Has it not exactly been a month since my last post. Be that as it may, during a conversation with my father, I managed to encounter the topic for this article. Have you ever wonder how you could be better at public speaking? Well, rhetoric may be key to solving your communication problems. Even though it started out over 2000 years ago, it is still as effective as it was back then. In the following, I will go deeper into the aforesaid and also explain some of the most relevant rhetorical devices.

According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, rhetoric is "speech or writing intended to influence people". Thus, it could be used for both good and evil purposes. Albeit, I believe rhetoric goes beyond the aforementioned definition. Trying to convince an audience is no easy task. When using the proper techniques however, the process becomes considerably simpler. For instance, a lawyer making use of rhetorical devices to convince the jury of his client's innocence. Speaking of which. Let us define rhetorical devices before we proceed. "A rhetorical device is a technique an author or speaker uses so as to persuade the reader or listener to consider a topic from a different perspective, and even to take action". The video that I will attach at the end of this post mentions seven devices. I nonetheless will focus only on six of them.

1. Rhetorical Question:

A question that is not answered by the writer or speaker, owing to the answer being obvious.

It often asked to make a point.

- McGregor? Why would you want to vote for a person that does not keep his promises?

2. Allusion:

A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, or idea of historical, cultural, etc. significance.

- He was good at business, but his Achilles' Heel was gambling, thus he lost all his money.

3. Repetition:

Repeats a word or phrase several times in order to make a point or emphasize something.

- "The government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from earth" Abraham Lincoln.

Additionally, we have the "Communication Triangle". These devices are better utilized in spoken form. Ethos (credibility), Logos (logical reasoning), Pathos (the audience's emotions) play a crucial role in swaying the audience to your point of view, argument. Shall we continue?

4. Ethos:

The person delivering the message has to be credible (trusted, knowledgeable, etc.)

- He is a forensics and ballistics expert for the federal government. If anyone is qualified to determine the murder weapon, it is him.

5. Logos:

The message must be logical and well-presented. (Makes sense, has facts and evidence for support)

- Ladies and gentleman from the jury. We have not only the fingerprints, the lack of an alibi, a clear motive and an expressed desire to commit the robbery. We also have a video of the suspect breaking in. This case could not be more open and shut.

6. Pathos:

The message touches the emotions (Tugs at the heartstrings with a story or an image, creates anger or fear.)

- You should consider another route. I heard that that street is far more dangerous at night than during the daytime.

In summary, we could argue that there are countless more rhetorical devices that should have been mentioned. Notwithstanding, the ones above are more than enough to have background knowledge on this matter. The reason why these techniques Greek philosophers introduced thousands of years ago remain applicable, is due to them dealing with aspects that are never going to go out of fashion. You will always need qualifications to make yourself look more credible when speaking to a crowd. You will always need evidence, facts and logic to substantiate your points. Lastly, you will certainly always need to appeal to people's emotions to sound more convincing as well. Being able to master the last three devices is a challenge worth pursuing. Before I leave nonetheless, I would like to add a quote from Star Wars that effectively uses "Anadiplosis", a device I left out of this post. "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering" Master Yoda.

Sources.
- Course: Grand Canyon Diploma English 3 YouTube channel.
- Cambridge University Press English dictionary.
- www.mrmediatraining.com/2011/03/15/nine.rhetorical-devices-for-your-next-speech/