2. What is Oratory?
● Oratory is the greatest art known to man and, literally, embraces a
number of great arts.
● Oratory is not merely uttering words, rather it’s beyond speaking.
● The ‘art of eloquence’ is one where the orator furnishes the ideas, clothes
them in words, give these a rhythmic arrangement, and deliver them with
all the care with which a singer sings a song.
● The words are weaved to impress the listeners, persuade them to become
part of the discourse itself and pick up the chisel to carve a milestone of
change.
4. The Golden Age of Eloquence - Greek Oratory
Master orator of the ‘golden age of eloquence’, Pericles
and his funeral speech, perhaps the first great speech in
the history of humanity.
Demosthenes, another Greek orator, who is remembered
as the greatest among all the orators of history.
5. Aristotle’s Contribution
➔ He became the first philosopher to document the role of rhetoric and
introduced to us three rhetorical proofs: ethos, logos and pathos.
➔ Debated with his teacher Plato, who believed that the character of oratory is
as of ‘mere rhetoric’ and that is used only to mend the truth.
➔ For Aristotle, oratory is one that can be crafted into an art form – both
persuasive and ethical.
6. The art of eloquence
changed its face, and the
speeches became less
meaty but studded with
more style, metaphors and
stories in the Roman
empire.
7. ❖ From the old days to our times, oratory may have changed in its authenticity;
it still stands as the noblest virtue.
❖ Public speaking, as for how we refer to oratory, in today’s times is something
has transmuted into a way to define your personality in the big external
world.
❖ We can find the nuances of oratory in speeches of great politicians, prominent
entrepreneurs talking about their brand in a big event, in conference rooms
during a presentation, or in a students’ debate in an ordinary classroom; it’s
very much there.
Public Speaking in Today’s Age
8. “Oratory is immortal. In some form or the other, oratory will live,
and have its influence upon mankind, as in past ages, and in
different countries, as long as the human heart is inhabited by
the passions which are inherent to our nature and which have
taken up their residence there, and as long as it is necessary to
discuss important questions in the pulpit, the Senate, and the
bar.”
Henry Hardwicke, History of Oratory and Orators
9. How can learning oratory skills make a difference?
As mentioned before, a good orator possesses the knowledge of a number of
disciplines pertaining to different domains of society which helps to build a multi-
facet personality.
● Boost your-self-esteem and helps to overcome your fears and insecurities.
● Be it a role of professional or a student, a meeting with CXO or a simple job
interview, oratory skills is beneficial for everyone in any given situation.
● It improves the overall critical thinking skills along with helping you to become a
confident communicator.
● Enhances your leadership qualities and lets you to create a visible identity of
yourself among the crowd.
