Public Speaking Skills In Educational Space: Russian Traditions Ana Americanized Approach

The present article is focused on the search for new approaches in teaching rhetoric and public speaking skills in the system of Russian higher education. The relevance of this topic relates to the lack of rhetorical competences of modern Russian youth. Despite the presence of some authoritative rhetorical schools in modern Russian science and a deep theoretical and applied base, the existing textbooks and manuals on rhetoric and public speaking are largely outdated. It is necessary to introduce some other teaching methods, focused more on practice. Public speaking skills are underestimated in the informational and communicative space of Russian society as well as in the Russian education system. At the same time, there is a need for some appropriate rhetorical tools forming a future specialist of any profession today. They are to be used, taking into consideration all the realities of modern mass communication. The present article gives a comparative analysis of rhetoric in Russia and America. Significant differences in approaches to rhetorical education exist due to cultural, historical and political roots in these countries from one side and to the specific mentality of the Russian and American nations from another side as well. The results of this work include a list of internal and external causes of unsatisfactory quality of rhetorical education in modern Russia and suggestions for improving the situation. Public speaking skills analysis presented in this paper could be extremely useful to all specialists engaged in teaching rhetoric and mass communication in different countries of the world.