The Rhetorical Triangle

THE RHETORICAL TRIANGLE

Christina Bowman

American Intercontinental University

Unit 1 Individual Project

Pres 111 - Presentation Essentials

October 7, 2012

The Rhetorical Triangle

The Rhetorical Triangle is the dynamic relationship between the speaker, the audience, and the situation. The Rhetorical Triangle was originally developed by a philosopher named Aristotle. There are three key components to the language device to appeal to the audience. The first key component is the speaker, they are the primary importance. The speaker selects the topic and decides how to focus it into the message for the audience. The second component is audience. They are the ones who will be receiving the message that the speaker is giving. The third component is situation. The situation is the purpose, setting, or location of the meeting (Board).

The first video was at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. The speaker was speaking for John Kerry, who was running for president at the time. The Democratic National Convention is something that takes place every four years since 1832. It is held to promote the upcoming candidates running for Democratic presidential (Why is the National Convention held?, 2011).The presenter is Barack Obama. The name of the presentation given is A Lifetime of Strength and Service. The presentation was given on July 27, 2004 in Boston, MA. The audience was those that support the Democratic Party. The video can be found at The History Channel Website the URL is http://www.history.com/speeches/obama-addresses-2004-democratic-convention.

How does each part of the Rhetorical Triangle operate in the presentation?

Yes, the presentation was successful. Barack Obama was the speaker and he thought about his topic as how to make it pertain to the audience. He spoke on a topic that affected most of the audience. The audience was successful because they responded to the message in a positive way. They could relate to what he was talking about. The situation was successful because the purpose was right for the speech (Obama Addresses 2004 Democratic Convention, 2004).

References

Board, E. (n.d.). Introduction to Communication. Words of Wisdom.

Obama Addresses 2004 Democratic Convention. (2004, July 27). Retrieved from The History Channel website: http://www.history.com/speeches/obama-addresses-2004-democratic-convention.