Embedded Files
Looks like this fella just heard the word “walk." (Source)
The rhetorical strategies we just covered added flair, which means you have to work a little to come up with interesting phrases and ideas. Now, we know what you're asking. "Isn't there a way to punch up my speech without having to think of interesting and funny things to say?"
The good news is yes—there is.
The style strategy you'll read about in this lesson doesn't require being a white-hot witted, Oscar-Wilde-style life of the party. It just takes knowing your audience and knowing a few of the words that will make your audience drool like Pavlov's dogs at the sound of a bell—only the drooling is hopefully going to be figurative rather than literal.
Another quick warning before we start: this rhetorical strategy can be used for good, but it can also be used for evil. Also, it can also be used for plain ol' stupid. So be careful how you wield this particular speaking style.
CODING LESSONS
In the first lesson of this unit, we talked about how repeating your main idea several times can really help drill that bad boy into your audience's heads.
There's another kind of repetition that can hook your audience. If you've ever heard a politician speak, then you're probably already familiar with it…even if you don't know what to call it.
But Jay Heinrichs knows what to call it. To find out, read Thank You For Arguing Chapter 21: "Speak Your Audience's Language" on pages 220-228.
Ch 21.pdfIf you've finished the chapter (which you should have done if you're reading this), you know that the repetition strategy we introduced is code grooming. We'd like to repeat (get it?) something Heinrichs wrote on page 226:
"Repetition acts like a football cheer, or the refrain to a song, or a protest chant, making people feel part of a group—a group headed by you."
Here's our two cents: when choosing the code words that will work best for your audience, keep in mind the other language guidelines for speaking that we mentioned in the first lesson: they should be simple and precise.
The only real exception to this rule is if your audience is extremely specialized—but even in in those situations, often the good "code words" are words word that would be obscure to a general audience, but that are perfectly simple and clear to the specialized audience.
CLEVERNESS INJECTION
Our fictional friend Sally took Jay Heinrichs' advice and injected some cleverness into her speech. She didn't want to go crazy and use every single strategy Heinrichs covered in his chapter…because that would dull the effect. Instead, she chose just a few places to inject some rhetorical flair.
This time, we've bolded the additions Sally made and explained her choices at the end:
[Intro to come]
Installing speakers on Main Street is a bad idea that will cause more problems than it will solve. I'd like to share three problems that are most significant to me as a tax-paying resident of Summerfield.
You'll hear, from those in favor of installing these speakers, that doing the same thing has boosted business in Winterton. That's certainly an issue we should consider here in Summerfield. But we should give equal weight to other issues, too.
First, I think broadcasting music along Winterton's Main Street feels tacky. Actually, no. It's not just me who thinks so. I spoke to fifteen Winterton residents, and nine of them—a majority—felt the same. It makes walking down the street feel like walking through a strip mall—or a dentist's office.The speakers have caused another unexpected problem in Winterton: they're expensive to maintain. Winterton has already spent five thousand dollars to repair speakers that were damaged. I read the police report about the incident. Turns out some teenagers didn't like the song that was playing, and took a baseball bat to three of the speakers. (By the way, the song was Daniel Powter's "Bad Day," which I think we all got sick of hearing ten years ago. Sounds like that really was a bad day, though.) But teenagers aren't the only thing that can cause damage. How much more money will Winterton spend to repair speakers damaged by storms or birds or impaired drivers—or who knows what else?
The speakers have also caused unnecessary problems between Winterton residents. I found twenty letters to the editor in the Gazette that suggest residents are unhappy with the speakers because of the volume of the music and the choice of songs. I'm friends with the woman who owns Winterton's coffee shop, and she told me that two residents got into a shouting match about the music in front of her shop one day. What effect do you think that had on her business? I'll tell you—it was the opposite of a boost.
[Conclusion to come]
Now let's identify the style strategy for each addition we made:
"Actually, no. It's not just me who thinks so."
This is an example of what Heinrichs called editing out loud. By correcting herself, Sally amplifies her argument while making it seem more fair and accurate—less like a personal beef and more like a popular, shared opinion.
"It makes just walking down the street feel like walking through a strip mall—or a dentist's office."
This is a familiar figure (it falls under the "trope" category, according to Heinrichs) that you may recognize as a simile. Just in case not everyone in the audience thinks walking through a strip-mall is all that bad, Sally also compared it to a dentist's office—because who doesn't dislike those?
"(By the way, the song was Daniel Powter's "Bad Day," which I think we all got sick of hearing ten years ago. Sounds like that really was a bad day, though.)"
This doesn't fall under any of the specific style strategies Heinrichs discussed, but when you've got the opportunity to make an easy joke and/or pop culture reference, why not take it? It also repeats the word "bad" several times, which is a key word from Sally's main idea ("speakers = bad idea").
"What effect do you think that had on her business? I'll tell you—it was the opposite of a boost."
This is a combination of two rhetorical strategies: the self-answering rhetorical question and the litotes, or ironic understatement. "The opposite of a boost" is an understatement, because what she really means is the argument was bad for business.
Hopefully, Sally's made her speech sound a little less dry. Maybe some audience members will even leave the council meeting with Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" in their heads.
It's a cruel trick, perhaps, but it gets the point across.
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