The Five Canons

1. Invention

2. Arrangement

3. Style

4. Memory

5. Delivery

List the five canons

canon

A tool of measurement, comes from ancient Greek

you’ll want to run back and forth through them as you prepare your speech

The five canons are recursive, meaning…

invention

coming up with and coming upon material that might fit your rhetorical situation.

Coming up with material (using yourself as the source)

type of invention, you rely upon what you know from your own life experiences and social knowledge.

Coming upon material (using research as a source)

Inventing through research means accumulating material—statistics, anecdotes, academic studies, news articles, and so forth—and generating original ideas by identifying connections and insights from your reading

arrangement

the ways we order ideas and orient listeners.

point previews, transitions, and summaries so audiences understand the structure you have adopted.

Arrangement involves using…

style

what you’re doing with (or to) language. Focuses how you use language at the level of word choice and sentence structure as well as the overall effect of those stylistic choices.

high, middle, low

There are three registers of style including

low

straightforward and easy to follow.

middle

tends to flow smoothly, which it does through rhythmic word choices (for instance, alliteration) and sentence constructions.

high

focuses on building a sense of magnitude or emotional intensity by, for example, using syntax and language that amplify through repetition

Manuscript

Not relying on memory; reading from notes, with some practice to enhance delivery

Impromptu

Speaker relies on anecdotes or ideas learned before encountering their topic or occasion

memorization

Total word-for-word memorization

Extemporaneous

Relying on memory only to recall the essential order of a speech, not individual words

road map

Provides an overview of the structure of a speech.

Road maps

“In this speech, I will demonstrate the severity of the problem, explain its causes, and recommend a policy that would help to solve it.”

Signposts

Language at the start of various points signaling what will be discussed.

Signpost

“Now that we have a better understanding of what needs to happen, now I will tell you what you can do to solve this problem.”

point summaries

Like the exclamation point at the end of a sentence. They drive home the major idea of the point while signaling that the speaker will soon move onto a new idea.

point summary

“In sum, my experience with my sibling that day taught me how important it is to trust my own instincts.”

delivery

using your voice (projection, pace, emphasis, pauses), face (expressions, eye contact), body (breath, gestures), and position (physical space, movement) to give depth of meaning and feeling to your words.