(4 minute read)

The Art Of Being An Influencer

The art of communications may be defined as the capacity to discover means of persuasion.

Aristotle, Rhetoric

To be confident communicators we need to fully understand:

• What propaganda is and how it is used
• What persuasion is and how it is used
• What is the difference between the two

We looked at some aspects of propaganda in the prior article and we will return to the topic later.

It is important that effective ethical persuasion techniques be established and understood before proceeding any further. The amount of confidence it produces can’t be overstated.

In our communications, there will be times when we need to critically evaluate our practices and efforts. In fact, if we are not constantly and honestly checking ourselves we could easily fall into the propaganda trap. Before we know it, we’ll find ourselves delivering lines and a message that we’ve given little thought.

Persuasion

One of the main purposes of organized communication efforts is to ethically influence people. There is nothing wrong with that. Communication is like brain surgery. We want to transplant one idea into the brain of another (more later).

The above quote from Aristotle’s Rhetoric marries two very important ideas; communications and persuasion. He called the practice of learning to communicate “rhetoric.” Like the word propaganda, it lost its original meaning outside of academia. It is now used only when we have a disagreement about some information being presented.

“Oh, don’t listen to that rhetoric,” as if the word meant “canned speech.”

It is also used as if it were synonymous with the words rubbish, empty, nefarious, and lies. Used in an academic context, it seems to evoke images of an antiquated, dusty-old, medieval practice. This practice appears to have no real purpose in our modern society. We’ve outgrown it. Even many universities have long abandoned the term.

Some may be surprised to find that they still keep parts of the discipline in their curriculum. It is not as rigorous as earlier generations. Today they have repackaged, incorporated it into existing classes, or are rebranding it altogether.

• Public Speaking
• Creative Writing
• Professional Writing
• Graduate Leadership Courses, etc.

All of these and a plethora of other classes are teaching some form of rhetoric. It remains a vital part of higher education. It is also significant in some exceptional private high schools.

There are quadrants in our society that value the term. They don’t see it as a convenient way of dismissing an opposing viewpoint. They understand the art of rhetoric. They use it on a daily basis, both ethically and otherwise. It behooves each of us to recognize the signs of it when coming across it.

Why?

First, because if we are not employing any of the tactics, we are at a disadvantage. Being in a chosen career that expects communication through the oral or written word further increases this disadvantage. Anyone else employing the tools when organizing their communication efforts are miles ahead of us.

If the anyone else is using it, we might as well reap the rewards by employing its benefits ourselves. Except we will insist on using it ethically. We will do it for the greater good. We won’t use it for the self-servicing reasons we’re witnessing others do on a daily basis.

Second, identifying and dissecting the persuasive techniques used by others enhances our bullshit detector’s awareness. Not to quickly dismiss their arguments as BS. That would be counterproductive. It would make us no better than those who dismiss opposing arguments without thinking.

No, we look for the signs because it elevates our own communication skills. It allows us to slow down the process of communication by suspending snap judgments. When we can distinguish ethical persuasive techniques from propaganda, we get a glimpse behind the curtain. We can then make more informed judgments based on our own reasoning and logic.

We can learn elements of the art of rhetoric for our own advantage. These elements are also important for our society. Ethically persuading others to show the behavior of our “better angles” helps society as a whole. This is a worthy goal.

“He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god.”

Aristotle, Politics

Aristotle implies to his students that he expected them to fully engage in society. They should be active members. If we cut ourselves off…well, we are either one of the two things mentioned…and that ain’t good.

Read Propaganda vs. Persuasion, Pt. 3