Podcast #698: The Secrets of Public Speaking From History’s Greatest Orators

Despite the fact that public speaking remains an important and relevant skill in our modern age — you never know when you’ll need to give a toast at a wedding, pitch an idea at work, or champion a proposal at a city council meeting — most of us get very little instruction these days in how to do it effectively.

Fortunately, my guest says, we can look to the great orators of the past to get the public speaking education we never received. His name is John Hale, and he’s professor of archeology as well the lecturer of The Great Courses course Art of Public Speaking: Lessons from the Greatest Speeches in History. Today on the show, John shares what we can learn about the physicality of public speaking from Demontheses of Athens, the importance of empathetic body language from Patrick Henry, the effective use of humor from Will Rogers, the power of three from the apostle Paul, and the potency of brevity and well-executed organization from Abraham Lincoln.

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Show Highlights

Why hasn’t public speaking been much of an emphasis in our education system?
Who was Demosthenes? What role did his speaking have on Greek history?
Why public speaking is important to democracy
The physical act of public speaking
What Patrick Henry can teach us about delivery
Why does humor often fall flat in public speaking? Why was Will Rogers’ humor effective?
The role of body language in public speaking
The power of three in a speech
What made Lincoln’s Gettysburg address so memorable and powerful