8 1.4 IntroductIon to PublIc SPeakIng
communication, should be scanning the audience during the speech for nonver-
bal clues to the audience’s reaction.
Although communication models have been developed only recently, the
elements of these models have long been recognized as the keys to successful
public speaking. As you study public speaking, you will continue a tradition
that goes back to the very beginnings of Western civilization.Quick check
The Communication Process
audience and speaker send messages simultaneously. the process includes these
elements:
• the speaker is the source of information.
• the message is the speech.
• the message is transmitted through visual and auditory channels.
• the receiver decodes the message.
• noise (external or internal) interferes with the message.The Rich Heritage of Public Speaking
1.4 discuss in brief the history of public speaking.
Long before the time when many people could read, they listened to public
speakers. rhetoric is another term for the use of words and symbols to achieve
a goal. Although rhetoric is often defined as the art of speaking or writing aimed
at persuading others (changing or reinforcing attitudes, beliefs, values, or be-
havior), you are using rhetoric whether you’re informing, persuading, or even
entertaining listeners, because you are trying to achieve a goal.The Golden Age of Public Speaking
The fourth century b.c.e. was a golden age for rhetoric in the Greek Republic,
because it was during this time that the philosopher Aristotle formulated guide-
lines for speakers that we still follow today. Roman orators continued the Greek
rhetorical tradition. Two famous Romans, Cicero and Quintilian, both sought to
define the qualities of the “true” orator. On a lighter note, it is said that Roman
orators invented the necktie; fearing laryngitis, they wore “chin cloths” to pro-
tect their throats.^13
Centuries later in medieval Europe, the clergy were the most polished pub-
lic speakers. In the 1500s, Europeans gathered eagerly to hear Martin Luther
expound his Articles of Faith. In the 1700s, colonists in what would one day be-
come the United States listened to the impassioned speeches of patriots.1.4