Why should we stand & deliver a speech?

Imagine Hitler in front of 20,000 people in Munich, sitting on a couch with his legs stretched and delivering his speech. What is wrong with this description? Aren’t you pondering “Why isn’t Hitler standing?” Have you ever wondered why an orator is expected to deliver a speech standing?

Is it a custom because Demosthenes (Father of Public speaking, sculpture shown in picture) used to deliver all his speeches standing? Is it due to the fact that the speaker would be visible if he is standing? Then why don’t orators sit on a chair on top of a podium and deliver their speech.

May be it is a way of showing respect to your listeners. But who made the rules? A lot of saints in India do sit down and give their sermons. Everyone would agree that there should be a scientific reason behind it. Today we just follow it without knowing the purpose behind it.

It seems brain’s information processing speed increases 5-20% while standing. This was discovered during a study conducted by University of Southern California. Thus a speech would be delivered better while standing than sitting. People may have realized that the flow of thoughts was smoother while standing and thus the custom. That could be the reason why Thomas Jefferson, Ernest Hemingway and Winston Churchill, all stood not only while delivering speeches but also stood while working.