'I have a dream'

‘Only lecturing makes the orator’s luck’; the boring Wagner in Goethe’s Faust knows this and yet he and those like him are quite unable to captivate their listeners. They lack the ability to improvise at the spur of the moment, and the mental agility required to playfully rebuff an opponent’s attack with rhetorical ease. There have always been schools and teachers offering their services to remedy the lack; but whenever rhetoric is too successful, its students will be suspected of malign manipulation and enemies of the people – often to fatal results.  This is why a speech must appear as spontaneous as possible – from the show of inspiration in a preacher to the use of PowerPoint and teleprompters. Schloemann’s book on the history of oration and its pitfalls is informative and entertaining – and includes along the way many a hint on how to improve one’s own public speaking.