We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Linguistics

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What Are the Different Types of Rhetorical Skills?

By Cynde Gregory
Updated: May 23, 2024
Views: 17,269
Share

Since time immemorial, people have done their best to persuade others to believe as they believe, trust what they trust, and do what they do. Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, and Cicero collectively helped formalize the study of how language is used in persuasion, also called argument. The approaches they focused on are called rhetorical skills. Rhetorical skills fall into a number of categories, including invention, arrangement, memory, delivery, and style.

As a rhetorical skill, invention is the origin. It includes ethos, pathos, and logical proof. Ethos refers to the speaker’s apparent ethical standards as well as credibility. Pathos is concerned with the degree to which the orator provokes an emotional response in those who are listening. Logical proof is found in the use of inductive and deductive reasoning.

The category of arrangement looks at the rhetorical structure of the orator’s argument and includes seven elements: introduction, narration, proposition, division, proof, refutation, and conclusion. Introduction is the orator’s invitation to the audience to listen to the argument, and narration briefly lists facts that relate to the argument. In the proposition, the orator explores these facts. Division is how the orator organizes all the points into categories; proof refers to the orator’s logical, step-by-step presentation of supporting ideas; and refutation is the point at which the orator points out the errors in the opposing argument. During the conclusion, the orator summarizes the argument and urges the audience to respond emotionally.

The role of memory in rhetorical skills is simple but important. The orator must internalize the argument’s structure to the point where he or she can present it as though it were spontaneous and heartfelt. Delivery involves the orator’s control of tone of voice and gesture.

Rhetorical skills work hand in hand with one another. Without style, the final formal category, the orator’s points are bound to fall flat. The language in which the argument is delivered must demonstrate purity, or linguistic correctness; clarity, which means the points are transparent; and decorum, or how appropriate the points are to the argument as a whole. The orator simultaneously impresses and subtly seduces the audience through the use of ornament, or metaphor, linguistic rhythm, and idioms. Good rhetorical skills also require questions, including interrogative or rhetorical questions that don’t require a response: rogatio, in which the orator asks and answers the question; quaesitio, which presents a number of questions quickly in an attempt to sway the audience emotionally; and percontatio, which are unanswerable questions that leave the audience feeling unsatisfied.

Share
Language & Humanities is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Discussion Comments
By serenesurface — On Mar 28, 2013

Why don't we use more elements of rhetorical writing in schools? I've never had a teacher have me write an essay in this format but there is a rhetorical skills section in the university exam.

By SteamLouis — On Mar 27, 2013

@fify-- I agree with you. Debate is a very important rhetorical skill for careers in politics and law. Forming arguments and counter-arguments and using facts to support these arguments is how politicians and lawyers convince people.

I was in a politics and law class in college and we had many students in class who were preparing for law school. Some of them were so competent in rhetorical skills that they could form one argument in support of something and then form an argument against the same thing just a minute later.

I've never seen any other group of people think so thoroughly and quickly and represent their thoughts so convincingly. It was very impressive.

By fify — On Mar 27, 2013

I think politicians use these rhetorical skills very well. When I listen to political speeches, I become very interested in whatever subject that was discussed. But this is not just because the topic is very intriguing, it's because the speaker presents information in such a way that it makes me interested in it.

Share
https://www.languagehumanities.org/what-are-the-different-types-of-rhetorical-skills.htm
Copy this link
Language & Humanities, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

Language & Humanities, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.