The rise of digital text and delivery has given way to new methods of how the rhetor conveys his message to the audience. Different modes of information each have different delivery methods associated with them. Before a written or print-based culture existed, oratory delivery was the predominant method used to convey arguments, thoughts, and ideas. The rhetor was judged not only on the words they spoke, but how they spoke them, along with their body language, tone, inflections, emphasis, and appearance. As writing, printing, and eventually digital text advanced, however, the method of delivery became less prominent due to the permanence and higher audience capabilities of writing. This resulted in a less personal approach to delivery that while still informative, is lacking the true passion and emotion that a live oration would bring.
I find it interesting that the author is trying to resurrect the rhetorical canon of delivery. To me, it seems like a vain effort because as text technologies evolve and become widely used, they develop their own unique forms of rhetorical canon. The author draws comparisons to the orators of the Classical Age, however, this is not the Classical Age. This is a new time period, with new mediums that each will develop their own effective forms of canon over time. To base a new type of delivery on an model used by an outdated method is a good place to start, but not a complete solution.
Based on the increasingly impersonal direction that text technologies are heading, how do you think spoken word and face to face communication will play a role in the delivery of text and information in the future?
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