If the word “rhetoric” sounds intimidating, think of it this way: all storytelling is rhetoric. The term just refers to how well you convey a message to an audience. In fact, you’ve probably noticed that rhetorical strategies are all around you–they’re in poetry and song lyrics, on television and in print advertisements, and in your own conversations.
By understanding what a rhetorical strategy is (and isn’t), you can be more successful at using them to persuade your audience. Here’s what you need to know about rhetorical strategies:
1\. What Are Rhetorical Strategies?
When I talk about rhetoric or rhetorical strategies, I’m talking about the relationship between a writer (or speaker) and her audience–how well the writer conveys her message to that particular audience for that particular purpose in that particular situation at that particular time. In other words, for any given communication act, there are several things we need to consider:
- Audience – The people who receive your message
- Purpose – The reason why you are communicating
- Situation – The circumstances surrounding your communication
- Exigence – The specific opportunity or problem that motivates writing
Rhetorical strategies help us understand these factors so we can communicate most effectively with our audiences. They also help us analyze messages others convey so we can respond more critically; if someone tries to manipulate our emotions with an appeal pathos (more on these appeals below), we’ll be better equipped if we know what they’re doing! Of course then there’s the question of how exactly rhetoric works… And that’s where techniques come into play!
2\. Four Common Rhetorical Strategies
There are four common rhetorical strategies–or techniques for using language effectively–that have been used for centuries: logos, ethos, pathos, and kairos (not one of the other three). Logos
A brief explanation of what a rhetorical strategy is and examples.
What is a rhetorical strategy and how can you use it?
A rhetorical strategy is a way to get your audience to understand your point of view. It uses logos (facts and reasoning), ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion), or kairos (timing). For example, if you are trying to persuade people that animals should be treated more humanely and not be used for food or testing purposes, you would use logos by citing scientific studies showing that animals feel pain just like humans do, as well as citing statistics about the suffering of these animals.
You could also appeal to ethos by saying that since we love our pets so much, it’s only fair that we treat all living creatures with equal respect. You could also appeal directly through emotion by sharing sad stories about animal abuse or neglect; this will likely move some people emotionally enough that they are swayed in favor of your point of view.
What Are Rhetorical Strategies?
Rhetorical strategies are a way of communicating with an audience. Rhetoric is the study of how to persuade people and it’s based on three main theories: logos, ethos, pathos, and kairos.
Logos is about logic. Ethos is about credibility. Pathos is about emotion. Kairos means “right time” or “opportunity” and refers to the right moment to make a point—like when you have just explained something but your audience isn’t getting it yet so you wait until they’ve finished asking questions before moving on so that you can use the same example again later in an attempt to help them understand better
The audience is the group that you are writing or speaking to.
The audience is the group you are writing or speaking to. This could be your audience in person, or it could be an online audience. It is important to consider who your audience will be when you write your persuasive essay because you want to make sure that they understand what you are saying and find value in it as well.
Rhetorical strategies are tools of persuasion that writers use to convince readers about their points of view.
The purpose is the goal that you want to achieve with your writing or speech.
Rhetorical strategies are the tools you use to achieve your purpose. The purpose of a rhetorical strategy is to help you achieve your goal by making an argument or persuading the audience.
The different purposes for writing and speaking are:
- Inform: Tell what happened, describe a situation, explain how to do something or give advice.
- Persuade: Cause others to take action, agree with you or accept your point of view.
- Entertain: Make people laugh (often used in comedy routines) and/or make them think about new ideas (often used by comedians).
The situation is the context that you are writing or speaking in.
The situation is the context that you are writing or speaking in. It includes your audience, the purpose of your writing, and any other constraints placed on you. For example, if you’re composing a speech to convince someone of something, then the audience will consist of that particular person. As for constraints: maybe the purpose is to convince others of something but they won’t agree unless they’re given proof—then you need evidence in order to persuade them.
So here’s how we would apply this concept: Say we’re trying to convince our friend Frank not to buy an expensive new car because he doesn’t have enough money for it right now; he’s been eyeing one online for months now and keeps talking about how much he wants it (which means he must really want this thing). We’ll start by stating his goal clearly: “Frank wants a new car.”
Then we’ll go on with listing off all those things that prevent him from achieving his goal—in other words, what stands between him and getting what he wants? Well there’s money not being enough for both food AND bills plus rent PLUS gas prices going up so fast every year already being able get anything at all these days even if wanted most wanted only two choices left were either keep working hard until saved up enough own small home first before buying anything else like coupe minivan SUV pickup truck whatever type vehicles want just want one vehicle!
The exigence is the reason why writing takes place in a particular situation; it’s what makes it important or urgent.
The exigence is the reason why writing takes place in a particular situation; it’s what makes it important or urgent. Consider the difference between these sentences:
- “I bought a new car,” and “I just bought my first car.”
- “The weather was beautiful today, so I went outside,” and “It was raining all day and I felt trapped inside.”
In both examples, each sentence has an exigence that defines its purpose. The first is simply stating that you have acquired a vehicle; the second is explaining why you are telling someone this information (the writer wants to convey excitement). The next time you’re writing an essay or speech, think about not only what you want to say but also why it needs to be said at all!
Four Common Rhetorical Strategies
Rhetorical strategies are the techniques that writers use to persuade their audiences to think a certain way. There are three main rhetorical strategies: logos (logic), ethos (credibility), and pathos (emotion). Each of these can be used alone or in combination with one another.
A fourth type of rhetorical strategy, kairos, is not technically one of the three main rhetorical strategies but rather an overarching framework for understanding how all three work together to persuade an audience. Kairos refers to timing—it’s about taking advantage of current opportunities before they pass by.
1. Logos, or logic, refers to the use of facts and reasoning in your writing or speech.
Logos, or logic, refers to the use of facts and reasoning in your writing or speech. It’s the most important rhetorical strategy because it appeals to our logical side.
Logos is all about using statistics and evidence to support your argument. You can use logos when you want to make a point that people might disagree with you on. If they can’t argue with the stats or facts that you’ve provided, then they have no ground for arguing against what you’ve said. For example: “In the last 50 years, global temperatures have increased by 1 degree Celsius (1°C).”
2. Ethos, or character, refers to how well you establish your credibility (or its equivalent–trustworthiness) as a writer or speaker.
Ethos, or character, refers to how well you establish your credibility (or its equivalent–trustworthiness) as a writer or speaker. This is also known as ethos, which means “morality” and comes from the Greek words for “character” and “habit.” Ethos can be a powerful rhetorical strategy because it’s one of the ways you create an emotional connection with your audience and make them want to listen to what you have to say.
In order to effectively use ethos as a rhetorical strategy, look at the following questions:
- Who are you? What kind of person are you? What do people know about you? How do they regard your work or yourself? How long have they known about your work or yourself?
- Why should I listen to what this person has written/spoken?
3. Pathos, or emotion, refers to how well you use language to engage your audience’s emotions.
When you use pathos, or emotion, in your writing and speech, you’re drawing on the audience’s feelings for the purpose of persuasion. You can use this strategy to generate action (pass a bill), inspire your audience (walk across America), create a connection with them (I know how you feel), and even create positive feelings about your writing or speech.
You can also use pathos to achieve empathy with your audience by using emotional language that reflects how they might respond to a certain situation or argument.
4. Kairos, which has to do with timing (and isn’t one of the four main strategies), is about how well you communicate by taking advantage of current opportunities and paying attention to what’s appropriate for the specific circumstances in which you’re speaking or writing.
Kairos, which has to do with timing (and isn’t one of the four main strategies), is about how well you communicate by taking advantage of current opportunities and paying attention to what’s appropriate for the specific circumstances in which you’re speaking or writing.
You can think of kairos as your own personal compass. If someone asks you a question and you give them an answer with no relevance to what they’re asking, it’s pretty rude. On the other hand, if someone says something that is especially funny and then bursts out laughing at his own joke before anyone else has had time to react, he’s probably being rude as well—but at least he knew when was an appropriate time for humor.
The rhetorical strategies are about audience, purpose, situation and exigence in using logos, ethos and pathos.
In rhetoric, there are four main types of rhetorical strategies (or “theories”): logos, ethos, pathos, and kairos.
- Logos is the use of logic and reason to make your argument.
- Ethos is about making your audience trust you by showing them that you’re trustworthy. This can be done through things such as being well-informed about the issue at hand or speaking with authority on it—both of which speak to your credibility as an expert on the topic at hand.
- Pathos uses emotion to get people’s attention—such as invoking sympathy for a cause by describing its bad effects in detail or pointing out how much something matters to you personally if it’s not obvious from looking at your background (like saying “I used to live near where we’re planting these trees”).
Conclusion
The more you become aware of these strategies, the better able you will be to use them effectively–and also to recognize when you are being persuaded by others. If someone tells you that there is an urgent need for action and gives a list of facts supporting their claim, they are using kairos and logos (among other strategies).
If they say that their judgment can be trusted because they have won awards or have lots of experience, they are using ethos. If they appeal to your compassion with stories about people in need or the positive results of previous actions, they are using pathos.
When we remember that most writing is trying to persuade us in some way (even if it’s just trying to get you to go out and buy something), becoming familiar with rhetorical strategies helps us make sense out of what we read and hear every day…and it helps us become better writers and speakers as well.
