The previous lesson on public speaking made known to us the various models of communication in public speaking. Thus, where the various procedures communication passes to be seen as a cyclical act. The sender also known as the encoder sends the message or information through a medium or channel and a receiver or decoder who is the destination of the message sent also reacts by giving feedback; that is the cyclical nature of communication and as a public speaker, it is deemed wise and appropriate to know all these. This would be the art of rhetoric in public speaking.

This lesson is about the art of rhetoric in public speaking. Don’t be confused because this is one of the essential topics in public speaking that will aid you on your public speaking journey. The art of rhetoric is an ancient book written by the legendary philosopher, Aristotle. He wrote this book to show public speaking learners the art of persuasion. As a public speaker, one of the major aims to achieve is the ability to persuade your listeners and this why is why the art of rhetoric has come to help you. The Oxford Learners Dictionary explains rhetoric as “the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the exploitation of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.” Aristotle being a great public speaker, developed these methods of persuasion to aid all public speakers.