Daily Times

Oration is undoubtedlya powerful art.An orator’s objective is to vary perceptions about a political or social problem by using arguments, lines of reasoning, anecdotes, and illustrations to tempt the audience to believe their position. Often the rhetorical orators – both political and religious ones – appeal to the audience’s emotions, instead of employing logic to prove a point. While the art of oration dates back thousands of years, many 20th century orators have become well known for their rhetorical skills. Individuals like Martin Luther King Jr, John F Kennedy and Adolf Hitler are recognised for their powerful orations. Each of these men was able to shock, excite, and motivate millions to forward their social and political agendas.

In our national politics, we can exemplify few politicians and religious clerics who orate so effectively that it is much easier for them to make minds of the stunted crowd with powerful expression. Former chiefminister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, for instance, arguably the most powerful man alive today in PML-N, is a forceful and successful orator. Similarly, Maulana Tariq Jameel and Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri – on religious front – know this art very well with amazing crowd-pulling ability. Shaikh Rasheed and Shah Mehmood Qureshi also know public nerves and often speak the minds of people in TV talk shows. A great orator presents new and shocking ideas that motivate an audience to believe, through strategic oration skills. Oratorsare cognisant of the mindset of their listeners and approach it accordingly, sometimes straddling the border between truth and fiction. To secure a platform, a successful orator points out what he or she believes to be inaccurate beliefs the audience may hold and establishes arguments that align better with their own.Shahbaz Sharif’s famous slogan of load-shedding in 2013 elections, one of his major campaign promises, is one of the most outrageous proposals today. While he is,for one more time,selling this slogan for making ground to win 2018polls, this promise is still popular among his Punjab-based supporters, and they apparently are ready to buy it.

A great orator presents new and shocking ideas that motivate an audience to believe, through strategic oration skills. Orators are cognisant of the mindset of their listeners and approach it accordingly, sometimes straddling the border between truth and fiction

In international politics, amongst a many of politicians, US president Donald Trump proved himself a reasonably good orator in last US elections. He is pretty good at the art of oration in public speeches and rallies.  One-third of Trump supporters reported an annual household income of more than $100,000 and Trump has become – through his oration – an expert at appealing to them. When speaking in front of wealthy white-collar supporters, Trump follows a teleprompter. His speeches are clear, concise, follow a structure and address specific issues. Conversely, when Trump speaks at rallies to the working class, he often goes off the cuff. It’s evident from his poor English, exaggerated hand gestures, lack of structure and use of pop culture terms like “fake news.” Trump is aware that different audiences will respond differently to his tactics and he cleverly modifies his speech accordingly.

Oration essentially requires precise understanding of the subject that one speaks about and interests and mood of the audience. Orator understands all eyes of the audience are staring at him to hear. A brilliant orator can influence and grasp the attention of the audience and deliver his message appropriately to achieve his short and long-term goals.However, some fortunate people are born with this art and others get by from immense social interactions and their gullible nature. Oration is by far the best tool for gaining success in social pride and cultural adaptability.

The writer is a research scholar at the University of Alberta, Canada. He tweets @Dr_Mark12 and can be reached at mkhosa73ca@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, July 14^th 2018.