Rhetoric
Devices and Delivery
Body Language- Nonverbal Communication
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Posture
Movement
Gestures
Facial Expression
Eye Contact
What body language will be appropriate for your speech?
Consider your audience, topic, and rhetorical appeals.
How will your body language change throughout your speech?
How will you remember where in your speech to include
specific nonverbal communication?
Rhetorical Devices
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Aphorism- a pithy observation that contains a general
truth.
Examples:
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The worse the man the better the soldier. Napoleon
A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
Stephen Wright
Character is simply habit long continued. Plutarch
What is the point of using aphorisms?
How could you use aphorisms in your speech?
Rhetorical Devices
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Allusion- an expression designed to call something to
mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or
passing reference.
Examples:
“He was a Good Samaritan yesterday when he helped the
lady start her car.”
“He was a real Romeo with the ladies.”
“Chocolate was her Achilles’ heel.”
What is the purpose of using allusions?
How can you use allusions in your speech?
Delivery
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Change your speaking volume!
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What does getting louder than your normal speaking voice
convey?
What does getting softer than your normal speaking voice
convey?
Remember: make sure your normal speaking voice is audible
to all in the room so that no one has to strain to understand
you.
Be sure that your volume and tone of voice match your
message.
What emotion is conveyed by your tone of voice?
Rhetorical Devices
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Analogy- a comparison between two things, typically on
the basis of their structure and for the purpose of
explanation or clarification.
Examples:
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How a doctor diagnoses diseases is like how a detective
investigates crimes.
Just as a caterpillar comes out of its cocoon, so we must come
out of our comfort zone.
You are as annoying as nails on a chalkboard.
What is the purpose of using analogies?
What might be a natural analogy for the argument you
are making?
Rhetorical Devices
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Juxtaposition- a technique in which two or more ideas, are
placed side by side for the purpose of developing comparisons
and contrasts.
Examples:
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Is it right to have $200 Nikes when there are thousands of children
without a single pair of shoes?
How can we prevent immigration in the US when none of us would
be Americans at all except that our ancestors came here out of
some great need of their own.
Guns are tools of death. They can take a life away, but never can they
give it back. Guns are forces of destruction, not construction.
What is the purpose of juxtaposition in a speech?
What contrasting ideas might you be able to juxtapose in your
speech to more powerfully express your argument?
Delivery
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Fluency- the ability to express oneself easily and
articulately.
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Be sure that your presentation is smooth and flows well.
Be sure you know how to pronounce all of the words in your
speech (don’t laugh, this happens often).
Practice your speech so that you know exactly where your
speech is going. Even if you don’t memorize, you’ll want to
know where you’re going.
Delivery
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Pauses and Pacing
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How fast should your speech go? Have you given your
audience enough time to soak up your message?
When to pause? Hint- periods, commas, and paragraph breaks
all imply a need to pause.
Also, remember the dramatic… pause! Silence can be used to
highlight your point.
Devices
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Anaphora- repetition and also repetition!
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Examples:
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This doesn’t just mean restating your point. Use a phrase
repeatedly for effect.
I have a dream! –MLK Jr
Let freedom ring!- MLK Jr
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the
age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch
of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of
Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope,
it was the winter of despair.” – Charles Dickens
Where might you use repetition in your speech to drive
your point home?
Devices
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Alliteration- the occurrence of the same letter or sound
at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
Examples:
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We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths —
that all of us are created equal — is the star that guides us still;
just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma,
and Stonewall – Obama
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s Maybelline.
Alliteration makes your speech more memorable.
As you are writing, think of clever ways to phrase your
ideas that can utilize alliteration at opportune moments.
Devices
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Rhetorical Questions- a question asked just for effect or
to lay emphasis on some point discussed when no real
answer is expected.
Examples:
 “If you prick us, do we not bleed? – Shakespeare
 Are you stupid?
 Got milk?
Rhetorical questions are used for effect. They drive
your point home.
Where in your speech might you want to drive your
point home by using a rhetorical question or
questions?