Thursday, January 26, 2012

Communicating through Writing

 In Chapter Four of our Rhetoric and Civic life book, the process of communicating through written work is explained as well as peer editing. In addition to speaking, written material can be a very effective means of establishing rhetoric to an audience.  Both the reader and writer need to follow a specific plan to get the most out of a written piece. Although I am not a fan of reading aloud in a public setting, I love to write to get a message out. Writing to introduce an idea, (like our “this I believe essay”), is one of the most effective ways for me at least to allow to express an idea or a thought.
            When I read an essay or any other written work, I always need to find something that interests me, even if I am not particularly interested in what the writer has to say in doesn’t take much to get me interested.  Good writing tactics like using descriptive verbs and adjectives is a great way to grab a reader’s interest from the start. If the writer is trying get rhetoric across a short, concise written piece will certainly grab a reader’s attention as opposed to a long, drawn out piece which tends to “bore a reader to death”.       
An example of written rhetoric, that captures my attention is a newspaper article that is able descriptive and to the point and doesn’t take three pages to get the message across.  A writer needs to capture the reader’s imagination immediately because if the reader isn’t interested they are extremely likely to not continue with the reading. In today’s world of rhetoric the message needs to be delivered quickly or the writer’s message will go unnoticed.
            Rhetoric in written work is all around us. We can find written rhetoric in magazines, billboards, political pamphlets, books, and so many other written forms. Next time you are walking around campus just take a look around to see all the rhetoric in written forms. It can be seen everywhere!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

What makes a public speaker effective?

Rhetoric is used all around us on a daily basis. It can be used by politicians or just friends talking over an event. Speeches given to the public are an important vehicle used in delivering rhetoric to a large audience of voters, concerned citizens, or even college students.  In chapters two and three of Rhetoric and Civic Life, many aspects of effectively communicating through public speech are explained. Public speakers need to be prepared, engaging, and confident when delivering a speech to a crowd whether it be a classroom of college students or thousands of political supporters.  Public speaking is essential in guaranteeing a democratic country because allows anybody to voice their opinion.
                Good public speaking skills are required to effectively deliver a message to a large audience. For example the past few days, I have been watching the various Republican presidential candidates deliver speeches.  Like many others, I quickly lose interest in what the candidates are talking about if they are presenting the material (no matter how interesting to me) in a monotone and simplistic manner.
              A good public speaker needs to be able to grab the listeners attention immediately because today our society focuses on sound bytes and quick news clips to get our information on a political figure head.  A speaker needs to capture a listener’s attention and hold  for the duration of his or her speech and focus on the audience.
                I find myself sitting down and tuning into a speech on the television or computer, when I hear a person deliver a speech with rhetorical questions that make me think more in depth than I normally would about the topic of the speech. A confident speaker who uses emotion in his or her speeches also draws me in to listen to their message. I have tried to understand what makes a good public speaker effective at what he or she does.  Like most LA 101H students, I want to know how to prepare a good speech and then carry it out without being nervous or underprepared.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Welcome

Welcome to my rhetoric and civic life blog for LA101H Spring semester 2012.