The Virtues of Speaking - Speechcraft and certain Olympian virtues.

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Oh my god JC a bomb
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The Virtues of Speaking wrote:Now that the meetings in the Hall of Speakers are in everyone's mind every month, the different approaches everyone has to the art of speechcraft are quite visible, and as such, under scrutiny from peers and rivals alike. While some are blessed with an innate way with words, a rugged charm, or might not care at all about the way they are perceived, we would like to take the opportunity to bring attention to a certain set of virtues, and how they affect our perception and acceptance of a public speech.

These virtues are Comitas, Dignitas, Firmitas, Gravitas and Prudentia. We will discuss these virtues, and how they all feed one last, incredibly important virtue for any public speaker: Auctoritas.

We will start with Comitas, or Courtesy. Comitas can be described as our openness, as our ability to present ourselves as someone approachable, as someone people can talk with, and approach without fear -as friendliness, if you will. For example: a sage trying to share his wisdom with interested laymen must consider tailoring his words to a more concrete and casual style than for a discussion with his peers, meeting the audience in the style they are most comfortable. This builds rapport, which will contribute to later virtues. Beginning his discussion with more flowery or abstract language may alienate and distance the others and detract from the message the sage wished to pass to the audience.

While being friendly and approachable gets us started, Dignitas is a firm foundation for our ability to be taken seriously as a speaker. Dignitas is our sense of Dignity, our self-respect and pride in our work. This isn't just our respect for ourselves, but our ability to present ourselves as a respectable member of society. This respect is shown through respect for the audience, their time and attention; through respect for the place in which the speech is being presented, the conduct one engages in before speaking; and in the ability to weather disrespect or disruption from the audience when speaking. We think of those speakers who can conduct themselves with calm and collectedness under pressure, as having great dignity of bearing – such clear respect shown, commands respect in return.

With the solid starting ground of dignity, Firmitas is our next virtue. It is our sense of Purpose, our strength of conviction. What is an argument spoken by a voice that doesn't believe in it? This is one of the most important virtues for a speaker, and one that will greatly damage a weak speaker's argument. Speech conveys thought and for better or worse, a lack of belief in one’s own words shares that lack of belief with others, and your own argument withers; if you do not believe in your words, who will?

Now that we have Purpose, we need Gravitas. Gravitas is our ability to take a situation seriously, to approach a topic with due respect and severity. After all, dear reader, no matter how approachable we are, how dignified we are, or how strong our conviction – how can we present our side well if we treat it as a joke? The purpose of speech is to share thought, and in treating some thoughts with seriousness, and others with levity, one constructs a reality for the audience, on what is important and what is not.

And, since we are taking the situation seriously, we need to approach the oft-ignored virtue of Prudentia or Consideration. It can be described as personal discretion, as forethought, a certain carefulness. We must be prudent in our approach, and in our choice of words. After all, a careless mistake can easily ruin a good argument if it reaches the wrong ears, because it conveys a meaning inappropriate to the point we were crafting. This carefulness can show itself in a variety of ways – knowing when to broach a subject, and when to let another be passed over, knowing the right words or turn of phrase for a certain venue or audience, and often knowing what emotion or energy should be matched in a conversation and which should be mitigated, such as in conflict resolution.

Last, but not least, these virtues feed into Auctoritas. This is the most important one for a public speaker, or for anyone trying to persuade large groups of people. This, my dearest reader, is your ability to have your word to be valued, respected, and even obeyed simply because you have proven yourself to be a source of Authority and credibility. This is created through the skillful use of the other virtues, which culminate in giving someone the appropriate belief in your ability to convey your thoughts, and that those thoughts have value and weight for consideration.

These virtues bring attention to pieces of our reality often considered unconsciously. Often, this can lead to a self-consciousness in a speaker that works to their detriment – be careful not to be so focused on the art of speechcraft, that you forget your speech! While the virtues will assist in bringing your thoughts to the most willing ears, it is still important to remember that the content of your speeches, just as much as the methods, are what will sway others to new ways of thinking.



- Raena and Haera Rak
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