The work of language is cumulative: That is, to achieve action, we must help listeners see a situation clearly, arouse their feelings about what they see, and bring them together into a group prepared to act. This implies that all the language techniques we have described—from simile to universal images— can contribute to the work of encouraging action. There are, however, certain techniques especially suited to meet this challenge. These resources can help speakers build the kind of ethos that will make them respected advice-givers and leaders in persuasive and ceremonial situations.
In persuasive situations especially, the ethos of the speaker is a central consideration. After all, taking action requires time and trouble and often involves cost and risk. Do we really trust this speaker? Do we respect his judgment? Does she have our good at heart? These questions rise as we hesitate on the threshold of action.
Special techniques that help build the ethos of the speaker and stir listeners to act include alliteration, parallel construction, inversion, and antithesis.
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A final technique that helps awaken feelings, especially when the subject is abstract, is personification. Personification involves treating inanimate subjects, such as ideas or institutions, as though they had human form or feeling. In the late spring of 1989, Chinese students demonstrating for freedom marched in Tiananmen Square carrying a statue they called the “Goddess of Liberty.” They were borrowing a personification that has long been used in the Western world: the representation of liberty as a woman. When those students then had to confront tanks, and their oppressors destroyed the symbol of liberty, it was easy for many, living thousands of miles away in another culture, to feel angry and to identify with their cause. Personification makes it easier to arouse feelings about people and values that might otherwise seem distant.
Using Presentation Aids. Practice using the presentation aid until it seems a natural part of your presentation. Always talk to your audience and not to your presentation aid, and keep the aid out of sight when it is not in use. As you consider the use of presentation aids, be sensitive to their potential ethical impact. Be certain that your presentation aid represents its subject without distortion.
