History of Rhetoric

Principles of Oratory
Skills

What is rhetoric?

 Rhetoric

is the art of discourse,

an art that aims to improve the
capability of writers or speakers
that attempt to inform, persuade,
or motivate particular audiences
in specific situations.

A history about classical rhetoric

Humans have studied and praised

rhetoric since the early days of the
written word.

The Mesopotamians and Ancient

Egyptians both valued the ability to
speak with eloquence and wisdom.

Rhetoric in Ancient Greece:

The Sophists

The ancient city-state of Athens as the

birthplace of classical rhetoric.
Small schools dedicated to teaching
rhetoric began to form.
The first of these schools began in the
5th century B.C. among an itinerant
group of teachers called the Sophists.
The Sophists focused on style and
presentation even at the expense of
truth.

Rhetoric in Ancient Greece:

Aristotle and The Art of Rhetoric

Aristotles Rhetorical Triangle

Writer/ Ethos

Audience/ Pathos

Context/ Logos

Aristotle sets forth his system for effectively

applying rhetoric:

Three Means of Persuasion (logos,

pathos, and ethos)
Three Genres of Rhetoric (deliberative,
forensic, and epideictic)
Rhetorical topics
Parts of speech
Effective use of style

Rhetoric in Ancient Rome: Cicero

Rhetoric was
slow to develop
in ancient Rome,
but it started to
flourish when
that empire
conquered
Greece and
began to be
influenced by its
traditions.

The first master rhetorician Rome

produced was the great statesman
Cicero.

Ciceros approach to rhetoric

emphasized the importance of a
liberal education.

Rhetoric in Ancient Rome:

Quintilian

The second Roman to leave his mark

on the study of rhetoric was Quintilian.

Quintilian devotes much of his treatise

to fleshing out and explaining the Five
Canons of Rhetoric :
1. inventio (invention)
2. dispositio (arrangement)
3. elocutio (style)
4. memoria (memory)
5. actio (delivery)

Rhetoric in Medieval Times and

the Renaissance

Like the arts and

sciences, the study
of rhetoric
experienced a rebirth during the
Renaissance period.

Rhetoric in the Modern Day

Images in
photography, film,
and TV have
become powerful
tools of
persuasion.

Principles of Oratory skills

Every week, every day, almost every

hour, Your job is to communicate!!!

Oratory skills in public speaking

is really all about vocal variety.

The main aspects are :

1. A comfortable
listening rate for the
average person is about
125 words per minute.

2. Generally, a lower pitch is more

welcoming than a higher pitch.

3. Loud does not always mean better,

still the group must be able to hear
your entire presentation.

4. Pauses are the silent oratory skill,

important aspect of a presentation.

5.Your voice must also be calm.

The 4 fundamentals of
success

Choose the right topic and

style

Organize the content clearly

Practice several times and several

ways

Perform with your whole

being

Principles are fine, but

dont copy someone else
dont make yourself uncomfortable
To try different things
To develop your own style

Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds

of men.
Plato

Thank you for attention !

Have a nice day !