The Five Canons of Oration

The ancient Greeks came up with a framework to define how speeches are to be written, consisting of five canons: Inventio, Disposito, Elocutio, Memoria, Actio.

• "Inventio" — Thoughts, development, research and other less tangible ideas that form the seed of a speech. Even pre-writing is included here.
• "Disposito" — The structure of a speech, in terms of how it is written out and where various elements such as body language or vocal variety will be used.
• "Elocutio" — This is the inherent style of the speech that the speaker will use for delivery. Is it a serious speech? Playful? What body language supports the theme?
• "Memoria" — More than just memorization, this about external factors that can help support the delivery of the speech. The gathering of quotes that might be useful within the speech, but then only a single pick is actually used in the speech; and the specific quote is changed depending on the audience.
• "Actio" — This is the act of delivering the speech itself, body language, vocal variety, tone, stage movement, eye contact and so on. All should be planned in the preceding canons so that the speaker is ready for this delivery.

The canons are more than just an outline to run through when writing speech; they are more a way of thinking. Four out of five of the canons are all preparation, and some, like Inventio and Memoria should be continually on a speaker's mind even when he or she isn't actively working on a specific speech. They could be considered "living the life" of a speech writer; anything in the external world, away from the stage, should be looked at with a critical eye (and ear) as a way to aid in the big speech.