ABOUT THE ART OF RHETORIC

"What would the world be like if we spoke persuasively to people who listened consciously? It would be a perfect world."— Julian Treasure

Rhetoric. One of the oldest arts of humanity. And yet, to this day, it remains perhaps the least explored science/art. We often think of rhetoric—or public speaking (although the two are not the same, as public speaking is just one visible, public part of rhetorical art)—as a tool for persuasive speech, a way to manipulate an audience to sell a product, service, or idea more successfully. Yes, these elements do exist in rhetoric, but they are just the tip of the iceberg...

But what lies beneath the surface? Where does the true essence of rhetorical art reside?

Rhetoric is one of the three original liberal arts of humankind, alongside grammar and dialectics. It is the Art of Speaking.We learn how to meditate, how to breathe, how to be silent, how to eat... and we call these conscious practices. Yet speaking—the very phenomenon that sets us apart from all other living beings—we often take for granted, assuming it's just a natural, automatic part of life. But rhetoric—the science and art of speech—is Conscious Speaking.

When I study rhetoric, I don’t just learn how to speak, how to address an audience, or how to defend my arguments convincingly. I learn how to relax. I begin to recognize my fears and desires. I learn how to defend my beliefs, my truth, and my perspective. I learn how to be present in the Pause.By studying rhetoric, I learn to understand myself. As the ancient Greeks said, “Speak, so that you may know yourself.”Rhetoric is Conscious Speaking—completely different from our habitual, unconscious, everyday speech.

Rhetoric is the art of free people. What do I mean by “free people”? I mean people who trust themselves and believe in themselves. People who are free from fears, insecurities, and limiting beliefs.

When a person is free within, when they have self-confidence and self-belief… words begin to flow effortlessly. Humans are the only beings who possess language. We can speak, say words, arrange them into sentences—and in doing so, we create entire stories, even new worlds.

And when a person is truly free, they can create masterpieces of speech. That’s when they are heard and understood. That’s when others want to listen to them and be close to them. When a person is free on the inside—that is when Art begins: The Art of Speaking. The Art of Being Heard and Understood. That is Rhetoric—the art of free people.

And what’s more—rhetoric is a skill that can be developed. And I want to repeat this: EVERYONE can do it.