Public speaking

Public speaking, also called oratory, is the act or skill of delivering speeches on a subject before a live audience.^[3] Public speaking has played an important cultural role in human history.

Confucius, an ancient Chinese philosopher and prominent public-speaking scholar, believed that a good speech should impact individual lives, including those who are not in the audience. He believed that words could lead to actions that influence the world.^[4] Public speaking was also studied in Ancient Greece and Rome, where it was analyzed by prominent thinkers as a central part of rhetoric.

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle indicated three types of speeches: deliberative (political speech), forensic (courtroom speech), and epideictic (speech of praise or blame).^[5] Similarly, the Roman statesman and philosopher Cicero defined three purposes for public speaking: judicial (courtroom speech), deliberative (political speech), and demonstrative (a ceremonial form of speech, similar to Aristotle's epideictic).^[6]

In contemporary times, public speaking has become a highly-valued means of communications and persuasion in government, industry, and advocacy. It also has been transformed by digital technologies, including video conferencing, multimedia presentations, and other non-traditional forms of presentation,