Clearly, public speaking has a long history, and many of the principles taught by ancient scholars such as Aristotle are still relevant today. However, it’s also a dynamic discipline that has evolved to reflect changes in society. In this section, we highlight several of these major changes—new ways of depicting the public speaking process, ever-expanding channels for communication, greater awareness of audiences’ cultural diversity, new emphasis on the importance of critical thinking in preparing a speech, and increasing attention to ethics in public address.