Coach Mac

What is public Speaking? Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners.

Public Speaking In public speaking, as in any form of communication, there are five basic elements, often expressed as "who is saying what to whom using what medium with what effects?" The purpose of public speaking can range from simply transmitting information, to motivating people to act, to simply telling a story. Good orators should be able to change the emotions of their listeners, not just inform them. Public speaking can also be considered a discourse community. Interpersonal communication and public speaking have several components that embrace such things as motivational speaking, leadership/personal development, business, customer service, large group communication, and mass communication. Public speaking can be a powerful tool to use for purposes such as motivation, influence, persuasion, informing, translation, or simply entertaining.

Rhetoric Many historians credit the ancient city-state of Athens as the birthplace of classical rhetoric. A man’s success and influence in ancient Athens depended on his rhetorical ability. Consequently, 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. A typical Sophist curriculum consisted of: *analyzing poetry *defining parts of speech *instruction on argumentation styles. They taught their students how to make a weak argument stronger and a strong argument weak.

Aristotle and The Art of Rhetoric In The Art of Rhetoric, Aristotle defines rhetoric as “the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion.” While Aristotle favored persuasion through reason alone, he recognized that at times an audience would not be sophisticated enough to follow arguments based solely on scientific and logical principles. In those instances, persuasive language and techniques were necessary for truth to be taught. Three Means of Persuasion (logos, pathos, and ethos) Effective use of style Parts of speech After establishing the need for rhetorical knowledge, Aristotle sets forth his system for effectively applying rhetoric

logos, pathos, and ethos Logos- logic Do you make sense? Pathos- passion *Do you have any emotion? Ethos- expertise *Are you creditable?