Współczesny retor –vir bonus czy coach?
A Contemporary Rhetorician-Orator: Vir Bonus or Coach?

Summary/Abstract: In this article the author compares two concepts of the rhetoric teacher: the ancient rhetorician, whose competence in matters and possession of an appropriate moral attitude are accompanied by beautiful speaking skills; and the contemporary coach, who tries to build his image, professional position and work by acquiring skills, all in order to make a good impression rather than leave a lasting effect on theoretical knowledge. After briefly analyzing the terminology and establishing the meaning of key words for this article, the author discusses the theory of a good rhetorician as developed by Aristotle, Cicero and Quintilian. She claims that these thinkers all agreed that a teacher should possess the qualities of eloquence, what might be referred to as the vir bonus, a righteous man. The author then discusses a very popular contemporary phenomenon known as the coaching profession. For this purpose she presents and analyses a notice for work as a coach, as well as articles which can be considered advice made by qualified trainers. In conclusion, the author argues that the model rhetorician popular nowadays lies far from the ancient one.

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