Public Speaking

Public speaking (sometimes termed oratory or oration) is the process, or act of performing a speech to a live audience. This speech is deliberately structured with three general purposes: to inform, to persuade, and to entertain. Closely allied to "presenting," although the latter is more often associated with commercial activity, public speaking is commonly understood as formal, face-to-face talking of a single person to a group of listeners.

In public speaking, as in any form of communication, there are five basic elements that are shown through Lasswell's model of communication. In short, the speaker should be answering "who says what in which channel to whom with what effect?" Along with the basic elements of public speaking, the general purpose can range from transmitting information to telling a story to motivating people to act. Public speaking can also be considered a discourse community, where the audience and speaker are working to achieve a certain goal or find a purpose.

Interpersonal communication and public speaking have several common components, including motivational speech, leadership, personal development, business, customer service, large group communication, and mass communication. Public speaking can be a powerful tool to use to persuade, influence, and inform the audience. It also utilizes ethos, or character.

Currently, public speaking for business and commercial events is often done by professionals. These speakers are contracted either independently, through representation by a speakers bureau, or via other means. It is believed that 70% of jobs today involve some form of public speaking.

Although there is early evidence of training in public speech in ancient Egypt, the first known work on oratory, written over 2,000 years ago, came from ancient Greek. This work elaborated on principles drawn from the practices and experiences of orators in the city-states. In classical Greece and Rome, the main component of composition and speech delivery was rhetoric, which was an important skill in both public and private life. Aristotle and Quintilian discussed oratory, and the subject, with definitive rules and models, which was emphasized as a part of a liberal arts education during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

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