Why speeches are vital: today, tomorrow and the day after

The vital speech of this week is not a speech at all; it’s a Huffington Post piece, on the current state of the oldest communication art. —ed.

“The social utility of speeches is undiminished by technological advances such as YouTube, Twitter and even the Kryptonite of rhetoric, PowerPoint,” writes David Murray in a Huffington Post piece reflecting on his just-completed first year as editor of Vital Speeches of the Day.

“There comes a time—a crisis in confidence, the crescendo of a debate (and, yes, commencement season)—where everyone knows: One member of the society has to screw up the courage to stand naked before other members of the society and share what he or she believes is true. The act is significant for the same reason it always has been: The audience has the speaker outnumbered and can accept or reject the speech before, during or after its delivery.”