Aristotle's five canons of rhetoric
Ancient Greece was the crucible of learning in what emerged as modern Europe.
Being regarded as an orator of excellence was the equivalent of a Youtube/TikTok influencer of the day. Great speeches by their equally outstanding orators were the talk of Athens. Aristotle's students at the Lyceum were well-versed in the use of rhetoric.
Public speaking is a painful and time-consuming experience for young and inexperienced speakers. They say that for every minute of your speech, you should prepare for at least one hour. But that begs the question - how should I go about it?
Aristotle, arguably one of the world's greatest minds, came up with a solution around 2300 years ago. I like to talk about it in class because, as yet, I haven't found a better method after many years of searching. Here is what the great man says...
Aristotle's five canons of rhetoric:
-
Invention: This canon involves developing and finding arguments appropriate to the situation and the audience. Some would call this brainstorming or gathering your material to consider inclusion. This includes identifying the key context and messages to convey, researching and selecting evidence to support those messages, and developing a clear and compelling argument.
-
Arrangement: This canon involves the organization of the argument, including the order of the points and the use of transitions between them. We would call this speech structure. A speech without a structure is a ramble. There's a magic number in public speaking, which is three. Making three clear points will help the audience understand your arguments. It includes selecting and ordering different types of supporting evidence to create a logical and persuasive flow.
-
Style: This canon uses language and tone to convey the argument effectively. This includes using rhetorical devices, such as metaphor and simile, appropriate humour, case studies, stories and anecdotes, bold statements, rhetorical questions, tricolons, anaphora (repetition), quantitative and qualitative evidence, and considering the audience's expectations and preferences. (If your speech is of five minutes duration, don't expect to use all of these rhetorical devices). One or two would make the speech stand out.
-
Memory: This canon involves the speaker's ability to effectively recall and deliver the argument. This includes the use of mnemonics, such as memorizing key phrases, and the ability to improvise if necessary. Do not try to memorize the entire speech. The moment you can't remember your following line will be when anxiety kicks in. Know the central message of your address and pull your thoughts back to their destination.
-
Delivery: This canon involves the physical and vocal presentation of the argument. This includes using gestures, eye contact, and vocal inflexion to convey the message with clarity and conviction.
Our 2-day Fear of Public Speaking Course covers this essential skill in detail. These are the skills used by the great orators of the 20th and 21st centuries like JF Kennedy and Barack Obama. There's nothing complicated about it. It's just a vital business skill that can be developed through practice.
