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A great speaker can move us with their words. They move some of us to tears and others to take action. The quality of a speech is only as impactful as the person delivering it. Throughout history, certain speakers and their words have changed the course of history—some in big ways, some in small. Let’s look at these famous public speakers whose words we’ll never forget.
Why Is Public Speaking So Important?
We all know how important communication is, whether in personal relationships, business or in society as a whole. Without someone conveying information, we lose touch with what’s going on around us and can begin to feel uninspired, isolated and removed from what’s important to our loved ones, our business and communities.
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Public speaking has a long and rich history and has always been an admirable quality. There are five basic components to public speaking:
History of Public Speaking
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Public speaking has a long and rich history and has always been an admirable quality. There are five basic components to public speaking:
- Speaker
- Subject
- Audience
- Platform
- Effect
The reason so many people fear public speaking is generally due to their lack of confidence in one of the five elements of speaking. Here is how those fears might manifest themselves in relation to each component of public speaking:
- Speaker—one may feel they lack the ability to speak clearly and concisely
- Subject—there may be a lack of knowledge and comfort around the topic of the speech
- Audience—some have an inherent fear of attention or being in a room with an unknown audience
- Platform—the design and look of the speaking platform or situation can itself be a source of stress
- Effect—the speaker may lack confidence that the message will be taken in the way they intend or fear that it will not inspire
These have and will always be the components of a speech and fears of an orator. Let’s go back to the earliest recorded thoughts on public speaking.
Ancient Greece
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Over 2500 years ago, it was a requirement of men living in Athens to give speeches either as part of their civic duty, in assembly to pass legislature or in court defending themselves against legal accusation. This is when the study of public speaking began. To make speeches and the results of speeches more effective, people began to take note of the speakers who were particularly successful speaking in front of people and what traits they and their speeches held that could be passed on to others.
Aristotle and Quintilian
Most of you know Aristotle as a great scholar. Quintilian was equally renowned in his own time. Back then, public speaking was called rhetoric: a term still used today. These two were among the first to assign rules and models to public speaking.Aristotle defined public speaking as a means of persuasion referring to any subject. He broke rhetoric down into three principles:
- Ethos—used when a speaker shows authority on a subject and the source is credible
- Pathos—emotional appeals to persuade the audience’s acceptance
- Logos—using logical facts to support the idea of the speech allowing the audience to determine the strength of the speech’s point of view
Quintilian wrote and published an enormous textbook on public speaking, and the ideas in those twelve volumes are still referenced today; particularly by politicians.
Public Speaking Today
We’ve come a long way from ancient Greece, but the principles are the same. It’s no longer defending yourself in ancient courts, but more and more people need the ability to speak publicly to succeed at work, school or in extracurricular activities. Our list of famous public speakers spans the course of history and highlights those who have mastered the art of rhetoric.
Famous Public Speakers Past and Present
We’ve come a long way from ancient Greece, but the principles are the same. It’s no longer defending yourself in ancient courts, but more and more people need the ability to speak publicly to succeed at work, school or in extracurricular activities. Our list of famous public speakers spans the course of history and highlights those who have mastered the art of rhetoric.
Winston Churchill
The leader of Great Briton during WWII had one of the most difficult oratory jobs imaginable: to inspire a country, beaten by war, to not lose hope and to band together so one of the worst moments in the country’s history could be considered the “Finest Hour”. His speeches were so magnificent that he later won the Nobel Prize for literature due in part to his speeches.He is often quoted for his short sound bites, and we pull these out of his speeches because he knew the power of silence in a speech. He timed his hesitations to follow a point he wanted to sink in and move the audience the way he intended; and it worked. That’s why Winston Churchill is one of the most famous public speakers of all time.
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John F. Kennedy
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We know JFK for his extraordinary speeches to the nation, but what’s remarkable is he didn’t start out as someone destined to be one of the most famous public speakers in history. He has been described as mediocre at best when he first began in politics. But like the adage says, practice makes perfect. He eventually found his strengths, including his self-deprecating wit, and began to speak with both more ease and confidence, making each audience member feel as though he was having an intimate conversation with them.He delivered what is largely considered to be the best inaugural speech in history advising Americans to “ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country”—still one of the most quotable ideas from any speech. He persuaded Americans to get behind the race to the moon and assured West Berliners that the US stood to support them against the threat of the communists who had just built the Berlin wall.
Martin Luther King Jr.
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In a time of violence and racial tension in America, MLK’s voice shone like a beacon of hope for many who needed a leader. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most inspirational of our famous public speakers. There was a melody to his cadence that brought tears to his listeners’ eyes, chills to their skin and activism to their lives.He could convey a deep love for humanity regardless of race, color or creed, and he preached non-violence and respect. His “I Have a Dream” speech is considered one of the best of all time and is referenced, played and listened to by countless people across the world every day.
Socrates
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Not just a philosopher, Socrates was also one of the most famous public speakers of his time. He stood accused of corrupting the minds of young people in Athens. Instead of using a public forum to apologize, he used what we now call Socratic questioning: turning the accusations back on the accusers to point out the flaw in their allegations.He believed that when an audience is moved to think for themselves they will have a deeper understanding of the subject being conveyed.
Adolf Hitler
As we mentioned, this is a list of history-making public speakers: not a list of necessarily great people. Hitler makes our list of famous public speakers because he took advantage of his excellent speaking skills and was able to persuade tens of thousands to join him in a war and ethnic genocide that led to the death of millions. While most speakers feel an ethical responsibility to use their words to better humanity, Hitler did not; yet he remains one of the most effective public speakers of all time.He knew the power of words and is said to have spent countless hours rehearsing each speech. He took advantage of a tenuous financial environment in Germany, and his audiences became enamored by him. They built the entire Nazi platform on the words and charisma of one man; a public speaking achievement rarely matched in world history.
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Conclusion
Our famous public speakers all have one thing in common: they were able to grab a large audience’s attention during times of turmoil. This goes to show how many people look to the words of their leaders for answers when they don’t seem to have them for themselves due to fear, confusion or despair. Most of our speakers used their words to inspire hope, initiative and community to solve common problems and foster common good. Smart and charismatic people with messages declaring a solution to a collective issue will always grab people’s attention.The same is true in business, personal development and relationships. Communication is key, and people are always looking to hear from someone with an inspiring, irreverent and thought-provoking point of view to help solve a problem. Learning from the famous public speakers of our time and before can help anyone learn how to persuade their audience and hone their skills.Using speeches to inform, persuade or inspire people has been happening for thousands of years. It’s only our platforms that have gotten bigger. Today, if done well, a speaker’s words can travel fast and touch millions in less than a day. Time will tell how many famous public speakers we’re listening to right now.
