Mykola Ovcharov on Radio BG Student Podcast: On Rhetoric, Books, and Communication Skills Development

Mykola Ovcharov, founder of the Institute of Rhetoric and author of four books on public speaking, appeared as a guest on the Radio BG student podcast at Kyiv Metropolitan University named after Borys Grinchenko. The conversation covered books, rhetoric, translations of classical texts, and the development of communication skills.

Mykola Ovcharov spoke about his experience translating Cicero's speech "Against Catiline"—the first translation of Cicero's speeches into Ukrainian. "During translation, I paid attention to how organically it sounds in Ukrainian. If you translate this text literally, it comes out very dry and formal. But if you approach it creatively, you can slightly modify the text or add your own words so that it sounds organic," the rhetorician explained. For him, the most interesting aspect was conveying not only the content but also preserving the rhythm, rhetorical devices, tonality, and emotionality of the original text.

Special attention during the conversation was given to the role of a book's cover. "The binding is very important; it attracts attention. For me, a quality cover is respect for readers. A cover is needed—a beautiful, quality one—to attract attention and show the value of what's inside the book," Mykola noted, adding that he personally creates the cover designs for his own books.

The Institute of Rhetoric founder shared his approach to reading: "My book reading is divided into stages. I prepare my book for publication and create a special information space around myself. For example, when I was translating Cicero, I read many books about ancient history, the history of Rome, illustrated fiction books with infographics, and books about the art of ancient Rome." Mykola's largest library is dedicated to rhetoric, psychology, history, and philosophy. Books are distributed throughout his apartment—on windowsills, tables, and even on the piano.

Mykola Ovcharov also discussed his four books: "Master of Public Speaking," "Evidence-Based Argumentation," "Small Ethics," and the recently published "How to Raise an Orator." "Teachers, educators, and parents often come to me asking: 'What should we do to help a child develop their communication skills?' That's why I created this book with practical lessons, exercises, and feedback. I explained the methodology for how to teach a child," the author shared.

The rhetorician gave special attention to the importance of the right to make mistakes in learning: "A very interesting point: to better teach a child, you need to tell them that first, we need to make mistakes. Making mistakes is normal. Students should make mistakes and understand that mistakes teach them, not perfectly completed tasks. We make mistakes, receive feedback, and constantly improve. This should be very positive, fun, and pleasant, and then the child opens up, and they can become an open, excellent speaker in the future."

During the podcast, Mykola Ovcharov also mentioned other outstanding orators of the past whose speeches would be worth translating into Ukrainian. In particular, he spoke about Thomas Mann, the Nobel laureate who addressed the German people on BBC once a month during World War II, and about Mark Twain, who constantly traveled with performances in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. "Mark Twain had a great sense of humor; he was such a stand-up comedian, if we can use modern language, one of the first," the rhetorician noted.

The Mykola Ovcharov Institute of Rhetoric has been operating since 2009 and specializes in teaching public speaking, argumentation, and communication skills. During this time, over 2,500 students have completed training at the Institute. Two more books by the author are expected to be published this year.

The full version of the podcast can be viewed on the Instagram pages @radio_kubg and @mykola.ovcharov.