Rhetoric - detail from Martin de Vos, "Allegory of the Seven Liberal Arts," Public Domain, Wikimedia.
“What is rhetoric?” you may ask. There are many definitions available. As a scholar of rhetoric, I offer my current definition.
Rhetoric is the study and practice of communication to target audiences that persuades, informs, inspires, or entertains in order to change or reinforce beliefs, values, habits and actions.
Rhetoric is basically the strategic use of communication to accomplish purposes with target audiences. It can be used for ethical and unethical purposes, but ought to be used for good.
Rhetoric is defined by its function, not by a communication medium, topic, or social location.
- Rhetoric is not limited to writing and speech, but occurs through all media and genres. One could even say we persuade ourselves through our own thoughts and actions.
- Rhetoric is not restricted to politics and public discourse, but is potentially an aspect of communication on every topic and every social situation.
Rhetoric functions even where it is not announced or acknowledged.
- Most people practice rhetoric all the time without consciously applying it or studying it, just as we can all think without having to study philosophy or psychology.
- Many speakers and writers deny that they are using rhetoric. However, the most powerful forms of rhetoric are those that hide their own strategies and intentions, which seem to be simply informative or artistic.
- Many people accuse others of using rhetoric without admitting that they are using it themselves. However, even the most vehement condemnation of someone else’s rhetoric is itself an act of rhetoric persuading you to agree with the judgment.
Rhetorical study not only brings deeper understanding of strategic communication, but guides our practical use of it. Rhetoric is an art through which people learn to improve their own communication and adapt it to specific audiences and purposes. It also helps us learn to discern the excellence and weakness of our own and others’ rhetoric. Rhetorical study & education occurs through several means:
- Individual, everyday practice and reflection on one’s own communication – We learn through painful trial and error and by reflecting on what we observe. We adjust our own rhetoric sometimes without even being aware of altering our strategies, and other times we use conscious effort.
- Rhetorical enculturation and popular rhetorical advice – We can find examples and advice about effective or ineffective rhetoric in self-help books, magazine articles, and churches, among other places. Our society continually teaches people how to communicate in certain situations or to achieve certain purposes.
- Formal study of rhetorical theory, criticism, history, and practice – This is usually facilitated through Rhetoric courses at an institution of higher education, or through a speaking or debate club or corporate workshop that incorporates the rhetorical tradition. University courses usually teach the “rhetorical tradition” represented by a canon of rhetorical theorists and famous orators/writers/leaders. They often engage students in applying rhetorical principles to their production of discourse in writing, speech, or other media.
Read more about rhetoric on Wikipedia’s Rhetoric Page.
