Rhetoric And Public Speaking: A Textbook

Rhetoric And Public Speaking

A Textbook

Carolyn Franklin M.A.

[email protected]

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Contents

SECTION ONE

SECTION TWO

SECTION THREE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

OTHER BOOK BY CAROLYN FRANKLIN

SECTION ONE

Whether you know it or not, you public speak every day, all day. Anytime you say, Hi!, it’s a public speech!

You say, Good morning, to your mother - that’s a public speech. The word public means people. The general meaning refers to two or more people at that moment. But, when you consider that one person could represent thousands more, that one person is your audience and your message is critical - get it right!

When you talk to the president of a company, you are technically talking to hundreds more that the president represents. You want your message on target no matter how many people are with you.

As we say in Communications, Humans cannot not communicate. This is one of those rare times a double-negative makes a singular statement.

The TV goes constantly: buy this! Vote for that! Watch this - not that! Eat this, wash that in this, drive this, bigger, better, faster, whiter clothes, bigger eyes, smoother skin, elbows…

All day and night long we get yelled at, flashing colors, dancing, loud voices, smile, happy, happy, urged to buy something, try something, do this! Don't do that! -and, those are from our parents and friends! Think of the ads on the browser, the store displays, the bus driving by…communication never ends.

As you may soon know, I’m a word person; I love words, monosyllabic, short ones, multisyllabic, big ones, round ones and skinny ones. My students often complain the words I use are BIG,; no word is big if you know what it says.

Isn’t it simpler to use one big word than a dozen little ones - like I mean, like actually, basically, like if you know like what I mean? There’s a lotta words that say NUTHIN! Babble! And when you say nuthin’ you tell people YOU’re nuthin’.

This was actually, really, on TV. A reporter was interviewing a beauty queen; she was responding to his question, I mean like… (pause), it was… (shoulder shrug), well,… (sigh), it was like,… (look up at the ceiling), I mean…do you know what I mean? Gently, he replied, Yes, I know what you mean. He might know what she means - but I doubt she does - or, anyone else.

This is rhetoric. all communication is rhetoric, a concept I hope you come to understand thoroughly. It’s used all day, every day, from every body. Rhetoric is like a secret code, a code within a language. There are levels of rhetoric and meanings within meanings. It’s never-ending and fascinating. Rhetoric is the real meaning of the message - but yet it can be so garbled…

At this point let’s define rhetoric; it’s whatever anyone does (says, wears, eats, drives, lives, has…) to persuade you to believe them. It’s all an act, however normal it may seem to them and to you; subconsciously we all put on an act to persuade you (and themselves) that they’re credible.

Words can be rhetoric, and, very often, words can be unreliable. For example, someone hurts your feelings, lies to you, cheats you, then after the fact, says I’m sorry. Should you