Public Speaking
The art of public speaking can trace its roots back to ancient Greece and the orators who proclaimed governmental achievements, entertained audiences, and debated political issues in public forums. In the Rhetoric, written in 330 B.C.E., Aristotlediscussed the process by which a speaker prepares and delivers a speech. Much of this material is still applicable. For example, Aristotle wrote about three types of persuasive appeals: ethos (i.e., credibility of the source of the message), pathos (i.e., appealing to the emotions of the audience), and logos (i.e., the nature of the message). A contemporary advertisement in which a notable sports figure (ethos) telling a personal story about learning the negative consequences of driving while intoxicated (logos) to teenage athletes who have just learned to drive (pathos) illustrates the principles that Aristotle described.
History
Historically, public speaking was known as rhetoric and has a long history, both in terms of training people to become good rhetors (i.e., public speakers) and in analyzing what factors made a speech effective (i.e., rhetorical criticism or analysis). James McCroskey (2000) notes that the oldest essay ever discovered was written around 3000B.C.E., and it consists of advice on how to speak effectively. McCroskey argues that the first theory of public speaking was developed by the Greeks and consisted of a theory about courtroom speaking.
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