The Art of Persuasion

Painting the picture

Lloyd Bitzer, in his 1968 piece titled "The Rhetorical Situation," wrote that rhetorical discourse is called into existence by situation. The rhetorical situation dictates physical and verbal responses as well as observations to be made.

Rhetorical Situation

The study of rhetoric is the investigation of how communication works, with particular emphasis on argument and persuasion--thus creating the rhetorical situation.

It is the who, what, where, when, and why answered by the investigator.

Effectiveness

To be an effective communicator, you should always pay careful attention not just to the contents of your message but also to your intended audience and purpose.

The Bystander Effect is complicated

Analyzing Rhetorical Elements

Rhetorical principles will help you figure out how to proceed when you don't already know what to do in a communication situation.

Symbols

In Literature: Symbols put together two things that are in some way dissimilar."

". . . a symbol in literature usually carries richer and more varied meanings. . . and because of its significance, a symbol usually appears or is hinted at numerous times throughout the work" (Mays 335).

Example: the number "38" and Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream."

According to numerologists the meaning of number 38 signifies that you will soon be rewarded financially, and that you will finally receive the fruits of all your hard work.

Uvalde police officers' lack of urgency

Discussion Questions

Directions: Brainstorm (5 minutes with your neighbor) your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. In the context of this discussion, what is the importance of community? Can we rely on our communities? Cite evidence from the examples.

2. In the context of this discussion, how does fear drive action? What are the witnesses afraid of? Cited evidence from the examples.

Content

Character, Logic, and Emotion

Aristotle's Magic Three

Aristotle defined rhetoric as "the ability to see or identify in any given circumstance the available means of persuasion."

Three basic tools of rhetoric...

Argument by Logic (logos)

Argument by Character (ethos)

Argument by Emotion (pathos)

Argument by Logic

"Logos isn't just about following rules of logic; it's a set of techniques that use the the audiences is thinking" (Heinrichs 41).

To persuade people--to make them desire your choice and commit to the action you want-- you need all the assets in the room.

Aristotle said that every point has its flip side.

Argument by Character

Ethos employs the persuader's personality, reputation, and ability to look trustworthy.

While logos sweats over its GPA, ethos gets elected class president . . .

"A person's life persuades better than his word," said one of Aristotle's contemporaries.

Argument by Emotion

Pathos: Argument by emotion. A successful persuader must learn how to read the audience's emotions.

Sympathize--align with your listener's pathos. Don't contradict or deny the mood; instead, show concern.

Effective Argument

Interactive content and visual storytelling . . .

• Why?

• Who?

• When and Where?

• What and How?

Why? (So What?)

Inspiration of the writer:

What is the author's motivation?

What question, problem, or other inspiration prompted him to write?

Purpose of the message:

How is the message supposed to affect the audience?

What function does the message serve?

Implications for the reader:

Why is this a significant topic for the audience?

What are the larger consequences and applications?

Who? (Author, Audience)

Author:

How does the author establish his credibility? What might readers already know about the author that could influence how they interpret the message?

Audience:

Who is the intended audience? Are there other readers? What is the audience's background (age, gender, income, education, values)? What assumptions or biases might readers have about the topic?

Role:

What "role" is the writer playing? Anxious parent? Frustrated customer? Concerned physician? Passionate volunteer? What is the audiences role? Jury? Boss? Teacher? Peer-reviewer?

When and Where? (Context)

Timing:

When was the message published? Is there something about the timing that might be significant to an audience?

Publication: Where was the message published? For example, did it appear in a scholarly journal, a popular magazine, or on the Internet?

What does the publication venue suggest about the text's audience, purpose, and credibility?

What and How? (Message)

• Thesis: Does the message contain an explicit or implied thesis, or main point?
• Support: How much (and what kind of) background information does the author present? What kinds of evidence or examples does the message use?
• Genre: Does the message follow a recognizable genre, such as a business proposal, newspaper editorial, or research article?
• Style: What kind of tone do you notice? Is it serious, funny, sarcastic, scholarly, arrogant, immature, or what? Which words stick out? What hints do they give you about the author's purpose and audience?
• Design: What design elements are used? Does the design seem informal, playful, ordinary, formal, technical, or what? How does the message use charts, images, or other visual elements?

O. J. Simpson

J. K. Rowlings

Harry Potter Series

The four Hogwarts houses have a loose association with the four elements, and their colors were chosen accordingly (Rowlings).

Color Analysis

Griffindor

Red and Gold: connected to fire

Hufflepuff

Hufflepuff (yellow and black, representing wheat and soil) to earth

Ravenclaw

Ravenclaw (blue and bronze; sky and eagle feathers) to air.

Slytherin

Slytherin (green and silver) to water

Of Mice and Men

Steinbeck

A girl was standing there looking in. She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages. She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers. “I’m lookin’ for Curley,” she said. Her voice had a nasal, brittle quality.

The Great Gatsby

Fitzgerald

(In this extract, Nick describes the regular parties hosted by the mysterious Gatsby)

There was music from my neighbour’s house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars. At high tide in the afternoon I watched his guests diving from the tower of his raft, or taking the sun on the hot sand of his beach while his two motor-boats slit the waters of the Sound, drawing aquaplanes over cataracts of foam.

Pepsi

How to Magically Connect with Anyone

Brian Miller