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THE METHOD
The Oratory Method wasn’t borrowed or adapted. It was built from scratch in a speaking lab at Middlebury College led by Professor Yeaton and a team of student speaking tutors. Drawing on classical oratory and neuroscience, the team set out to design exercises that help students communicate with poise and precision - especially when speaking to mentors, professors, and other key decision-makers.
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They began with small, doable challenges calibrated to help students notice the speaking defaults unique to them. From there, the team layered in more demanding challenges alongside playful ones. Cognitive scientists note that skills develop fastest when these two conditions work together: brief bursts of heightened effort, paired with low-stakes play that reduce fear and unlock curiosity.
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As the experiments deepened, one pattern became impossible to ignore. The greatest obstacle to change -- the body -- was also its greatest lever. Students could grasp every concept, yet their speaking didn’t shift until their physical composure did.
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This insight led to the creation of OratoryX, a credit-bearing course in what the team called "speaker fitness training."
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Following a progression of balance, breath, and posture exercises, students learn to feel poised and authentic in front of a live audience. Then comes the payoff: once the body feels aligned, the mind can think on its feet.
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