GradeCheck
Report Problems
Tools
Rhetoric is a word that is often misunderstood. In our culture, rhetoric is popularly defined as "language used to manipulate or deceive." For example, people may say a politician is using rhetoric, indicating that they need to "cut through" the rhetoric to reach the truth. However, by contrast, most dictionaries define rhetoric as the "art of speaking or writing effectively." So which definition is correct?
Aristotle, the famed Greek philosopher, defined rhetoric as "the ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion." So at a basic level, rhetoric is persuasion—the art of persuading someone else to see things the way you do. In this course, rhetoric describes the ability to speak and write effectively, adapting your message to your purposes as a writer and to the needs of your reader. Rhetoric is the art of finding and using the available means of persuading your audience.
Though they did not invent rhetoric, the ancient Greeks were the first to write about it and define its parts. To the Greeks, rhetoric was a part of daily life. Political orators would prepare speeches trying to win public support in much the same way politicians today give speeches. Philosophers, such as Socrates and Plato, spent their lives teaching students how to use rhetoric effectively and honestly. Being an effective rhetorician was power in ancient Greece.
So how does rhetoric apply to technical communication? Some students would say that technical writing is about being objective—giving the readers "just the facts." Persuasion seems to have no place when communicating with technical audiences. However, technical documents can be highly rhetorical in nature. And all effective technical documents begin with a careful assessment of what is called the rhetorical situation.
In general terms, rhetoricians describe the elements of a rhetorical situation as a combination of writer, audience, and message. These three factors are often represented as a triangle:
As Figure 1 shows, writers of a document must have a clear understanding of their audience's needs. They need to have a clear purpose and good understanding of what message needs to be communicated. The audience who receives a document must be able to understand the writer's message and purpose in writing. The message must further the writer's purpose, but it must also be understandable and usable to the reader. These three aspects together create the meaning of a document. If a document fails to reach its intended audience or if the message is unclear, the meaning of the document will fail. A document must include a clear purpose, an effective development of ideas, and careful use of rhetorical appeals in order to reach its audience successfully.