Public Speaking
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In public speaking, as in any form
of communication, there are five basic elements, often expressed as "who
is saying what to whom using what medium with what
effects?" The purpose of public speaking can range from simply
transmitting information, to motivating people to act, to simply telling a
story. Good orators should be able to change the emotions of their listeners,
not just inform them. Public speaking can also be considered a discourse
community. Interpersonal communication and public speaking have several
components that embrace such things as motivational speaking,
leadership/personal development, business, customer service, large group
communication, and mass communication. Public speaking can be a powerful tool to
use for purposes such as motivation, influence, persuasion, informing,
translation, or simply ethos.
In current times, public speaking
for business and commercial events is often done by professionals, with speakers
contracted either independently, through representation by a speakers bureau
paid on commission of 25-30%, or via other means.
History
Early training in public speaking
took place in ancient Egypt. The first known Greek work on oratory, written over
2000 years ago, elaborated principles drawn from the practices and experience of
orators in the ancient Greek city-states. In classical Greece
and Rome, the main component was rhetoric (that is, composition and
delivery of speeches), and was an important skill in public and private life.
Aristotle and Quintilian discussed oratory, and the subject, with definitive
rules and models, was emphasised as a part of a liberal arts education during
the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
The art of public speaking was
first developed by the ancient Greeks. Greek oration is known from the works of
classical antiquity. Greek orators spoke, on their own behalf rather as
representatives of either a client or a constituency, and so any citizen who
wished to succeed in court, in politics, or in social life had to learn
techniques of public speaking. These skills were taught first by a group of
self-styled "Sophists" who were known to charge fees, to "make the weaker
argument the stronger," and to make their students "better" through instruction
in excellence. Plato, Aristotle and Socrates all developed theories of public
speaking in opposition to the Sophists, and their ideas took on institutional
form through the development of permanent schools where public speaking was
taught. Though Greece eventually lost political sovereignty, the Greek culture
of training in public speaking was adopted virtually wholesale by the
Romans.
With the political rise of the
Roman Republic, Roman orators copied and modified Greek techniques of public
speaking. Under Roman influence, instruction in rhetoric developed into a full
curriculum including instruction in grammar (study of the poets), preliminary
exercises and preparation of public speeches (declamation) in both forensic and
deliberative genres. The Latin style was heavily influenced by Cicero, and
involved a strong emphasis on a broad education in all areas of humanistic study
(in the liberal arts, including philosophy), as well as on the use of wit and
humor, on appeal to the listener's emotions, and on digressions (often used to
explore general themes related to the specific topic of the speech). Oratory in
the Roman empire, though less central to political life than in the days of the
Republic, remained important in law, and became (under the second Sophistic) an
important form of entertainment, with famous orators or declaimers gaining great
wealth and prestige for their skills.
This Latin style was the primary
form of oration in the world until the beginning of the 20th century. After
World War II there began a gradual deprecation of the Latin style of oration.
With the rise of the scientific method and the emphasis on a "plain" style
of speaking and writing, even formal oratory has become less polished and ornate
than in the Classical period, though politicians today can still make or break
their careers on the basis of a successful (or unsuccessful) speech.
These basic principles have
undergone modification as societies, and cultures have changed, yet
remained surprisingly uniform. The technology and the methods of this form of
communication have traditionally been through oratory structure and rely on
an audience. However, new advances in technology have allowed for more
sophisticated communication for speakers and public orators.
of communication, there are five basic elements, often expressed as "who
is saying what to whom using what medium with what
effects?" The purpose of public speaking can range from simply
transmitting information, to motivating people to act, to simply telling a
story. Good orators should be able to change the emotions of their listeners,
not just inform them. Public speaking can also be considered a discourse
community. Interpersonal communication and public speaking have several
components that embrace such things as motivational speaking,
leadership/personal development, business, customer service, large group
communication, and mass communication. Public speaking can be a powerful tool to
use for purposes such as motivation, influence, persuasion, informing,
translation, or simply ethos.
In current times, public speaking
for business and commercial events is often done by professionals, with speakers
contracted either independently, through representation by a speakers bureau
paid on commission of 25-30%, or via other means.
History
Early training in public speaking
took place in ancient Egypt. The first known Greek work on oratory, written over
2000 years ago, elaborated principles drawn from the practices and experience of
orators in the ancient Greek city-states. In classical Greece
and Rome, the main component was rhetoric (that is, composition and
delivery of speeches), and was an important skill in public and private life.
Aristotle and Quintilian discussed oratory, and the subject, with definitive
rules and models, was emphasised as a part of a liberal arts education during
the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
The art of public speaking was
first developed by the ancient Greeks. Greek oration is known from the works of
classical antiquity. Greek orators spoke, on their own behalf rather as
representatives of either a client or a constituency, and so any citizen who
wished to succeed in court, in politics, or in social life had to learn
techniques of public speaking. These skills were taught first by a group of
self-styled "Sophists" who were known to charge fees, to "make the weaker
argument the stronger," and to make their students "better" through instruction
in excellence. Plato, Aristotle and Socrates all developed theories of public
speaking in opposition to the Sophists, and their ideas took on institutional
form through the development of permanent schools where public speaking was
taught. Though Greece eventually lost political sovereignty, the Greek culture
of training in public speaking was adopted virtually wholesale by the
Romans.
With the political rise of the
Roman Republic, Roman orators copied and modified Greek techniques of public
speaking. Under Roman influence, instruction in rhetoric developed into a full
curriculum including instruction in grammar (study of the poets), preliminary
exercises and preparation of public speeches (declamation) in both forensic and
deliberative genres. The Latin style was heavily influenced by Cicero, and
involved a strong emphasis on a broad education in all areas of humanistic study
(in the liberal arts, including philosophy), as well as on the use of wit and
humor, on appeal to the listener's emotions, and on digressions (often used to
explore general themes related to the specific topic of the speech). Oratory in
the Roman empire, though less central to political life than in the days of the
Republic, remained important in law, and became (under the second Sophistic) an
important form of entertainment, with famous orators or declaimers gaining great
wealth and prestige for their skills.
This Latin style was the primary
form of oration in the world until the beginning of the 20th century. After
World War II there began a gradual deprecation of the Latin style of oration.
With the rise of the scientific method and the emphasis on a "plain" style
of speaking and writing, even formal oratory has become less polished and ornate
than in the Classical period, though politicians today can still make or break
their careers on the basis of a successful (or unsuccessful) speech.
These basic principles have
undergone modification as societies, and cultures have changed, yet
remained surprisingly uniform. The technology and the methods of this form of
communication have traditionally been through oratory structure and rely on
an audience. However, new advances in technology have allowed for more
sophisticated communication for speakers and public orators.
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