Why was, and is, it important for a leader to have good oration skills?

It was important for a leader to have exceptional oration skills, because illiteracy was common, so the only way to spread information was by word of mouth, which made one's ability to speak very important. Today one's ability at speaking is still important because one's intelligence and understanding is often tied to one's ability to speak. Plus, with today's technological advances, the entire nation may see its leader speak on live television. Any mistakes made by this leader can be seen by all of his or her people.