not notice gross mistakes that nullify all efforts. Experienced teacher and the mentor will correct in time and will not allow the mistake to take root. The teacher's speech technique will act as a standard and a guiding star that will not let you go astray. It is the specialist who will tell you when you are already quite ready to speak in front of people, and will stop you if it is too early and you still need to practice.

What and how to say?

So, even if you have long been engaged in diction, setting the respiratory apparatus, but do not know what to say, then it is too early for you to orate. It is necessary that beautiful turns and phrases mature in time in the head, the necessary words are remembered in time, and speech flows in a stream. For this purpose, it is simply necessary to read a lot and reflect on various topics. You need to try to look for synonyms for many words and increase your vocabulary.

It is also very important to keep track of the pace of speech. Many people chatter without realizing it. This makes it very difficult to fully understand speech. We need to keep track of the pace at which we speak, it is not so difficult. At first, you will have to pay attention to it, and then it will become a habit.

Gesticulation

Gestures are our second language. We just need it, but there are rules here too. Gestures should not be too much. Sweeping movements are also very distracting. That's why you need to learn how to control your body. Exists whole science studying facial expressions and gestures. Even a superficial acquaintance with it will be of great benefit, for you will learn at least a little to read body language. Every gesture should be considered. To begin with, study and objectively analyze the movements that you often use, and then make adjustments.

It is advisable to think over all gestures in advance, rehearse in front of a mirror, and demonstrate to your best friends.

If you tell everyone: "I want to speak beautifully ... The speech techniques are so complicated!", then you are unlikely to achieve anything. Beautiful and correct speech goes hand in hand with faith in one's strengths and success. All of them are necessary for almost every one of us, because success and self-confidence are one of the main components of the modern world.

Practice - and you will surely succeed!

“At different points in your life you have to communicate – with a colleague, a family member or an animal in the zoo that just caught your eye. But have you asked yourself the question, "Was my communication effective?" You may be surprised to learn that this was not the case. An animal in a zoo, for example, began to ignore you, even though you attracted his attention with the phrases "hey, comrade!" or "hey, Long neck I'm here!". Effective communication is very important - especially in today's professional life. But, paradoxically, the most helpful tips on this topic can be gleaned not from management books or TED videos, but from experience Communist Party China (CCP)."

Quartz reporter Nikhil Sonnad gives anti-advice to those who want to learn how to control their minds just like the Chinese government.

Let's look at the party's reputation. First, she has to communicate with 1.3 billion people (the population of China). Even in numerical terms, that's quite a lot of communication. Secondly, the party has been ruling China for about 70 years. It is unlikely that you personally will be able to rule for as long without developed communication skills.

But the good news is that it's not that hard to learn from this highly successful organization, which can be summed up in a few key points.

1. Don't ask. Order.

Often, when communication is ineffective, people waste time on criticism and other ways to listen to someone's opinion. The experience of the Communist Party shows that in the first place people tend to respond to power and force. It's much more efficient for your company or non-profit to decide what you want and announce the decision already made.

This tactic is especially useful when you need to make some drastic and unpopular change, such as moving a coffee machine or canceling freedom of assembly and rallies.

Source: qz.com

Idea for your work: if you are a manager at a company that uses an internal messaging service like Slack or HipChat, set up automatic blocking of messages containing keywords with a negative assessment of your persona and publicly punish/fire people who regularly send such messages.

2. Use long metaphors to force people to guess for themselves.

During a state visit to the US, party leader Xi Jinping mentioned a Chinese expression:

"Peach and plum trees don't talk, but we make roads under them."

Most people interpreted this to mean that the US and China could solve important problems together, despite the fact that one country is a peach and the other is a plum.

At the same time, such an opinion is rather strange, because the peaches do not move and do nothing, because of which a path can be formed. The more common sense of the idiom is that peach and plum trees are beautiful and the fruits are tasty, so people come to taste them and admire, which is why the trail appears. So Xi might have had something completely different in mind: “It doesn’t matter if the US and China cooperate. We represent the greatest countries, so you can just sit and do nothing.”

No one knows.

This is the meaning - "no one knows". After all, you can't blame a person for citing a peach as an example. Let people guess for themselves.

Helpful advice: before important meetings, look through the list of catch phrases

Idea for your work: before important meetings, look through lists of catchphrases. How will we attract this audience? "What goes around comes around". What updates are there on the project? "A candle loses nothing if another candle is lit from it." When will we return to this issue again? "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

3. New proposals should not be made in the form of separate things, but in the form of numbered lists

enumeration is key feature communications in the PDA. This is especially useful for looking for negative elements in your company, political system, or non-profit organization.

For example, Mao Zedong once decided to get rid of pests. He did not focus on pests in general or pests as a concept, but called for the eradication of "four kinds of pests". They included rats, flies, mosquitoes and sparrows. Mao's message worked. True, while Mao wanted to destroy the sparrows that eat crops, it turned out that they also eat locusts and other harmful insects, so the extermination of sparrows had an extremely negative effect on the condition of the crops.

Unintended consequences are a key indicator that a communication is having an effect.

Poster for the Four Pests Campaign by Mao Zedong. Source: US National Library of Medicine

Idea for your work: Your ideas, presented in the form of numbered lists, look much more solid and impressive. "Pests" doesn't sound so scary, but it's a completely different matter if there are four or five types. Imagine that you have a way to give your endeavors more weight. For example, if you are too incompetent, indecisive, and two more things that begin with "not-", start a program to combat the "Four "Not"".

4. Suppress individuals by focusing on the group

Often in the process of communication, people who disagree with you will appear. If you can act from a position of strength, you can simply ignore such people (see point 1). Unfortunately, this strategy is not available to everyone, but there is another way.

The main point is to make the person who disagrees with you appear selfish and disorganizing in the eyes of the group.

Helpful advice: discredit a person who disagrees with you and turn everyone against him

Recently, the Party has begun to use the phrase "calling for conflict and provoking problems." Groups that do not suit the Party are said to "call for conflict and provoke problems." The artist who created the comical image of Xi Jinping also "called for conflict and provoked problems."

This communication strategy is doubly good: you discredit the person who is against you and turn everyone around against him or her.

Idea for your work:“Anatoly, your proposal to communicate with clients more often will simply create extra work for all of us. Stop calling for conflict and provoking problems.”

5. Use difficult-to-remember and confusing abbreviations

The organizational structure of the CPC - also known as the CCP - includes the CPPCC and

This is similar to the metaphor strategy, but more specific. In particular, you should treat your opponents like different animals - tigers, snakes, chickens, etc.

“I have no opponents,” you might object. In fact, you just didn't think of a suitable animal.

An example is Mao's coined phrase "paper tiger". So he described something frightening, but in reality it was just paper. This is a really interesting variation of the animal idea, because a paper tiger can not only scare, but also touch.

Paper tiger.