Public Speaking

Incorporate Principles and Forms of Invitational Rhetoric (^229)
For example, say it’s an election year. Your classroom contains active support-
ers of three different candidates. You all have formulated good reasons for your
choices. As an invitational rhetor, you share the path you’ve traveled in making
your decision, and you invite your classmates to share theirs.

2. Nonhierarchical value of all: This means you approach your audience as equaling
   you in rank; you look for the value in their conclusions as well as your own. You don’t
   attempt to demean their position and point out their deficiencies, and you try to
   maintain a positive, civil relationship with those who hold differ views.

Back to the election. By not considering yourself intellectually or morally supe-

rior by virtue of your viewpoint, you can respect your classmates’ conclusions,

because you try hard to see the point of their reasoning. There’s no yelling, no

put-downs, and no character assassination of one another’s candidates.

3. Self-determination: Invitational rhetoric may or may not result in change.
   If listeners change their opinions or their behaviors, it won’t be because you shamed
   or scared them into accepting your views. And you may modify your own positions
   to incorporate some of their insights. Sometimes, you and your listeners may agree
   to disagree while remaining mutually respectful.

You and your classmates eventually split your votes, but regardless of who’s

elected, you have insights into the reasoning involved in each position, and

you have learned more about working effectively in the political climate that

will follow the election.

Including Two Forms

How does invitational rhetoric look in real situations? This alternative way of approach-

ing issues typically takes two forms: offering perspectives and creating conditions that

result in an atmosphere of respect and equality.

1. Offering perspectives: You explain what you currently understand or know, and you
   show a willingness to yield, examine, or revise your conclusions if someone offers a
   more satisfying perspective. When confronted with hostile or very divergent view-
   points, re-sourcement is one way to respond creatively by framing the issue in a
   different way.
   If this sounds complicated, consider how Gayle offered her perspective on
   not spanking children (to listeners most of whom believed in spanking). She
   related an incident when her young daughter Celeste discovered a prescrip-
   tion pill her grandmother had dropped—one that could cause serious medical
   problems. Celeste framed this as ownership (It’s mine! You can’t have it!). Because
   of the  danger, Gayle was tempted to swat her daughter; instead, she reframed
   Celeste’s discovery as an act of heroism. (Hooray! You saved the dogs from danger.
   Let’s give that pill back to Grandma.) Celeste happily complied. A spanking was
   avoided.


2. Creating conditions: Create conditions in which your audiences feel safe, valued,
   and free to offer their own perspectives in two ways. First, use absolute listening,
   which means listening without interrupting or inserting yourself into the talk
   and listening without criticism or counterarguments. Second, use reversibility
   of perspectives. While others are sharing their ideas, try to think from their
   perspectives instead of your own. The Native American saying “Don’t judge
   people until you’ve walked a mile in their moccasins” demonstrates perspective
   taking.

re-sourcement creatively

framing a divisive issue or

viewpoint in a different way

that may be less threatening

absolute listening listening

without interrupting or

inserting oneself into the talk

reversibility of perspectives

an attempt to think from the

other’s perspective as well as

one’s own

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