1. Make Them Identify With Your Choice
The Mother-in-Law Ruse
Persuasions most magnetic tool: identity

2. Make them identify…
“Rhetoric is concerned with the state of Babel after the fall.” -Kenneth Burke

3. Make them identify
Kenneth Burke— Dramatism

4. Make them identify
Kenneth Burke developed a critical technique called dramatism1. The foundation of dramatism is the concept of motive: the reasons why people do the things they do. Burke believed that all of life was drama (in the sense of fiction), and we may discover the motives of actors (people) by looking for their particular type of motivation in action and discourse. He set up a "pentad," which are five questions to ask of any discourse to begin teasing out the motive. You may recognize these questions as similar to the six news reporter's questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how.

5. Make them identify.
Act: What happened? What is the action? What is going on? What action; what thoughts?
Scene: Where is the act happening? What is the background situation?
Agent: Who is involved in the action? What are their roles?
Agency: How do the agents act? By what means do they act?
Purpose: Why do the agents act? What do they want?
Of dramatism, Burke said: "If action, then drama; if drama, then conflict; if conflict, then victimage.

6. Make the identify.
Pentad theory in practice--

7. Make them identify…
Identity Strategy—deploy a skillful mix of deliberative and demonstrative rhetoric, getting your audience to see your choice as something critical to your relationship.

8. Make them identify…
“Many arguments—perhaps most of them—do not set about making rational choices; nor is that always such a bad thing. Besides helping you decide what to do, an argument can strengthen a relationship. Or weaken it. The difference lies in how you use code grooming.”

9. Make them identify…
Every group uses ‘codes’ to relate to each other. They are a way of identifying and demonstrating group members’ understanding of the beliefs and values of their ‘tribe’.

10. Make them identify…
The ‘coding’ process can be both positive and negative; codes can help to bring people closer together, unifying people and helping them to cultivate stronger relationships. Alternatively, codes can be used to draw lines of division, put up boundaries, and stimulate exclusion.

11. Make them identify…
We are all guilty of using codes. This can be conscious or subconscious; we use them to figure out our relationship to those around us, as a way of identifying where we belong. Rhetoricians call the use of these codes ‘demonstrative rhetoric’, a powerful cogency device used in persuasion. A quite popular example of this is the handshake – the western world’s accepted physical code of greeting. The handshake broadly says “hi, I’m pleased to meet you, and I would like for you to accept my presence”.

12. Make them identify…
For more examples of this ‘demonstrative rhetoric’ just look around you, they are anywhere and everywhere. From small sub-cultural expressions within tight groups of friends, to nationwide displays of compliance & unity like the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. We all use codes to show and demonstrate our group understanding and belonging.

13. Make them identify…
‘Codes’ and ‘demonstrative rhetoric’ are powerful tools in terms of persuasion. They can be used to bind us together and include, but also to highlight differences and exclude. By creating ‘in jokes’, signs, languages, symbols, confusing business acronyms and/or math equations (etc) we reduce the accessibility of what we are communicating. It is this understanding & manipulation of both environment and human behaviour that Heinrich calls ‘code-grooming’.

14. Make them identify…
It is often tempting to use obscure theory, jargon and long-winded rationalizations to get a pat on the back from our peers and colleagues. However this almost tribal desire to prove ones value does not hold much weight beyond the walls of the office, family home or even the mind for that matter.

15. Make them identify…
In short, we must understand that what we put into the world will include some and exclude others and use this information to channel our output accordingly. When communicating ask yourself this question: who do you want to include and who do we want to exclude? Remember, whilst these words are filled with positive and negative connotations this really isn’t the case. Excluding someone who is not interested in what you have to say is no bad thing. It is positive for you, the non-interested party and those who are interested; all will now benefit from your more focused approach.

16. Make them identify…
Figurative Language—

17. Make them identify…
‘Code grooming’ can be incredibly useful and employed to much different effect; I trust that you will groom appropriately.

18. Make them identify…
“Sometimes winning an argument may not be your best goal. Relationships and values occasionally trump the advantageous and a rational decision.”

19. Make them identify…
(204) He—I thought we agreed to stay home for once. She—But you should have heard her. She’s counting on seeing me—us. He (looking hurt)—It’d be nice if you all considered me a member of the family.

20. Make them identify…
He: You’re comin’ this Thanksgiving, ahn’t you? When do the children get out of skoo?

21. Make them identify…
In rhetoric, the persuader speaks the language of the audience. That may not be so easy.

22. Make them identify…
George Bernard Shaw referred to America and England as “two nations separated by a common language.” …the same literal tongue can be used with subtle variations that combine and exclude.

23. Make them identify…
**Irony** …the technique of saying one things to outsiders and another to insiders.

24. Make them identify…
Three Types of Irony— u-39iZL4YlsFNqd_PxAUff 39iZL4YlsFNqd_PxAUff&index=2 u-39iZL4YlsFNqd_PxAUff&index=3

25. Make them identify…