Public Speaking and Critical Thinking
What is critical thinking? To a certain degree, it’s a matter of logic(逻辑)—of being able to spot weaknesses in other people’s arguments and to avoid them in your own. It also includes related skills such as distinguishing fact from opinion and assessing the soundness of evidence.
In the broad sense, critical thinking is focused, organized thinking—the ability to see clearly the relationships among ideas. 71 The greatest thinkers, scientists, and inventors have often taken information that was readily available put it together differently to produce new ideas. That, too, is critical thinking.
72 As the class goes on, for example, you will probably spend a good deal of time organizing your speeches. While this may seem like a purely mechanical(机械的) exercise, it is closely connected with critical thinking. If the structure of your speech is loose and confused, chances are that your thinking is also disordered and confused. If, on the other hand, the structure is clear, there is a good chance your thinking is too. Organizing a speech is not just a matter of arranging the ideas you already have. 73
What is true of organization is true of many aspects of public speaking. 74 As you work on expressing your ideas in clear, accurate language, you will improve your ability to think clearly and accurately. 75 As you learn to listen critically to speeches in class, you will be better able to assess the ideas of speakers in a variety of situations.
If you take full advantage of your speech class, you will be able to develop your
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skills as a critical thinker in many circumstances. This is one reason public speaking has been regarded as a vital part of education since the days of ancient Greece.
A. Rather, it is an important part of shaping the ideas themselves. B. This may seem like a lot of time, but the rewards are well worth it. C. It may also help you to know that there is no such thing as a perfect speech. D. It has often been said that there are few new ideas in the world, only reorganized ideas.
E. If you are wondering what this has to do with your public speaking class, the answer is quite a lot.
F. The skills you learn in your speech class can help you become a more effective thinker in a number of ways.
G. As you study the role of evidence and reasoning in speechmaking, you will see how they can be used in other forms of communication as well.
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