{"id":133516,"date":"2023-01-31T12:21:51","date_gmt":"2023-01-31T17:21:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=133516"},"modified":"2025-04-16T12:25:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T16:25:14","slug":"how-we-use-rhetoric-in-everyday-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/how-we-use-rhetoric-in-everyday-life\/","title":{"rendered":"How we Use Rhetoric in Everyday Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

The word \u201crhetoric\u201d is hard to pin down. Often, it\u2019s negatively associated with political speech and dubious agendas. But like magic or \u201cThe Force,\u201d rhetoric is merely a tool that can be used for good, evil and neutral purposes to influence the world around us. Rhetoric is how we use language to achieve a goal in any situation, whether that\u2019s to persuade, inform or entertain.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery simply, language shapes our world and puts names to objects and behaviors so we can talk about them, and rhetoric is the study of how language shapes behaviors and beliefs,\u201d says Martha Brenckle, professor of writing and rhetoric<\/a> at the College of Arts and Humanities<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In fifth-century Athens, the study of rhetoric developed alongside democracy and played a central role in the development of Western politics and education. Today, it continues to be taught at universities to train future lawyers, teachers, creative writers, politicians, marketers and effective communicators of all kinds. But even beyond the podium or the courtroom, rhetoric is something we both use and consume every day.<\/p>\n

Below, we\u2019ll discuss some basic models of rhetoric and how you can use them to effectively express your ideas in everyday situations.<\/p>\n

The Rhetorical Situation<\/h2>\n

To be effective, a message cannot exist in a vacuum. The rhetorical situation maps out the situational context, genre, purpose and intended audience of your message. This model is also known as kairos, <\/em>which is ancient Greek for \u201cthe right time.\u201d It means choosing the opportune moment to deliver a particular message, or even creating that moment.<\/p>\n

Taking the holistic context of a situation into account is essential to create a message that resonates. For example, the way you explain a concept to your boss will be different than how you explain that same concept to your younger nephew.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to use rhetoric to succeed in everyday situations,\u201d says Brenckle. \u201cUnderstanding the rhetorical situation (when and where you are and what\u2019s at stake), your audience (the attributes of people you want to persuade) and the rhetor (thinking about what you want to happen) can help you call members to action at a club meeting or persuade admissions counselors to give you a scholarship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Below are the parts of a rhetorical situation:<\/p>\n