Changes in Public Speaking from Ancient Greece to Modernity - Research Paper Example

Public Speaking: Fundamental Changes in Public Speaking from Ancient Greece to Modernity, with a Look into the Future Public speaking has been an integral part of society since people became able to communicate with one another through oral language. As far back as Ancient Greece there are examples of public speaking, and the impact it had on society. But how has public speaking changed, or has it remained the same By looking at Ancient Greece, and comparing it today, it becomes clear that while there are many differences, there are many more similarities. Public speaking is about sharing ideas with the public, and getting thoughts and ideas into the open that may be controversial. It is about sharing an opinion, or research with others. Looking into the future, while public speaking may continue to change, the goals will remain the same. Public speaking has always been about teaching others, and will remain so. Ancient Greece prided itself on democracy, and the education of its citizens. It is no small wonder that Pindar spoke of Greece as "the noisy regiment" (Hall 1). Greeks used oral language as the primary means of communication, and as one of the cornerstones of democracy. They judged each other not only by how they spoke, but also by what they wore, and how they acted when they spoke, not unlike today. Yet they had one additional hurdle that speakers today do not have to deal with. While crowds today may reach into the billions, speakers today are equipped with microphones, television, internet, and radio to reach the people. In Greece, the speaker not only had to have passion for his subject, but also had to have the ability to remember long quotes and ideas, and to be able to amplify their voice for a long enough time to get their ideas across. Today, speakers can depend on note cards and prepared speeches, while Greeks had to rely solely on their memories. Today, unlike then, speakers are also not required to write their own speeches, and in fact, may not know the material until they step in front of a microphone. Effective speaking requires that the speaker be clear in what they are saying, and look and act convincing. Eye movement, gesturing, even the subtle shifts of the person talking are all subject to interpretation by the listeners. While movement of the speaker has mattered throughout history, it is only contemporarily that it can be shown again and again, allowing endless reinterpretation of meaning. Speaking before recording allowed the speaker to speak with passion, and while mistakes were still not desired, they were more forgivable. A grammatical mistake, for example, would be corrected in the speech was actually written down. Today, those same errors are lauded over the speaker, and are used as ways to discredit them. Greeks did not permit women to speak publicly, and also had a unique way of stopping people who were not interesting enough. If the speaker lost the attention of the people, they were physically dragged off of the stage by the watchers. Today, we are required to sit politely by and let them finish out their speech, or change the channel on the television. Public speaking was one of the most important skills an Athenian had. According to Nancy Harper: For many years, the Athenian could not hire a professional to speak for him in court. Each Athenian jury consisted of several hundred persons, and the citizen, whether the accuser or the accused, had to use his ability as a public speaker to persuade a majority of the jury to believe in his side of the case. Because lawsuits were common in Athens, legal speaking became the central concern of early communication instruction. (Warren 2) Public speaking, or oratory, was all about persuading people that you were correct, and was primarily about legal matters. Today, while public speaking still has a lot of the same roots, it is no longer necessary for each person to be able to speak publicly. In court, people hire lawyers to speak for them, and in life, few step up and speak for themselves. One major difference is in the heterogeneous nature of the modern audience. Zarefsky emphasizes in his book the consideration of the diversity of audiences that a speaker will be talking to in the planning out of a speech. Especially today, with increasing diversity in daily life, it is necessary to realize the wide range of people who we are trying to reach. In Greece, there was only one audience, Caucasian men of similar economic level. Diversity of audience was not a concern, because there was none ! There have been changes in public speaking, especially regarding where it is done, in a small room versus a court of hundreds. However, the goal, to persuade the listener that what you are saying is true, has stayed the same. In the future, there will probably continue to be changes in how speeches are given, and where they are given. As television and internet reach more countries, the need to recognize a diverse audience will become even greater. And as the audience becomes more diverse, so does the need for understanding. Looking at the changes that have already happened in public speaking and the shift from rhetoric to oratory, it is clear that over time public speaking will once again shift in meaning. One person speaking can not address the issues of a million people, and it will fall most likely to a group of public speakers to convince the public that they are speaking the truth. While public speaking has changed over time, chances are the goals of public speaking never will change. Even from the beginning, the goals were to educate, to share common issues and wrongs, and to persuade the listeners that what the speaker is saying is the truth, in spite of what others may say. Public speaking is still used to meet all of those goals today, with very little difference in how they are met. In the future, I can not see these goals changing. However, I do believe that the way public speaking is done will change. Athenians spoke to homogenous juries, and today we speak to vast heterogeneous crowds of people, about politics and passions, issues and ideas. The venue will change, and the meaning of gestures and movements will also change, but the ideals of reaching many people at one time will not. Public speaking will always remain public speaking. Works Cited Hall, Edith. "Splitting images." History Today 44.7 (1994): 41. Academic Search Premier. 2 May 2006. http://search.epnet.com. Warren, Clay. "THE MESSAGE, THE MEDIUM, AND THE MODERN PUBLIC SPEAKER." Communication 12.1 (1983): 17. Communication & Mass Media Complete. 2 May 2006. http://search.epnet.com. Zarefsky, David. (2005) Public Speaking: Strategies for Success. New York: Allyn and Bacon. Read More