Public Speaking Rhetorical devices

Logos

logical argument; an appeal to logic or reason

Pathos

n appeal to the emotions of your audience, to make your listeners feel something specific.

Ethos

appeals based on the reliability, credibility, or expertise of the writer

rhetorical question

A question asked to make a point, persuade an audience, or prompt reflection rather than to get a direct answer.

hypophora

When a speaker asks a question and immediately answers it themselves.

Description and Imagery

Used to move an argument from an abstract concept to a vivid, emotional, easier to understand concept.  visualize the topic as a whole instead of trying to grasp ideas from basic facts

Parallel structures

using the same grammatical pattern for ideas in a sentence or list.

Metaphor

comparison between two unlike things not using like or as

Simile

comparison using the words like or as

The ‘rule of three’

a communication, writing, and storytelling principle that grouping things in sets of three is more effective, satisfying, and memorable than other numbers

Anaphora

repetition of a word or expression at the BEGINNING of phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses for rhetorical or poetic effect

Epistrophe

 When you repeat the same word or group of words at the END of successive sentences, clauses, or lines

Anadiplosis

rhetorical device where the last word or phrase of one clause, sentence, or line is repeated at the beginning of the next

Hyperbole

 Language that describes something as better or worse than it really is

Anecdote

a brief, engaging story about a real-life incident or person, usually told to illustrate a specific point, entertain an audience, or add a human element

Downplaying and understating

when you make a big problem, feeling, or success sound very small and unimportant.

Distinction

act of recognizing a difference between things, a defining characteristic, or a mark of honor and or high excellence.

Antithesis

 the exact opposite of something or a literary device that places two contrasting, parallel ideas side-by-side to create a sharp contrast