In ancient times, oratory was an important skill for any educated person who wanted to advance himself. Young men were trained in the art of both delivering prepared speeches, and also extemporaneous speaking. More and more, the art of online oratory is becoming a necessity for anyone who wishes to advance themselves in the modern world.
Speeches and Blogs
For modern orators, “speeches” are delivered primarily as text. While video use will grow, the written (or typed) word will continue to be the most important method of delivering information. It’s the ability to create and deliver a message, to enlighten, and to persuade through a variety of media, but especially through text, that will be increasingly valued.
Senators in Athens spent time preparing speeches for the debates in the next session. Likewise, online orators prepare their blog posts, taking time to get the words right. Just as senators gained respect and a following through their great oratory, so bloggers gain respect, influence, and a following for regularly delivering well-crafted posts.
Real-Time Responses
In addition to prepared speeches, Greek and Roman senators also needed to be able to deliver compelling speeches on the fly, when sudden events required it. In today’s world, Facebook, and especially Twitter put a premium on the modern orator’s ability to respond to sudden news, and likewise discern the situation and speak to it eloquently. Google Wave takes that real-time response to the extreme. In a world where you can watch someone type, and begin your reply before the other party has even finished his or her sentence, quick thinking and quick writing becomes a valuable skill.
In the ancient world, the influence gained by good oratorical skills brought tangible benefits. Increasingly, that’s true for modern, online orators. For one thing, employers are now looking for employees with blogging and other social media skills. They are beginning to expect employees, from managers to individual contributors, to write blog articles and to use social networks regularly for the company’s benefit.
Moreover, today’s youth will find that their online persona and the following it garners is job currency. Doctors, lawyers, and hair stylist take their clientele with them from one practice to another. Similarly, professionals who have built a following through the content they deliver will bring that following, and the ability to leverage it, to any new job they take. Employers may recruit people in large part because of they reputation and following they’ve built –a reputation they’ve built on their ability to convey information.
For all of these reasons, it’s critical that our youth are taught how to write well, and even how to use other media to convey information effectively. But, as I’ll outline in my next post, the skills for modern orators aren’t necessarily the one’s being taught in our schools.
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Neicole;
A great post – I really enjoyed the references to classical times. I totally agree that the Social Media Marketing (SMM) which is taking place these days is a form or oratory and given this, it’s indeed time to teach the young digital natives how to write. That’s going to be tricky stuff, however, as before you can teach them the concepts behind powerful and motivational writing, “u will have 2 teach them 2 write in English.”
Thanks for the insight!
That one made me laugh out loud, Eric!! Interestingly, I was at a presentation about social media at my son’s school (middle and upper school), and someone commented that students sometimes included texting shorthand in their papers. The person said, “Of course, we have to teach them when and when not to use techniques like that. Because that won’t be acceptable in their work environments.” And I thought, really? Maybe, maybe not. Conventions change…