It is not limited to the training of great orators as the leaders of society, but includes training for and analysis of communication within small and large groups, between two individuals and even communication within the individual. In all forms of speech communication, people talk together in order to influence the behavior of other human beings.

Topics in this field include: political debates, uses of propaganda, gender differences in communication, censorship of speech, uses of power within groups, needs of non-native speakers, the oral interpretation of literature, and techniques for overcoming speech anxiety.