Rhetoric: The Art Of Persuasion

Our everyday routine falls victim to persuasion whether we choose to allow it or not. Our conscious is seduced somehow during the day and many times the persuasion is out of our control. But in situations where you can be in control of the persuasion, wouldn’t you aspire to be? An argument is a dispute you have with someone who disagrees with you about something, but you have the opportunity to change their mind. An argument is where you can have the higher ground with persuasion, if you know how. Rhetoric is the art of persuasion using semi-deceptive literary techniques. The practice of rhetoric could put you at an advantage over others during an argument because it is not an art that is valuable to many people anymore, but it is astonishingly beneficial.
Before you can use rhetoric, you must first be able to distinguish the difference between an argument and a fight.
When you fully understand the difference between the two terms, you can successfully hold a mature argument. It must be remembered that the motivation for an argument is to solve a problem. There are two broad ways an argument could go: it could spiral out of control or it could it can be controlled just by one variable, you. You have the potential to keep an argument going in the right direction (your direction), while in the right manner. Nothing will be accomplished if the participants handle the situation in an immature manner. Jay Heinrichs discusses how you can keep an argument mature despite the fury between participants. Someone who practices rhetoric can hold an argument successfully by acting stoically. The proper understanding and use of rhetoric can advance you in arguments day in and day
out.
Someone who is proficient with rhetoric is not considered to be a demagogue, although they are more than capable of manipulating people to get the results that they want. If you are in any sort of leadership position, your audience will want you to have decorum that properly suits their interest. You can appeal to an audience or a group of subordinates with the use of ethos, pathos and logos. Knowing the efficiency of each literary technique could determine the outcome of an argument. Every argument could have a different result depending on the tool you use, so you should be knowledgeable about each one. The outcome of an argument depends on how well you can read your audience and which technique you decide is best fit. In the first section, Offense, you will learn the benefits of logos, pathos and ethos individually.
When trying to convince someone to do something you want done, the most beneficial way to get what you want is appeal to their emotions by using pathos. Develop a relationship with your subordinates and make them believe that the task is in their best interest. Another way you could talk someone into doing something is by simply stating all the logical reasons the task should be done. This method, logos, most likely will not be motivation enough to complete a task, but there are other circumstances this would be best for. The third method, ethos, also requires that you develop a relationship. If you develop a relationship, others will be more content with doing what you ask because they can trust that your word is good.
When in a situation in which you cannot appeal to emotions or develop a relationship of any kind, logos is a good resort. Logic can be used in different ways, for example: inductive logic and deductive logic. Inductive logic you would use if you see a commonplace between audience members, whereas deductive logic you would assume a commonplace because there is not an obvious one.
Offense is just the beginning of how to become more knowledgeable in the art of arguing. There are so many details that come into play, but it is worth the time because you will have gained the higher ground.