THE PROBLEM
Eloquent men are more effective in business, friendships, and politics. Our world needs more, and better ones, in all fields. Powered now by AI, a deluge of mediocre content spews onto the floor of the internet, every day at a greater rate. This only increases the distinctiveness of a truly eloquent man.
But to become “scary good at speaking” (deinos legein) as the ancient Greeks put it, requires much practice. The aspiring orator's greatest need is to train frequently, in front of real people.
But history shows it also requires relationships—namely, a community of fellow men dedicated to the craft.
This is hard to find, not just in person, but even online.
Thus we created The Rostra.
WHAT IS THE ROSTRA
We created The Rostra to help you cultivate eloquence in a life of action.
Named after the speaker's platform in Rome, The Rostra is an online oratorical gymnasium, for clocking in weekly speaking workouts with fellow orators.
The speaking faculty is like any other muscle—it must be trained regularly, but also correctly. Through regular workouts, based on timeless principles and techniques, you will build verbal strength and dexterity, to help you excel when it counts.
You will improve in your ability to tell stories, teach, draw out points from your thinking and reading, and apply the lessons of the ancient art of eloquence, also known as rhetoric. You will learn from, and be entertained by, other practitioners on the same journey.
Because the real eloquence is the friends you made along the way...
The Rostra is an invite-only community, offered to men who have completed a thorough training in a Cost of Glory Men’s Leadership program.
WHO IS THIS FOR
Our ideal participant aspires “to be a speaker of speeches and a doer of deeds” (μύθων τε ῥήτηρ’ ἔμμεναι πρηκτῆρ τε ἔργων), like the Greek hero Achilles (Iliad, Book 9), and a “good man expert in speaking” (bonus vir dicendi peritus), as Cato the Elder first described the ideal Roman orator.
In other words, we look for men dedicated to cultivating eloquence in a life of action. This is the classical formula for complete manly excellence.
THE ROSTRA FEATURES:
- Multiple training sessions offered per week, with availability increasing over time as The Rostra grows
- Access to extra coaching for important occasions (VC pitch, wedding speech, proconsular harangue)
- Space to regularly connect and share ideas with discerning men
- Community of like minded Cost of Glory program alumni
- Office Hours with Alex Petkas & Eric Hewett, Doctors of Philosophy
CURRENT PRICE
$90/month. (w/ a 16% discount for annual commitment - $900/year).
BIG VISION
We are building a new institution - or rather, renewing a very old institution, with a glorious tradition, which mostly died out and vanished a generation or two ago. It has gone by many names, and varied in specifics over the centuries. We call it a Men's Speaking Society.
Examples of Men's Speaking Society abound from the recent past: the learned and scientific societies of European capitals, debate clubs and literary societies of colleges in the United States; the Lyceum club that launched Abraham Lincoln's career; Alexander Hamilton's Philolexian Society at Columbia; Ben Franklin's Junto (or "Leather Apron Club") in colonial Philadelphia.
But the roots of the Men's Speaking Society run far deeper—to the meetings of ancient Roman power brokers in their suburban villas, the symposia of classical Athenian political clubs, to the banquets of Bronze Age chieftains depicted in Homer.
Such Societies frequently were found nested within larger institutions such as country clubs, churches, secret societies, etc.
A Men's Speaking Society in its ideal form is characterized by three pillars:
- Mutual dedication to general excellence ("bonus vir")
- Focus on practical training in the spoken word ("dicendi peritus")
- Aiming at cultural mastery.
The first two are self explanatory. The third is less obvious, but gives the Society its special power.
Aiming at cultural mastery means the group, collectively, seeks to expand its knowledge of those important men, historical events, ideas, poems, or other cultural productions, which are most worth knowing now—perhaps by their having withstood the test of time.
This creates an openness to teaching and being taught—not as professors teach captive students, but as free men persuade other free men to grant their willing attention; in other words, by entertaining them.
This environment tends to produce lasting friendships, business connections, political influence, a society richer in intellectual and cultural life, increased civic engagement, dynastic marriages... you get the picture.
The best Men's Speaking Societies are necessarily selective in whom they admit.
THE ROSTRA AS A MEN'S SPEAKING SOCIETY FOR TODAY
The Rostra recreates the Men's Speaking Society online. We draw on our research and experience to find forms of conduct, style, and speaking which best fulfill the purposes outlined above.
In the West, such Societies have historically been informed by the principles of classical rhetoric, developed in Greece and Rome, and—until very recently—transmitted from one generation to the next. Thus, classical rhetoric serves as the basis for our approach.
As the Rostra community grows, we will add new features, such as workshops, videos, guest speakers, additional weekly sessions for practice, coaching, and feedback.
But we also intend for The Rostra to equip members to start their own local in-person Men's Speaking Societies. If you're interested, we can help you do this.