Prof. Lucas from University of Wisconsin Talks about the Art of Public Speaking

On the afternoon of 5th May, a lecture named Martin Luther King’s, I Have A Dream Speech——Master’s Rhetorical Art of Public Speaking, was held in the academic hall on the south campus. The lecture was given by Professor Stephen E Lucas from the Art Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dean of the School of English and Education, DONG Jinwei, together with teachers and students from the school attended the lecture.

Professor Lucas analyzing the art of public speaking

During the lecture, Professor Lucas used the 21st century’s most well-known speech——I Have A Dream by Martin Luther King, as an example to present an insightful analysis about how masters make use of rhetorical art. First, Professor Lucas raised a question: What made the I Have A Dream speech so successful? Then, he listed the criteria for a good speech, namely the six basic elements in a speech——occasion, goal, framework, content, language and style. After briefly illustrating these elements, Professor Lucas played a video clip from I Have A Dream to the audience to enhance their understanding of the six elements.

Professor Lucas interacting with the audience

During the Q&A session, Professor Lucas mentioned that, as human beings, we couldn’t avoid stage fright, but we could try to keep it under control. Masters focus more on the speech itself and the audience, instead of his own fear. He also said that public speaking is an interest for a lifetime, and that everyone can improve themselves by practicing hard.

Before the lecture, DONG Jinwei presented a gift to professor Lucas, and professor Lucas gave us two copies of his famous book——The Art of Public Speaking, in return.

Exchanging gifts