Speech and Public Discourse
Rhetorical Techniques
However, rhetoric is not simply an academic exercise designed to be used in formal writing or literature. Rhetoric is the basis of the spoken language people use every day, and it has a purpose. As an example, think of a commercial or advertisement. Advertisers use rhetoric to try to convince an audience that their beauty product is superior to other companies’ products or that it’s cooler to drive their car than another car. Indeed, effective speech uses some form of rhetoric, combined with purpose, to make an impact on an audience.
The figure above illustrates how three types of appeal form the elements of a strong argument. In brief, these are the rhetorical appeals available to writers:
- Ethos is an appeal to ethics, which, in rhetorical terms, helps establish the writer’s or speaker’s credibility. You must establish credibility with your audience so that they feel they can trust what you say. Ethos often invokes the speaker’s character and qualifications on the subject. Speakers may strengthen their ethical appeal by using or referring to patriotic or religious documents in their speeches.
- Logos is an appeal to logic and intelligence. Logos appeals rely on strong and sound reasoning, often supported by facts and statistics. Support your position with critical thinking and clear, credible evidence. To give yourself credibility, use respected, reliable sources that are properly attributed.
- Pathos is an appeal to emotion. Supporting your position by using pathos involves evoking in your audience emotions, such as fear, anger, sympathy, guilt, or sorrow. This appeal often involves dramatic or vivid language, anecdotes or illustrations, and a more personal tone.
Purpose
Speech typically falls into one of three categories. Some speak to teach the audience something or to explain something. The purpose of this speech is to inform. Some speak to influence an audience’s beliefs, behaviors, or attitudes. The purpose of this speech is to persuade. Some speak to amuse the audience. The purpose of this speech is to entertain.
In some instances, the purposes will overlap; a speaker may want both to persuade and to evoke emotion, for example. Consider President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s (1882–1945) Pearl Harbor speech. It was delivered as an informational speech on December 8, 1941, at a joint session of Congress to address Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor, which occurred a day earlier. However, Roosevelt crafted the speech to stir emotions and convince Congress to formally declare war against Japan, officially bringing the United States into World War II (1939–1945).
When writing to speak, consider whether you want to inform, entertain, or persuade your audience. These purposes are often combined, as in the Pearl Harbor speech, and the medium through which you present speech may use different formats and channels (podcast, YouTube, Facebook Live, Periscope, Vimeo, presentation to a live audience, and so