Quora Answer: What Makes Someone Eloquent?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “What makes someone eloquent?” 

Eloquence is the ability to express points clearly, concisely, fluently, in expressive rhetoric.  There are three elements to eloquence.  The first of which is mastery of the medium.  This is mastery of the language in all its nuances.  A lack of command of grammar, a limited vocabulary, and a diminished mastery of morphology in language is the foundation of this.  Also included in this is knowledge of the subject matter. 

The second is mastery of the arts of rhetoric.  This pertains to the use of rhetorical devices, an understanding of stanzas in sentences, an embrace of pauses, minimising filler words, and utilising just enough words.  A good speech is essentially spoken word poetry. 

Finally, the third s mastery of the stage.  This pertains to knowing how to use the stage for narrative pacing, knowing the audience so you understand how to broach the subject matter in the most efficient manner possible, and most of all, knowing yourself, so you can present yourself as the most credible elocutor of the position.