Who can more fervently encourage virtue than a speaker? Who can more sharply deter wickedness? Who can more vehemently rebuke evildoers? Who can more beautifully praise the good? Whose attack can more powerfully break greed? Whose consolation can more gently silence pain?
For what is as foolish as the empty sound of words, highly chosen and adorned, but without the foundation of thought and knowledge?
These are the words of the most famous Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero from his book “On the Orator” (De Oratore), which is considered one of the most important works in the history of rhetoric. And indeed, who would disagree with what has been said? However, when we find ourselves in a situation where we need to speak ourselves, we often lack the right and powerful words, loaded with content, behind which stands our own conviction and authentic living of it.
Why is that so? How to speak? What distinguishes an excellent speaker? What is the role of nonverbal communication? How to start a speech? How to use speech to encourage change in a person’s thinking, emotions, and actions?
In the book “On the Orator”, Cicero provided answers to these and many other questions. ask you a few questions about my friend from more than two millennia ago. Namely, the author portrays rhetoric partly as an innate gift and partly as a science and art that can be honed and perfected through comprehensive education, persistent work, and the development of rhetorical technique. He attaches great importance to the connection between rhetoric and philosophy because the art of speaking, if it is merely a technical skill, can be an empty form, while philosophy, or the love of wisdom, gives it substance. We can still find the need for this requirement of Cicero today by listening to many of the speeches available to us. Big words, big promises, excellent knowledge of correct speech and all rhetorical values sound empty if the speaker does not advocate for what is true, good, beautiful, and just by their own example. This was well known in ancient times.
The times we live in do not give much importance to these questions, and this is precisely why Cicero’s messages are significant and relevant for anyone who wants to embark on the path of philosophy and who wants to speak as they think and act.
And that’s why I will I would now like to begin by assessing the speaker’s abilities, if possible. I would prefer for them to have some literary education, to have listened and read, and even adopted the rules of rhetoric. I will investigate what suits them, what they can achieve with their voice, physical strength, breath, and language. If I find that they can reach the level of top speakers, I will not only encourage them to develop their skills, but I will also implore them, if it seems to me that they are also a good person – an excellent speaker who is also a good person, serves as an honor to the entire country.
A true speaker, you see, needs to study, hear, read, discuss, analyze, and examine everything that exists in human life, especially since it is the material for their speeches. Because the art of speaking is one of the greatest virtues; and even though all virtues are equal and balanced, one of them is more beautiful and radiant in its outward appearance than the others, as is the case with this ability, which When she mastered the knowledge of facts, she expressed the feelings and thoughts of the mind in words in such a way that she could persuade listeners to any side, wherever she placed the emphasis. And the greater this ability is, the more we need to associate it with goodness and supreme wisdom. If we were to make the wealth of oratory available to people who do not possess these virtues, we would not create speakers out of them, but we would, in a way, hand over weapons to the insane.
On the other hand, speakers are expected to have the keenness of a dialectician, the thoughts of a philosopher, words almost like a poet, the memory of a lawyer, the voice of a tragedian, and gestures almost like the best actors. Therefore, nothing can be found in the human race rarer than a perfect speaker.
And in order to speak correctly, it is not enough to ensure that we use words with which no one can rightfully object and that we respect their case, verb tense, gender, and number, so as not to say anything confused, discordant, or in the wrong order. We still need to control the language, breath, and even the sound. I vote. I don’t want the votes to be pronounced with too much affectation, nor do I want them to be unclear due to careless pronunciation; I don’t want the words to come out weakly exhaled, nor do I want them to be inflated and excessively blown out.
And nature has given us eyes, like a horse and a lion’s mane, tail, ears, to express our emotions, and that’s why in our performance, which we are talking about now, the expression of the face is as important as the voice, and it is controlled by the eyes. In all these factors related to performance, there is a certain strength given by nature. Therefore, thanks to it, it is possible to shake the inexperienced, the common people, and ultimately the barbarians to the greatest extent.
And those who approach speaking by adopting the habit of writing have the ability to make what they say, even if they say it without preparation, resemble written text. If they ever make any notes for the speech, when they deviate from their sequence, the rest of the speech will follow in a similar style. Just like in fast sailing, when rowers brake, the boat still maintains its direction of movement even though the propulsion has been interrupted. and the gallows strikes, in uninterrupted speech, when the notes fail, the rest of the speech still maintains its flow, driven by its similarity to what is written and its power.
One must face the gaze of others and test the power of talent, and the careful preparation done behind closed doors must be brought into the light of reality.
The introduction should be so closely connected to the speech that follows, so as not to give the impression that it is something merely attached, like a guitarist’s prelude, but rather like a blow joined with the whole body: because, in fact, some, after delivering a well-prepared introduction, transition to the rest of the speech in a way that suggests they do not want to be listened to attentively. And that prelude should not be like the one of the Samnitian gladiators who whirl their spears before the fight, which they do not use in battle at all, but rather such that the speakers can fight with the same thoughts they used in the prelude.
However, although the whole speech should be sprinkled, so to speak, with jewels of words and thoughts.