The Power of Silence

A podcast modeled after NPR's segment "This I Believe."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9u5c2uEubk

Presidential Advice

Revision, editing, and proofreading- three different approaches, all with the goal of making an essay, a speech, a novel, more eloquent, flowing, understandable, and relatable.  Obviously you have to go over your own work, time and again, adapting the work for its purpose, adding and subtracting words, rearranging sentences, and nitpicking grammar.  Yet, as beneficial as tearing your own work apart may be, another opinion makes a world of difference. 

Even the president thinks so. 

Going behind the scenes of the State-of-the Union Address, Jon Favreau, Director of Speech Writing at the White House details the process of writing this all-inclusive, astronomically important presidential speech.  He also explains how it has changed.  What used to be simply a written document submitted to the white house became a nationally televised speech to a joint session of Congress.  And as we all know, writing a speech and writing a paper require different skill sets, different techniques.  Instead of putting words down on paper to be read, you have to consider delivery, how the words will sound spoken.  While both forms of writing must connect with the audience, the audiences in this case are different.  Instead of simply talking to Congress, politicians, the president has to reach out to Americans, common citizens.

To create a successful speech, focused, and comprehendible by a normal, politically un-savvy individual, yet technical enough to please Congress and the political pundits, President Obama and his speech writer work together, e-mailing each other countless revisions.  Back and forth goes the speech, each time acquiring additional modifications, presidential flair, personality, reworded stances on the issues (you don’t want to beat your head at the same angle on the wall, remember).  The President edits for his speech writer just as the speech writer revises for the president. 

Obviously if even the president does it, peer revisions are veritable gold mines as far as producing a rhetorically sound essay is concerned.

A Rhetoric Master

Rhetoric.  Merriam Webster defines it as “the art of speaking or writing effectively.”  Aristotle terms it "the ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion."  So, in layman’s terms, rhetoric requires figuring out all the angles a situation can be looked at and then communicating those angles. 

The importance of rhetoric is spelled out, though not in name, in the Abraham Lincoln biography by Doris Kearns Goodwin, Team of Rivals.  Lincoln lead greatly, influenced and guided, because he understood rhetoric.  He used it in his speeches to gain support and become elected, but more importantly, he utilized his knowledge of the art to design his cabinet, to choose those who would serve with him.  Abraham Lincoln created a team of rivals. 

He selected intelligent people from all parties and walks of life because he knew that to make the right decision and to be able to convince others of its validity, he would need to know the educated opinions of all groups.  He knew he needed people who would argue with him and each other, and he knew how to communicate with these individuals to prevent intelligent debate descending to word bashing and angry brawls.  Abraham Lincoln mastered rhetoric and he remains in the history books one of the greatest presidents the United States has ever seen.  He used the tools of speech, persuasion, letter writing, and storytelling, to hold those loyal to the Union together.  Thus united, the north had the power to bring the south to hand.  In a way, Lincoln’s use of rhetoric is the only reason we are 50 United States.  

Politicians today need to learn from Honest Abe’s example: be honest with yourself about your beliefs and values, but also respect the ideals of others.  To accomplish anything requires debate, but it also requires decisions.  It requires looking at different angles instead of repeating the same dreary statements over and over.  Instead of beating your head straight against the same wall, the least you can do is to find a different angle or a different point on the wall to hit.  Otherwise, the wall will break completely and be no use.  Find some variety.  Analyze facts and adjust arguments.  Determine what other sides are thinking. Learn from the past. In a word, value rhetoric.