There are three main elements that comprise the rhetorical triangle. These are the audience, or whom you are presenting to; the writer, or who is giving the presentation; and the purpose, or what you hope to achieve from the presentation you are giving. In historical terms, the rhetorical triangle is all about 'logos', 'ethos' and 'pathos' (taken from ancient Greek). Ethos means that the writer or speaker must convince the audience that he is trustworthy, by presenting his/herself as well as possible. Pathos means that you must try to touch you audience, and appeal to their emotions. Logos means that you must use effective arguments with facts and supporting details and statistics. In a perfect speech you use all three of them.
As mentioned, a terrific and effective presentation uses all three of the elements of the rhetorical triangle. If we look specifically at the audience, we need to keep in mind that we want to appeal to them and make them involved with what you are speaking about. This may also include something that persuades the audience’s emotions. It can be in the form of metaphor, simile, a passionate delivery, or even a simple claim that a matter is unjust. Pathos can be particularly powerful if used well, but most speeches do not solely rely on pathos. Pathos is most effective when the author connects with an underlying value of the reader (Gunnar, 2011).
The second element of the triangle is the writer or speaker. For example, when we think about the audience, we want to be sure to touch them emotionally and make them believe in the honesty of the speaker. It may also be seen as how well the speaker convinces the audience that he or she is qualified to speak on the particular subject. One occasion where this may be useful would be when a professor is giving a lecture to a group of college students on a topic he or she is quite familiar with and actually known for.
Lastly, we need to consider the setting of the presentation, including the facts and location. Here there are some important questions to ask before giving the presentation. Have I established the purpose for my text, and have I utilized the most effective genre? Have I established a clear, reasonable, and logical progression of my ideas? Have I addressed opposing arguments or perspectives? All of these are critical inquires to determine when you wish to give a compelling presentation. This may include giving the talk in an authoritative looking space or conference room to engender faith in the audience (Gunnar, 2011).
If we may relate these concepts to specific presentations, we may see the rhetorical triangle gives an excellent place to start for preparing a lecture, workshop, discussion, or even a group activity. The most important concept is to be prepared before hand with a great idea of the potential audience and develop your presentation to speak to them.
At the end, this of course, brings us back to the first part of the triangle. In conclusion, the best speeches use all three of these elements to craft an excellent seminar. Furthermore, all three of these elements work together to help the lecture be as effective as possible.
References
Gunnar, R. (2011) The Rhetorical Triangle. Last accessed August 24, 2011.