Rhetoric,

1. Rhetoric, the art of persuasion “Persuasion is a form of demonstration, for we are most fully persuaded by something when we believe it to have been clearly demonstrated." Aristotle

2. Rhetoric in history • Rhetoric--or the art of effective communication, whether written or spoken--was the cornerstone of classical education. • Used in commerce • ceremonial oratory • diplomacy and public relations • cultural and political debate.    

3. Aristotle (384-322 BC) , defined rhetoric as the art of identifying (and applying), in any given situation, the most likely means of persuasion.

4. Many of the fundamental principles and practical insights of the discipline • be clear • be forceful • be concise • beemphatic • remain as valid and useful today as they did twenty-four centuries ago.

5. Rhetoricians also placed great emphasis on the context of the message • , with the main contextual concerns being • the purpose of the message • and the place in which it was to be heard or seen.

6. Speaker • According to classical theory, the character of the speaker is all-important, for audiences tend to believe the testimony (no matter how unlikely) of familiar • reliable • and trustworthy speakers • ______________________________________ • and to discredit the claims (no matter how reasonable) of • Strange • undependable • or suspicious sources

7. In the view of Aristotle and Quintillian, effective speakers should make a special effort to seem • Polite • friendly • and well-disposed to the audience • should take care to demonstrate common sense and good judgment • and should have (or should at least appear to have) a spotless moral reputation.

8. Message. As far as content and style are concerned, classical rhetoricians taught that a message should be composed so that it: reflects favorably on the character and disposition of the speaker accords appropriately with its audience, place, and purpose.In short, every aspect of the speech--from its characteristic images and turns of phrase to the gestures and facial expressions that accompany its delivery--should be contrived to produce a particular pre-calculated effect.

9. Audience. All classical authorities agree: to communicate effectively, you must tailor your message (whether written or spoken) to the • Size • shape • tastes • expectations • political interests • cultural circumstances • moral and social concerns • and intellectual level of your audience. A corollary of this advice is: The more you know about your audience, the more likely your chances of communicating successfully

10. In the classical era, and even more so today, an important consideration in message design is where the communication will take place. • Writers need to know where their message will be appearing: • a magazine? • an academic journal? • a bulletin board? • a computer screen? This has an obvious bearing on its style, content, and presentation.

11. But seldom did these three general types of message exist in a pure form. Furthermore, for any given communication task, classical speakers were also advised to have a clear, definite, practical purpose in mind and not lose sight of that purpose during their presentation. Hence the excellent rhetorical advice to all would-be communicators today: Have a point and stick to it. • Purpose. Classical rhetoric recognized three general goals or aims of communication: to persuade, to inform, to entertain