The true definition of rhetoric, however, is much more broad. It can be argued that all writing and speaking is actually rhetoric. After all, we say things and write things the way we do for a reason. Maybe it’s to persuade, maybe it’s to get a point across, maybe it’s to present facts. In each case, we are writing or speaking in a certain way and to a certain audience. It can really be everything from using emotion like Nixon to throwing out big numbers meant to impress the audience. It can also include how we write or speak – using slang to communicate with friends or a more formal dialect when communicating with an adult.

In essence, rhetoric is EVERY SINGLE strategy a person uses to communicate. You’ll find that almost everything is a strategy, whether we know it or not.

There’s lots of examples…

Grandiosity — Making a big deal out of something.

——-“This could very well change your life.”

Minimizing — Making a small deal out of something.

——-“Why focus on problems with your tires when the engine is having difficulties, too?”

Ethos — Making appeals based on a person’s values.

——-“True Christians will pick up the phone now to make a donation.”

Pathos — Making appeals based on a person’s feelings.

——-“If you really love me, then you’ll buy me that ring.”

Logos — Making appeals based on a person’s logical reasoning.

——-“The smart thing to do is to buy the brand-name products instead of generic brands. You get what you pay for.”

Prominence — Relating to a famous person or event.

——-“Michael Jordan wore these same shoes during the NBA Playoffs.”

Bandwagon — Describing how ‘everyone does it.’

——-“But mom… All my friends have the new XBox360…”

Statistics — Presenting factual data that can be proven.

——-“One out of every ten dentists choose Brand-X over Brand-Y.”

Timeliness — Describing the importance of ‘acting now.’

——-“Buy now while supplies last.”

There’s bunches of it. It’s everywhere. Watch TV commercials and listen to political debates.

it’s just using emotion and reason to persuade someone.