ABSTRACT
To understand why we teach public speaking the way we do, one need look no further than the rich history of rhetorical training. The canons of rhetoric (invention, arrangement, style, delivery, and memory) maintain a venerable and abiding status in the theory and practice of public speaking. To further elucidate the importance that the canons of rhetoric have on public speaking pedagogy, we pose the following question: What is the relationship between the theory and praxis of the canons of rhetoric and the three predominant public speaking genres (Informative, Persuasive, and Commemorative)? Our chapter provides an in-depth discussion and application of the ways the canons accommodate and are adapted to strategies for achieving success within each public speaking purpose. The canons are the building blocks in constructing a speech, and although it is important for a student to situate the speech within a specific genre, given the overarching Kairos, the genres are not wholly mutually exclusive.
