October Elegy (poem)

  October Elegy   October enters surreptitiously Calmly separates leaf from scion Trees relinquish clasp— and foliage Obeys the call—  scatters asunder Browned, crunchy, dispersed— Elegy upon the grass Rest in peace.   10/16 ©Prasanta (Acrostic poem) *...

Keep Calm… and carry on (Day 13)

Keep calm… and carry on. That is the communication tip for day #13 of this series on 31 days of Communication Tips. One of the most important things a communicator, leader, or speaker can do is to stay calm. A calm person is confident, not swayed by every emotion or...

Delivery (Canon Five)

So far, we have considered the canons of Invention, Arrangement, Style, and Memory, and today we reach the final canon in this mini-series: Delivery. (The series began here.) Delivery is how you choose to communicate your message.  It includes the following elements:...

The Memory Phase (Canon Four)

So far, we have considered the first three canons of Rhetoric: Invention, Arrangement, and Style. Today, we will examine the fourth canon: Memory. Memory simply refers to memorizing one’s speech.  By memorizing, you free yourself up to employ other parts of delivery...

Autumn by Rainer Maria Rilke

AUTUMN The leaves are falling, falling as from far, as though above were withering farthest gardens; they fall with a denying attitude. And night by night, down into solitude, the heavy earth falls far from every star. We are all falling. This hand’s falling too...

The Style Phase (Canon Three)

We have just discussed the canons of invention and arrangement in the previous two blog posts, and today, we move on to the next canon:  Style. Style refers to how you will get your message across. Two pupils of Aristotle developed the five virtues of style below;...

The Arrangement Phase (Canon Two)

After Invention, the next canon is Arrangement.  Arrangement is the process of organization of a speech or piece of writing. Arrangement is divided into six parts: Introduction (Exordium) Statement of Facts (Narration) Division Proof (Confirmation) Refutation...

The Invention Phase (Canon One)

Yesterday, I introduced the Five Canons of Rhetoric. Today, we will take a closer look at the first of these canons, called “Invention”. The Invention phase is the brainstorming phase. This is the stage when you will brainstorm ideas of what you wish to...

Five Canons of Rhetoric

Organized by Cicero, the Five Canons of Rhetoric are a system of creating powerful speeches and writing. 150 years after Cicero, Quintilian explored the Five Canons in greater depth. A couple of thousand years later, here we are still examining these words, albeit in...

Connect with Logos

  Today we will briefly examine the third of Aristotle’s “artistic proofs”: logos. Logos is an appeal to logic, or the ability to connect with the audience or reader with reason or logic. The Greek root “logo” or “log” means “word”, and the word “logical” is...