On rhetoric and the art of persuasion
More than two thousand years ago, Aristotle (384-322 BCE) defined rhetoric and persuasion as “the art of getting people to do something they wouldn’t ordinarily do if you didn’t ask” and by doing so laid the groundwork for successful communi- cation. According to Edith Hall in her book Aristotle’s Way, persuasive rhetoric is above all an “emotional transaction” be- tween a communicator and their audience, intending to move them successfully from point A to point B. Of course, the success of this persuasive process depends greatly on the specific skills the communicator will use to persuade their recipients to change their minds and ultimately follow their ideas. Rhetoric and the art of persuasion re-
main deeply ingrained in the Anglo- American traditions, both written and oral. From the rediscovery of Greek and Roman literature during the Renaissance, rhetoric has been shaping the education system in Britain and, from the 19th century, the public speaking field in America. Learning rhetorical devices and figures of speech, reading poetry and famous speeches aloud, building persuasive arguments and debat- ing and public speaking remain an integral part of the Anglo-American higher educa- tion system. As expatriates living and working in the UK, familiarising ourselves with the art of persuasive communication as well as a highly developed public speak-
28 FOCUS The Magazine March/April 2020
ing and debating culture can become a major asset for a deeper understanding of British social and working habits. One cannot help but notice that the art
of persuasion hasn’t changed much in 2,300 years. Either in the private or the professional sphere, consciously or not, successfully or not, we use rhetorical de- vices and persuasion techniques all the time. Tink about the role of persuasion in our daily lives: parents persuade children to eat their dreaded vegetables dish, sales- people persuade customers to buy their products, job candidates persuade poten- tial employers to hire them, politicians per- suade people to vote for them. If these communication skills are obviously part of our lives and of our way of operating in the world, when consciously learned and mastered, they become a fabulous tool to inspire teams, sell products, convince and persuade people to act upon our ideas. According to the author and communica- tion specialist Carmine Gallo, the billion- aire Warren Buffett “once told business students that improving their communica- tion skills would boost their professional value by 50% — instantly”. But let’s now examine which tactics we
have at hand to master effective communi- cation and put our audience in the right frame of mind to make them open to our ideas and suggestions. Aristotle outlined the formula into three major subject areas:
www.focus-info.org
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
