The 5 Classic Principles of Public Speaking

''There's nothing new under the sun.'' (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
Well, maybe there is; for example, the internet comes to mind. But when it comes to the art of rhetoric, most of the information and advice available is thousands of years old. Really.

If you were receiving an education in Roman times, or for many hundreds of years after that, the so-called '5 canons' (principles) of rhetoric would have been an important part of that education. Public speaking and presenting were just as important back then - if not more so - as they are now.

Yet strangely enough, many of us now go from grade school to university and beyond without ever being made familiar with these five important principles.

Starting with the writings of Aristotle, and then developed and formalised by Cicero, the five principles of presenting are:

1. Invention (inventio)
2. Arrangement (dispositio)
3. Style (elocutio)
4. Memory (memoria)
5. Delivery (actio)

In essence, the five points above provide a checklist for preparing, giving, and even evaluating a presentation or pitch.

Let's look at the points briefly:
1. Invention.
These days this would probably be called brainstorming, or research. It involves thinking, examining, and trying to discover as much relevant information as you can before you start to write your presentation. Notes, ideas, articles, quotes, illustrations - whatever it might be - this is the collection stage, and the thinking stage. You're not writing or making slides yet.

2. Arrangement.
Now you're writing and structuring your presentation. In its simplest form, that means you will be preparing an interesting introduction, a persuasive body (main section of the pitch), and a convincing conclusion.

3. Style.
Now you go over your text and do the interesting things: are the sentences short and to the point? Am I using repetition? Have I checked the grammar and spelling basics? Alliteration? Anaphora? And so on. It means taking the rough version that you wrote in the arrangement stage and turning it into (we hope) a rhetorically artistic gem.

4. Memory
This is the often painful part of presenting: how do you remember what you want to say? These days PowerPoint, teleprompters and other such tools make it a lot easier, but you still need to have a way to organise your presentation in your memory. There are many effective techniques for this, and it's often a case of figuring out what works best for you.

And finally...
5. Delivery
Definitely one of my favourite parts of presenting, and also one of the things that many people have the most difficulty with. From eye contact to gestures, and voice technique to movement, the delivery can often make or break a pitch. These are things that need to be studied and practiced, but which are easy to quickly improve on.

So there you have it. Ancient wisdom that is as up-to-date today as when it was written. If you're wondering where to start with your next presentation, just go over these five steps.

They really should still be teaching this in school!

All the best, and happy trails,
Rob