What are rhetorical skills?

Have you ever heard of the person that was able to sell sand in the Sahara desert? Or the one who could sell ice in the North Pole? Norway has access to some of the world's cleanest tap water, and still Norwegians buy millions of liters of bottled water every year. Why are Norwegians convinced that this is a good idea?

Accessibility icon What are rhetorical skills?

The art of persuasion

There are many reasons why you may become convinced that something is right or important. The most powerful reason may be the use of language. You may not think about it at first, but language affects you – both the words themselves and the way they are spoken. Using language on purpose to convince others is called rhetoric. It is an old art and is perhaps even more important today than it was 2,000 years ago. Everyone can become good rhetoricians – even you! You just need to follow a few steps.

What is rhetoric?

The word rhetoric comes from the Greek language and can be translated as “speech art,” and it originated in Greece more than 2,000 years ago. Now we think of rhetoric as a way of convincing others.
One of the first people to write about rhetoric was the philosopher Aristotle. In his opinion, rhetoric was about defining what a case was about, before deciding whether or not to agree with the case. Rhetorical skills are all about presenting, justifying, and arguing one side of an issue to convince others of your point of view. Aristotle divided rhetoric into five different parts.

Shape and format

There are five points you should follow to show good knowledge of your subject and give a good speech:

1. Identify all of your arguments.

This means collecting strong information supporting your standpoint along with weak information. Think of it as a scavenger hunt. You are hunting for information, and the goal is to come home with as much relevant information as possible.

2. Organize.

The next job is to look your arguments over and organize everything. Think of it as cleaning out your sock drawer. To get it organized, you will have to throw away any socks that are too small or worn out. You will also have to return any socks that aren’t yours and pair up all socks that belong together. This is what you need to do with your arguments as well: keep the best ones, put the ones that belong together next to each other, and throw the bad ones away.

3. Find your style.

Decide how you want to send your message. Do you want to give a speech? Perform a rap? Write an article? This is where you’ll have to decide which rhetorical style will be the best fit for your goal.

4. Memorize everything.

Are you more convinced by someone reading something out loud or by someone telling you something naturally? Most people will believe a person who owns what they say and knows their points very well. This is where it all comes down to practice.

5. Decide on your style of delivery.

If you’re planning on giving a speech or making an appeal, the delivery style is important. It is important to practice the delivery of your speech. In addition to clarity and volume, think about the tone you use and what kind of body language and movements are the most effective for your speech.

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Styles of persuasion

When using rhetoric, look for these three techniques: ethos, pathos, and logos. These are three different styles of persuasion that use different tools to attract and persuade the audience. If you want to be able to influence someone, you need to address the whole person, their head, heart, and hands.

Ethos – being credible

Some people are naturally credible because they are experts in their field. You can also seem credible by using strong, reliable sources. Aristotle believed that what strengthens ethos is how smart, credible, and honest you seem. Ethos is important for researchers, politicians, teachers, and even Sensodyne, who wants to sell you toothpaste.

This ad is a good example of the use of ethos.

Pathos – speaking to the heart

Pathos brings out an emotional response from your audience to convince them to act as you want them to. This is important for army generals who have to send soldiers to war, charitable organizations collecting money and donations, and for politicians campaigning for more votes.

This ad is a good example of pathos at work.

Logos – aha, that’s logical!

Logos is about appealing to the audience’s mind and convincing them that your arguments are logical and believable. You’ll use statistics and research results and generally appeal to common sense. Logos is important to researchers wanting to present new findings, organizations needing to raise money, and politicians campaigning for more votes.

We can all find time for an organic breakfast in a bottle, right?

Why is rhetoric important today?

Rhetoric includes several different techniques that create a smart recipe to convince others of your side of an issue. Is this skill still relevant today? Isn’t it just something that old men used to do several thousand years ago? The answer is yes, rhetoric was important 2,000 years ago, it was important 100 years ago, and it is still important today.

Why? So that you will not be misled! You need to decide if a person is telling you the truth or not. Some people are very good at public speaking but have weak ideas or messages. Some people present good arguments to convince you to buy something, but the product they’re selling is bad. Others have good ideas but lack good presentation skills.

Sometimes it’s not too bad. You might just end up with something harmless like a new type of toothpaste. Other times it can be more dangerous and have more serious consequences, such as being misled by the rhetoric in a political election.

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Be critical

When Aristotle and his fellows were wandering around thinking their clever thoughts, the world was a very different place compared to today. At that time, one could be convinced or misled by someone standing in the square and giving a good speech. Today we are surrounded by information in the form of text, sound, and images. There are many voices seeking our attention, and many seem credible and true even when they aren’t.

It isn’t easy to decide what is right, true, important, and smart. There is greater focus on thinking critically and not letting yourself be fooled by fake news or advertising. Recognizing the tools used in marketing and politics to influence your opinions and beliefs will make it easier for you to make wise decisions.

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Where do you meet rhetoric today?

Political speeches may be the most common genre that uses rhetoric. To gain more votes, it is important for people to believe in you, trust you, and emotionally connect with your platform. This is also key for an organization or a person who is passionate about a particular cause. Good use of rhetoric will often cause certain speeches to be remembered as excellent.

Sources:

  • Svendsen, Lars Fredrik Händler; Grue, Jan: retorikk i Store norske leksikon på snl.no.
    Hentet 7. oktober 2020 fra https://snl.no/retorikk

 

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