IndexIntroductionAncient Greek RhetoricGreek OratoryConclusionIntroductionOral tradition or culture can be described as cultural material, concepts, or ideas transmitted without the aid of written documents. Some of the oral forms of culture include poetry, genealogies, folk tales, songs, rhetoric, narrative poetry, sayings, and jokes. According to Worthington, Greek oratory and Greek rhetoric are the critical elements of oral culture in Ancient Greek, and the two are intimately connected. It is interesting to understand what role oral communication played in shaping the culture of ancient Greece. That's why I chose to write an essay on oral communication - to delve deeper into this topic and find a possible relationship with ancient Greece. The Greeks are traditionally known for their rhetorical art through persuasive verbal communication. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayAncient Greek RhetoricThe concept of rhetoric has always been a constant feature in Ancient Greek. Classical rhetoric was discovered in the ancient city-state of Athens. According to McKay, “under Athenian democracy all free males were expected to engage in politics,” and this marked the beginning of ancient rhetoric. In this case, every man in Athens would have to persuade his fellow countrymen to support or reject a particular piece of legislation in the assembly. Therefore, a man's rhetorical skill determined his influence and success in the community. The sophists were 5th century teachers who emerged to teach rhetoric in schools to ensure that every man had the required rhetorical ability. Furthermore, the sophists moved from city to city teaching young people how to speak and debate in public spaces. The most prominent sophists of that period were Isocrates and Gorgias and they were paid large sums of money to teach rhetoric and oratory skills. Some of the critical elements of the sophist curriculum included; instructions and guidelines on argumentative styles, defining different parts of speech, as well as analyzing poetry. In this case, students were taught how to make a strong argument weak and a weak argument strong. Although traditional sophists ignored truth and focused primarily on emotional persuasion, McKay notes that the concept of rhetoric was later adopted by famous philosophers such as Aristotle who used it to help their audiences understand and see truth. Persuasive language, as well as logical principles, were used to persuade audiences. Aristotle was able to effectively apply the concept through effective use of style, parts of speech, rhetorical arguments, the three genres of rhetoric, as well as the three means of persuasion. Greek Oratory According to Worthington, the concept of the spoken word comes from ancient Greek oratory which is considered formal rhetoric. Many aspects of life in ancient Greece were shaped by rhetoric when writing and reading seemed difficult and unnatural. Greek rhetoric became the main form of expression in the 5th and 4th centuries. Before the end of the 5th century, Greek life and culture were characterized by oral modes of thought and communication. Rhetoric was common among Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle who used to apply learned communication and debate skills to rhetoric to convince their audiences. Therefore, in ancient Greece, philosophy could not be separated from rhetoric. Worthington notes that oral communication through rhetoric influenced how society conceived of speech as well as institutions and.