& the art of persuasive speaking

 In today’s world, we are bombarded with media – in the news, on the web, and in advertisements.  How do you know who to trust? How does what you hear influence your opinion?  Is your perception of the truth twisted by how you hear the words presented?

 Go to the site listed below and click on the link “Rodman and da ref”  p100speeches.htm p100speeches.htm  Follow the directions and read all phases, then write your own rhetoric in the proper spaces.  We’ll share our responses when you are finished.

 According to Aristotle, Rhetoric is the art of using language effectively and persuasively in writing or speech.  The purpose of Persuasion is to convince your audience to believe your position or stance.

 Persuasion is an appeal to an audience. Ethos, logos, and pathos were identified by Aristotle as appeals necessary to effectively persuade an audience.

 Ethos is the establishment of the credibility of the author or speaker. An author develops ethos by using objective and fair language, by considering counterarguments, and by presenting appropriate and credible sources  (EX: giving credentials, quoting reliable and morally respectable sources)

 This kind of persuasion, like the others, should be achieved by what the speaker says, not by what people think of his character before he begins to speak.

 Logos is an appeal to logic. An author develops logos by offering credible facts and statistics related to the topic at hand, by using allusion, by using deductive and inductive reasoning, and by citing credible sources outside the work itself.

 Persuasion is effected through the speech itself when we have proved a truth or an apparent truth.  (EX: questions that prompt certain answers, statistics and figures)  A=Bill is a man.  B=Bill loves golf.  C= Men love golf.

 Pathos is an appeal to the emotion of the audience. An author develops pathos by including figurative language such as metaphor, simile, and vivid imagery, by including emotional anecdotes, and by offering vivid, connotative language employed to evoke sympathy and emotional interest in the topic.

 Persuasion comes through the hearers, when the speech stirs their emotions. Our judgments when we are pleased and friendly are not the same as when we are pained and hostile. Let’s listen to one of the masterpieces of rhetoric, Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech bUtL_0vAJk While listening, jot down some notes about what sticks out at you in the speech... What makes it powerful, persuasive and memorable?

 It is important to understand the three rhetorical appeals in order to become a more critical and analytical person  As a society, we are constantly bombarded by rhetoric in the media (tv, internet, advertisements)  We must ask ourselves whether we are being persuaded by a speakers appeals or by the truth (is there truth, or is the truth created through skilled rhetoric?)

 Go to SharePoint and download the “Martin Luther King Questions” Worksheet and answer them on lined paper.  Be prepared to discuss your responses and hand them in.