The Aquinas Maneuver The most persuasive emotions, at your service Control the Mood The Aquinas Maneuver The most persuasive emotions, at your service

Control the mood… “The Oratour may lead his hearers which way he list, and draw them to what affection he will: he may make them to be angry, to be pleased, to laugh, to weepe, and lament: to love, to abhorre, and loath.” -Henry Peacham

Control the mood… **Pathos** Pathos means more than “feelings” in the emotional sense. It also has to do with physical sensations—what a person feels or, more precisely, suffers. (Hence, the medical term ‘pathology’ is the study of disease.) The author mentioned the example of his young daughter’s temper tantrum at the bank. (She wasn’t ‘pathetic’ enough.)

Control the mood… Remember— The persuader bears not only the burden of proof, but emotion as well. An argument can’t be rhetorically pathetic unless it is sympathetic. (What is the common connotations of ‘pathetic’? Explain.)

Control the mood… The Sophists said that, when it is done properly, pathos affects an audience’s judgment. Recent neurological research confirms this belief…the seat of emotion, the limbic system, tends to overwhelm the more rational parts of the brain. Aristotle observed…reality looks different under different emotions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brStDyPNI7w (1:05)

Control the mood… Protagoras, a famous sophist, said that food tastes bitter to the invalid and the opposite to a healthy person. “While the doctor makes changes with drugs, the Sophist does it with words.” Aristotle suggested modifying people’s emotions through their beliefs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNgauJMdZbc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NubH5BDOaD8

Control the mood… Aristotle said emotions come from belief—about what we value, what we think we know, and what we expect. He didn’t separate ‘pathos’ from rhetorical logic. It may sound strange to combine the emotional and the rational, but rhetoric does precisely that.

Control the mood… Emotion comes from… -experience and expectation “The more vividly you give the audience the sensations of an experience, the greater emotion you can arouse.” (The author gave the example of the heart attack that could happen as you read.)

Control the mood… The way to accomplish this is through storytelling and re-creating a dramatic scene. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL-PAzrpqUQ Evoke the situation; be dramatic! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUYyaXFO0FY This sort of storytelling can me most engaging. Think of the way a good stand-up comic can hold an auditorium full of people with only his or her voice and a microphone!

Control the mood… Aristotle said that one of the most effective mood changers is a detailed narrative. The more vivid you make the story, the more it seems like a real experience, and the more your audience will think that it could happen again. People love anecdotes (little stories). They illustrate your meaning… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eb2C6pdHgU *

Control the mood… Tip—Rather than tell the story in the third person, use the first. Thrill your audience with “recognition of the familiar”. Will Hunting’s airplane joke… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WAylnO5gtA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP8LWj_1LBk

Control the mood… Persuasion is something like romantic seduction. It involves cultivating a mood. Another key component of story-telling is self-control. “A persuader who apparently struggles to hold back her emotions gets a better response…”

Control the mood… Cicero—“the good pathetic argument is understated” When you argue emotionally, speak simply. Watch this clip from In Cold Blood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIA3tFtTDGA

Control the mood… If you are angry with someone… -speak more softly than usual -don’t gesture with your hands -the overall effect is more powerful

Control the mood… Pathos works best at the end of an argument or debate… The beginning relies on logos (your logic) and ethos (character) Let your emotion build up gradually… Pathos works best with a large crowd; logos and ethos with individuals.

Control the mood… Daniel Webster argued that Dartmouth remain a private ‘college’ rather than become a state ‘university’. Webster won by saying that “It is, sir, as I have said, a small college. And yet, there are those who love her.” Tears can be very powerful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-zEwGZ56Bs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfcjyXmSqOs

Control the mood… Another approach is to begin with high volume and great force, then gradually lower your tone…then end with an emotion-laden crescendo. The drama is in the contrast.

Control the mood… “Humor ranks above all the other emotions in persuasiveness, in part because it works best at improving your ‘ethos’.” Humor calms people and makes you appear to be standing over petty fighting and squabbles. A problem with humor, however, is that it is a poor motivator to action.

Control the mood… Aristotle said... -emotions like sorrow, shame, and humility work to prevent action -they lead to introspection and withdrawal -emotions like joy, love, esteem, and compassion work better to stimulate action and get results

Control the mood… Aristotle said… -action requires identification -the emotions that best result in identification are -anger -patriotism -emulation

Control the mood… The easiest way to achieve anger is to belittle the opponent’s desire. Or, show your opponent as doing this to you and your audience. To stir up your base and get them ready to act, portray the enemy as belittling your cause. No one likes to think they are being held in contempt.

Control the mood… Yet, while anger gets a quick response, it is not conducive to logos and deliberative argument. It can be quite uncontrollable. Patriotism—does a better job of looking into the future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEOOZDbMrgE “Rouse your audience’s group feelings by showing a rival group’s success.”

Control the mood… Emulation—Provide only the role model your audience already admires. The key to using emotion effectively in argument is to… -invoke the emotion…don’t announce it -tap into your inner sense of the dramatic

Control the mood… The Tools— Belief—Use experience and expectation. Storytelling Volume Control Simple Speech (works best with pathos) Anger / Patriotism / Emulation Unannounced emotion