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Rhetorical studies show how word choice, phrasing, logic and even body language can affect discourse. In an increasingly Internet-driven society, the art of rhetoric is especially important. We now have more opportunities to control our language. The ability to give a good speech or presentation is highly valued, as a good performance can easily "go viral" and be seen by millions of people around the world. We will use this section of our blog to look at logical arguments, theory, analyses, research and news related to rhetorical study. By improving your awareness of things like word choice and logical arguments, you can improve your own speeches or build a stronger critical understanding of how rhetoric shapes politics, interpersonal communication skills and the modern world.
One of the most powerful weapons a politician has is their words. By controlling language they can shape perceptions. Just think of the effect a phrase like “estate tax” has when turned to “death tax.” Far more powerful, right? In this TED Talk, Etymologist Mark Forsyth walks us through some historical examples of how politicians [...] Read more »
Ted Talks have become one of the most educating and informative platforms for scientists, authors, mathematicians, and more to share their ideas with the world. And because of their growing popularity, it now seems like everyone wants to give a Ted Talk. In the spirit of fun and nerding out, I wanted to figure out [...] Read more »
ATTENTION COMMUNICATION STUDENTS: If you are currently taking a Performance of Literature class, there may be a style of literature your professor forgot to tell you was appropriate: Yelp reviews. In these videos, actors take Yelp reviews and turn them into dramatic monologues. The first video has SVU actress Therese Plummer give a graphic and [...] Read more »
On Sunday evening following the horrible tragedy that took place at the the ‘Dark Knight’ premiere, President Obama addressed the nation from Aurora, Colorado. Comforting a country — especially following one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history — is no easy task, but Obama does his best by highlighting a heroine rather than [...] Read more »
In the course of any argument or discussion, good communicators need to know how to avoid logical fallacies. Logical fallacies weaken an argument by treating a false assumption as fact, but because many speakers and writers don’t take the time to consider the basis of their arguments, logical fallacies are fairly common in politics, business [...] Read more »
It’s a problem we see over and over as presentation skills trainers - the first thing someone does when they’re told they need to make a presentation is turn on their laptop, fire up PowerPoint and begin to type. That’s wrong in a lot of ways! Read more »
Ancient Greek philosophers seemed to know it all. So it's no surprise that philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Epictetus, and Socrates would also speak the language of love fluently. We've compiled some of the most suave and debonaire quotes by Greek philosophers that would put even Cassanova to shame. Read more »
If you are ever to be asked to do a presentation in front of people either at school, work or at a social event like a wedding, you definitely want to do your best so that you are not labeled as a boring presenter. As a trained professional speaker myself, I can let you in on a few secrets and tricks that will help you make it over to the good presenters side rather than the boring speakers camp. Read more »
Have you ever been hiking and the trail suddenly disappears? All of the sudden, you don’t know where you are going. You are lost! You have to struggle to find the trail to push forward or you have to turn back. Like hiking, when speaking the last thing you want is to get lost. Luckily by following some good hiking advice, your speech can keep the audience engaged and on the same happy trail as you. Read more »
Credibility is everything. Newspapers that get the facts wrong are torn to shreds and politicians lacking experience don’t get elected, while people in lab coats command our respect immediately. Communication scholars define credibility as being the perception of one’s competence, trustworthiness, and goodwill. But as you probably know, perceptions can be hacked. Read more »