he Art of Manliness blog is starting a series on resurrecting the lost art of oratory.

While most men will never summon troops into battle or debate a Congressional bill, every man should strive to be a great orator. Whether it is giving the best man speech, arguing against a policy at a city council, making a proposal at work, or giving a eulogy, you will be asked to publicly speak at least a few times in your life. Don’t be a man that shakes and shudders at that thought. Be a man who welcomes, nay, relishes the opportunity to move and inspire people with the power of his words. When a speaking opportunity arises, be the guy everyone thinks of first.

This first article details the history of oratory, from the ancient Greeks through the Medieval era, as well as examples of good orators in more recent years. It then proceeds to explain some things that are crucial for effective speeches, such as having a well-rounded education and being of good moral character:

No grammatical garnish or oratorical flourish can add as much to a speech as good character. The very hint of hypocrisy will doom even the most eloquent speech. Conversely, when you are virtuous, honest, and earnestly committed to that which you speak of, this inner-commitment will tinge each word you utter with sincerity.

As Cicero famously said,

In an orator, the acuteness of the logicians, the wisdom of the philosophers, the language almost of poetry, the memory of lawyers, the voice of tragedians, the gesture almost of the best actors, is required. Nothing therefore is more rarely found among mankind than a consummate orator.

Skilled orators are rare to begin with, but they are even rarer today, when the liberal arts and humanistic studies have fallen out of favor, and when television and the internet have replaced the reading of good books. The Art of Manliness blog has taken the lead in encouraging us to reclaim and cultivate this lost art. They plan to follow-up this first article with a weekly series of tips covering all stages — from writing an eloquent speech to delivering it effectively.

Related: The 35 greatest speeches in history.