Preachifying uses the same techniques as advertising and marketing, and these are similar to the same principles used in debating clubs or by lawyers. The idea is not always to advance the truth, but to win the debate or to sell the product. As such, it is a game, with rules first set down in ancient Greece -- the rules of oratory and rhetoric, the misuse of which gave both a bad name.
This need not be so. Honestly used, rhetoric and oratory are useful, honorable practices. Dishonestly used, they descend to levels described by Mark Twain: "Figures don't lie, but liars do figure." Twain also mention three kinds of lies: "Lies, damn lies, and statistics."
Great orators are not born, they are made, accomplishing through practice the expertise needed to persuade. And as with any talent or skill, some begin at a higher level of ability than others. With practice and polish, they become masters of the craft.
This is as true of oratory -- the art of persuasion -- as it is of music, drama, comedy, or writing. Techniques can be taught, and skill acquired. Expertise, however, varies with the natural ability of a person to acquire the techniques. And with oratory, as with singing, success depends on the quality of the voice. Anyone can sing, but few rise to the level of Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo or Luciano Pavarotti. Anyone can deliver a speech, but few have the power of the voice given to Martin Luther King Jr.
There are skills at work in every profession, ranging from the cultural arts of music and drama to the more mundane occupations of sales, marketing, banking or finance. Moreover, these skills can be used to benefit society in general as well as for individual profit. Advertising and marketing can be used to bilk as well as to benefit.
As for politicians, they use the traditional techniques of oratory, rhetoric, speechmaking and persuasion to advance their positions and reduce opposition.
Caveat emptor. Let the buyer beware.
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