During Homer’s Odyssey, there is one episode truly shining light on the power of the word (and the presentation): the performance of Demodocus, a poet hosted at the Phaeacians’ court.

Demodocus is invited to entertain the court and their guest, Ulysses himself, although he is still undercover after wrecking on their island. He does so by starting to sing about heroes, their deeds, capturing the attention of the listeners in a savvy way, and keeping it with his storytelling capabilities.

The apex of his demonstration of skill comes when, at a certain point, he starts singing about the war of Troy. He does so in such a moving way that Ulysses, who so far has been able to keep his anonymity, is not able to contain his emotion, and starts crying.

The art Demodocus exemplifies here is the τέχνη ρητορική, the rhetorical skill. In ancient culture, a storyteller is not just someone relaying information, or entertaining: they have a wide set of duties and abilities to hone.

This is exemplified in the latin rule that a speaker must “docere, delectare, et movere”: docere, i.e., teach the listener new, useful information with their story; delectare, i.e., entertain the crowd with a style that matches their energy and keeps them hooked; and finally movere, which we have the greatest example of in Demodocus’ episode, i.e., the ability to emotionally touch the listener.

Similarly to ancient times, today we also find use for the three requisites of the rhetorical art. As our sailors prepare to present in front of a crowd, to share their reasonings in a compelling, engaging manner, they cannot hope to succeed with mere information or even just great tech: they will need to be able to docere, teach the listeners about their product, delectare, entertain them with their storytelling skills and presentations, but most importantly movere, touch them emotionally by creating a narrative close and compelling to the listener.

Only this way does a product go from a thought to a choice, from idea to clear value.

Whether or not our sailors will have the same τέχνη ρητορική as Demodocus, is not possible for us to tell as of now. But the return to Ithaca is near, and we are already able to see land: not much time is left before the final trial.