It is argued that speechmaking is an art, not a science, and requires action and imagination; the successful speaker participates in the speechmaking process as an active, artistic, imaginative agent. The article is intended to help free readers from the restraints of overly practical approaches to public speaking by promoting the involvement of the imagination in the speechmaking process at every point, from invention to delivery.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>