The Art of Persuasion: A Guide to Effective Rhetoric
Chapter
1
concession: rhtorical jujitsu that uses your oppenent’s move to your advantage. (let’s tweak it)
manipulate= instruction
the ancients considered rhetoric the essential skill of leadership-knowledge so important that they placed it at the center of a higher education.
amplification= its a form of an essenntial rhetorical tactic that turns up the volume as you speack (informerciales)
great argument does not always mean elaborate speech; thought the most effective rhetoric disguises is art.
argument’s grand prize: the consensus. It means more than just agreement, much more than a compromise.
manipulaton= is half of argument, and therefore many of us shy from it.
logic alone will rarely get people to do anything. They have to desire the act. You may not like seductions manipulative aspect; it beats fighting which is what we usually mistake for an argument.
without a pause it does the same thing in reverse, rendering of a speech called chiasmus.
Chapter 2
debate and battle= share same latin root
rhetorical argument= blame-shiftint
the basic difference between an argument and a fight: an argument, done skillfully, gets people to want to do what you want. You fight to win; you argue to achieve agreement.
rhetoric= eristic (for debate)
to win a deliberate argument, dont try to outscore your opponent. Try instead to get your way.
consession: concede your opponents point in order to get what you want.
prolepsis: anticipation
the playwright aristophanes said that persuasion can make ” the lesser side appear the greater”.
set your personal goal
set your goals for your audience.
Do you want to change their mood, their mind or their willingness to carry out what you want?
changing the mood is the easiest goal, and usually the one your work on first.
goal numbe8r 2: making them decide what you want.
goal number 3: in which you get an audience to do something or to stop doing it.
self deprecating is an acceptable way to brag.
chapter 3
blame= issue= past
values= morally right or wrong= present
choice= to build or not to build= future
present tense( demostrative)= rhetoric tends to finish with people bonding or separating
past tense(forensic)= rhetoric threatens punishment
future tense(deliberative)= argument promises a payoff you can see why Aristotle dedicated the rhetoric of decision making to thre future
rule #1: never debate the undebatable, instead focus on your goals
control the issue: do you want to fix the blame? Define who meets or abuses your common values? Or get the audience to make a choice? The most productive arguments use choices as their central issue. Dont let a debate swerve heedlessly into values or guilt. Keep it focused on choices that solve a problem to you audience and your advantage
control the clock= keep your argument in the right tense. In a debate over choices, make sure it turns to the future.
chapter 4
logos= argument by logic= logos toold of all= concession
ethos= agument by character= Aristotle called this the most important appeal of all – even more than logos
pathos= argument by emotion. A succesful persuader must learn how to read the audiences emotions= sympathy: registered concern for your audicience and then changing the mood to suits your argument
logic, emotion, character= mega tools of rhetoric
chapter 5
decorum= your audience find you agreedable if you meet their expectations= is the art of fitting in not just in the polite company but everywhere= follows the audiences rules
deliberate argument is not about truth= is about choices
persuasive decorum= changes the match the audience
aporia=rhetorical device
decorum= argument by character starts with your audiences love. You earn it through decorum, which cicero listed first among the ethical tactics.
chapter 6
cicero said= you want your audience to be receptive, attentive, like and trust you= the perfect audience
virtue or cause= the audience believes you share their values
practical wisdom or craft= your appear to know the right thing to do on every occassion
all 3 are the three traits of persuasive leadership
desinterest= this means not lack of interest but lack of bias, you seem to be impartial, caring only about the audiences interests rather than your own.
c3= cause, craft, caring
virtus= manliness, good sportmanship, respect for values all around nobility
arete= cause, standing for certain values or meeting high standard
virtue= rhetorical virtue is the apparence of a virtue, it can be spring from truly noble person or be faked by the skillfull rhetorician
values= takes on different meaning in rhetorical as well. It does not necessarily represent rightness or thurt.
brag
get a witness to brag for you
reveal tactical flaw
swtich sides when the powers that be do= a variation, is the eddie haskell ploy, which throws your support behind the inevitable. When you know you will lose, preempt your opponent by taking his side.
chapter 7
practical wisdom: the audience thinks you know your craft and can solve the problem at hand= Aristotle called this phronesis
show off your experience= if you debate a war and your a veteran can show your experience and its fine to brag about
bend the rules= if the rules dont apply, dont apply them unless ignoring the rules violates the audiences values.
seem to take the middle course= the ancient greeks had far more respect for moderation than our culture does, but humans in every era instinctively prefer decision that lies midway between extremes.
chapter 8
libertas= freedom and freakness
desinterested goodwill= Aristotle thrid ethos asset
seem to deal reluctanly with something you are really eager to prove.
reluctant conclusion= act as through you felt compelled to reach your conclusion despite your own desires
acts if the choice you advocate hurts you personally
cicero said= you want them to be attentive, trusting and willing to be persuaded
make it seem you have no tricks
dubatatio= dont look tricky, seem to be in doubt what to say
the reluctant conclusion= act as if you reached your conclusion only because its overwheelming rightness
the personal sacrifice= claim that the choice will help your audience more than it will help you, even better, mantain that you´ll actually suffer from the decision.
dubitatio= show doubt in your own rhetorical skill, the plain spoken seemingly ingenioues speaker is the trickiest of them all, being the most believable