Brief History of Public Speaking and Famous Speakers through the Ages

Public speaking is an essential life skill in the modern world, full of meetings, conferences and networking events. In this article, we look at the history of public speaking, from Greece to the 21st century, as well as famous orators throughout history.

This post is abridged - to read the article in its entirety click here

What is Public Speaking?

Public speaking is the act of performing a speech to a live audience in a structured manner, in order to inform, entertain and persuade them. There are many aspects to public speaking, from picking a topic and writing a speech, to answering questions from the audience. Public speaking is usually a formal, face-to-face speech to either a single person or group of listeners.

There are five basic elements of public speaking:

Communicator

Message

Medium

Audience

Effect

Public speaking can serve the purpose of transmitting information, telling a story, motivating people to act, or some combination of those.

Public speaking plays a large role in the professional world – it is believed that 70 percent of all jobs involve some form of public speaking.

Greece: the Early Years of Public Speaking

The study of public speaking began about 2,500 years ago in ancient Athens. Men were required to give speeches as part of their civic duties, which included speaking in legislative assembly and at court (sometimes to defend themselves as there were no lawyers for the average Athenian).

Citizens would meet in the marketplace and debate issues on war, economics, and politics. Good speaking skills were also essential for a prominent social life and mixing with the wealthy.

Aristotle is one of the most famous ancient scholars to study public speaking.

First Speaking Guides and Models

Aristotle and Quintilian are among the most famous ancient scholars to give public speaking definitive rules and models. Aristotle defined rhetoric as the means of persuasion in reference to any subject. Quintilian published a twelve-volume textbook on rhetoric and many of these references are still used today by politicians. He argued that public speaking was inherently moral and stated that the ideal orator is “a good man speaking well.”

Cicero is considered one of the most significant rhetoricians of all time. He is most famous in the field of public speaking for creating the five canons of rhetoric, a five-step process for developing a persuasive speech that we still use to teach public speaking today.

Ethos, Pathos, Logos: 3 Pillars of Public Speaking and Persuasion

Aristotle discovered that in order to rally the citizens into conformity, one needed to persuade people. This is what he called rhetoric, and it’s defined as the capacity to persuade people, and he broke it down into three strategies: Ethos, Logos and Pathos

Ethos... is used when the source is credible, and the speaker can show authority over the subject matter.

Logos... is used when there are facts to support the argument requiring that the audience use logic and deduction to decide on the strengths of the speaker’s argument.

Pathos... is used for emotional appeals to gain audience acceptance. Let’s break down each by using examples.

Public Speaking in the Modern Age

Throughout the 20th century, speaking in public has once again become crucial to succeed in many careers. Schools and universities started offering courses and lectures on communication skills.

The last few decades have seen renewed emphasis and focus on the works of those from the Classical Period. These decades have combined the old and new schools of communication study for the first time.

Communication departments had professors who studied and taught classical rhetoric, contemporary rhetoric, along with empirical and qualitative social science.

Online courses have also become popular with the rise of the internet. Courses such as public speaking and speech analysis apply fundamental Greek theories, as well as trace rhetorical development throughout the course of history.

Public Speaking in the 21st Century

In the 21st century, you must communicate effectively to succeed. It can be the difference between landing your dream job, winning a multi-million-dollar contract or delivering a moving speech at a wedding.

More and more we are required to speak in public, at conferences, during business meetings, accepting awards, teaching a class, during media events and many other occasions. It has become increasingly hard to avoid public speaking events, as oratory skills have become so important.

.