When Winston Churchill spoke in Parliament he convinced an empire to go to war. When Martin Luther King spoke in Washington he convinced millions to open their hearts. When Oprah Winfrey told her female viewers to think like queens, she was also using rhetoric. As we have, by using the rule of three (tricolon) to stress a point.
Rhetoric - the art of persuasive speaking and writing - often gets a bad rap these days. In this dazzling, fast-paced guide, Guy Doza rescues it from the shadows and thrusts its immense power into the spotlight.
Delving into compelling sayings from Ancient Rome to now, he shows how leaders, businesses, and even our own friends deploy rhetoric, often without our knowledge. He also reveals how to use persuasive language in your own life.
* How to convince an investor to back your venture
* What to say to a potential lover in a bar
* And, the six rules of apology you should use if you accidentally run over the next-door neighbour's cat...
Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION. The author introduces the ancient art of rhetoric, and explains its importance in everyday life as well as how it has been used – and still is used – by people and organisations seeking to influence our views and behaviour. Mentions rhetoric, swindling, persuasive language, Aristotle
1. TOUCHING THE HEART. Introducing how rhetoric can be used in practice, with examples ranging from a simple love letter phrased in many different ways to convey different messages to the Axis of Evil speech by US President George W Bush and the Stolen Generations speech by Australian PM Kevin Rudd
2. THE THREE MUSKETEERS OF RHETORIC. Welcome to Logos, Ethos, and Pathos, key elements of rhetoric – a bit like the rhetorical equivalent of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Only with three, so the three musketeers is a better cliché. Logos is the use of logic, ethos is the use of emotion
3. LOGOS. Introducing and explaining the uses of logos in rhetoric, including a quick primer on formal logic such as minor and major premise and logical fallacies. Mentions rhetorical technique, formal logic, informal logic, Malala, MMR vaccine, Brexit Battle Bus, Barack Obama, argumentum ad rem
4. ETHOS. Introducing and explaining the rhetorical concept of ethos – the use of reputation to bolster one's argument. Mentions argumentum ad hominem, JK Rowling, Julia Gillard, Justin Bieber, George W Bush, Shakespeare, All’s Well That Ends Well
5. PATHOS. Introduction to pathos in rhetoric, looking at examples throughout history where speakers or writers have invoked emotion to strengthen their argument. Donald Trump, Martin Luther King Jr, I Have a Dream speech, Michelle Obama, Melania Trump, Johnny Mercer, Hilary Benn, Oprah Winfrey
6. REPETITION. The use of the many different types of repetition in rhetoric, including tricolon, epizeuxis, anaphora, epistrophe, anadiplosis, abundantia, isocolon, chiasmus. Mentions historical and political figures Julius Caesar, Abraham Lincoln, Tony Blair, Barack Obama and Kevin Rudd
7. REPETITION (AGAIN!). Explaining further rhetorical techniques such as anadiplosis, abundantia, isocolon, chiasmus. Mentions We Shall Fight on the Beaches, Yoda, US President George W Bush, Malcolm X, abundantia, Kevin Rudd, Sojourner Truth, Ain’t I a woman? anti-slavery speech
8. TRICKS OF THE TIRADE. Introducing other rhetorical techniques used by the likes of Nelson Mandela and Donald Trump. Mentions rhetoric, comprobatio, Donald Trump, Mississippi, Alabama, Nelson Mandela, occultatio, kairos, periphrasis, aporia, apostrophe, apodioxis, digressio, reductio ad absurdum
9. LOGICAL FALLACIES. Revealing the logical fallacies present when skilled practitioners of rhetoric use persuasive language and writing. Mentions slippery slope, Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, Benjamin Netanyahu, tu quoque, false cause, David Silvester, false dichotomy, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi
10. TO QUESTION OR NOT TO QUESTION – THAT IS THE QUESTION. Exploring the operation of rhetorical questions, known in rhetoric as erotema. Examples include Greta Thunberg, Barack Obama and Shylock in Merchant of Venice. Mentions false dichotomy, epiplexis, Merchant of Venice, Shylock, Hypophora
11. I'M SORRY I DID IT... APOLOGIES. How to apologise, without making matters worse, for instance if you run over the next-door neighbours cat, don't glibly offer to buy them a new one. Features the six key psychological components of a successful apology. Mentions admission of guilt and regret
12. RHETORIC IN TIMES OF CRISIS. The use of rhetoric in crises, as demonstrated by Winston Churchill. We Shall Fight Them on the Beaches, kairos, People’s Republic of China, Mao Zedong, Covid-19 speech, anadiplosis, tricolon, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana funeral rhetoric, Menachem Begin, BP spill
13. RHETORIC IN THE WORKPLACE. Rhetoric in LinkedIn profiles, job applications and CVs. Mentions ethos, work rhetoric, employment rhetoric, office banter, antithesis, job applications, Legally Blonde, comprobatio, CV rhetoric, TEDx Talk, rhetoric public speaking
14. RHETORIC AND PUBS (PUBS, TINDER AND THE GUTTER). The operation of rhetoric in private lives, such as in dating profiles and in wedding vows. Mentions tricolon, epizeuxis, 'education, education, education', rhetoric of Tinder, rhetorician, Grindr profile, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
15. THE END AND A QUIZ. A quiz to end the book. See how many rhetorical techniques you can spot in Barack Obama's acceptance speech after the 2008 presidential election in Grant Park, Chicago. Techniques to spot: kairos, anaphora, epistrophe, tricolon, antithesis, erotema, ethos, pathos, isocolon
GLOSSARY. Glossary of rhetorical terms. Mentions ethos, pathos, logos, abundantia, anadiplosis, anaphora, antithesis, apodioxis, aporia, apostrophe, argumentum ad hominem, argumentum ad populum, argumentum ad rem, chiasmus, comprobatio, digressio, elenchus, enthymeme, epiplexis, epistrophe
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Mentions CMM Literary Agency, Simon & Schuster, Kate Woodruff, Anna Stelter, Ruby Bennett, Canbury Press
INDEX. Full index of rhetorical terms and historical characters used in the book, ranging from Tony Abbot, the Australian PM to Mao Zedong
