Rhetoric is the art of persuasion that is a great tool to influence someone. Persuasion can influence a person in many ways; if a person is very talented in persuasion he/she can play a vital role in influencing ano person’s behavior, their beliefs, attitude, intentions, & motivations. Simply put, this art can be used to gain something a person wishes. Marketers use this technique to sell their goods even if their products are not in demand, and if they are masters in this art, they can sell you anything even if it is not needed by you.
The first person that comes into mind when someone uses the term ‘Rhetoric’ is Aristotle. Aristotle was a very famous and well-known Greek philosopher. His writings include many subjects such as physics, biology, zoology, poetry, theater, music, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, and many more. Aristotle’s views were very persuasive, and a lot of that persuasion comes from logic, reason, and proof.
Ethos, Pathos, & Logos
Logos
Logos means logic or proof. When you ask someone to trust your word, they will require you to provide proof. While writing, you can use facts as proof to back your argument.
Ethos
Ethos means trust or credibility. Until your audience does not trust you, they will not believe in anything you say.
Pathos
Pathos means emotions and values. When a writer writes he/she tries to connect with the audience by writing on stories they are emotionally connected to. Many people write about who inspires them — like families or friends – and try to connect with their readers through the human element.
How Is This Beneficial For Speech Writing?
Rhetoric can be very helpful when it comes to speech writing. If a writer can master this art, he/she can influence their readers in many different ways. Speeches written to sway the audience’s opinion in one direction or the other can benefit greatly by using ethos, pathos, and logos.
Though this art can be, and probably is, misused many times, it is an important aspect of writing. Readers need to connect with your thoughts. A lot of writers use this technique to keep their audience amused, and others use the power of this style of writing to changes your views and opinions in moments.
So Why Use This?
If you are writing a speech for an academic or any other type of project, you need to have a point of view about the topic of the speech. Furthermore, you need to prove that your point of view is correct, and for that you need to use Aristotle’s rhetoric. When writing a speech, you need to infuse facts and figures from credible sources, relatable stories, and metaphors to get the message across. By using this technique, you will be able to win the crowd over, and will be able to get the most out of your efforts in writing the speech.
So start writing that speech, use Aristotle’s rhetoric, and sway your audience’s opinion in your favor.