http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1298-7,00.html
The argument: We should simplify our lives, giving precedence to the most important things.
The purpose: To help listeners understand what the most important things in life are, how to focus on them, and the blessings that come from doing so.
The audience: The audience is those caught up in the franticness of day-to-day living.
The goal: The goal is to help people simplify their lives so as to receive greater joy, happiness, and fulfillment out of life.
How he does it: First, President Uchtdorf uses ethos. He does this when he quotes authoritative figures such as Leonardo da Vinci and Elder Dallin H. Oaks to support his points.
Second, President Uchtdorf uses pathos. He does this specifically in his example of NASA commissioning a research project to create a pen that will write in space. He asked the audience what the astronauts did while the pen was being created. He then describes how they used a pencil. This example was effective in that it drew laughter from the crowd as they saw the humor in NASA’s complex mission to create a pen that will write in space.
His evidence was very typical to the audience. Certainly they can relate to his stories of turbulence on airplanes, and the pre-game antics of the great football coach Vince Lombardi. These examples helped make his argument more understandable.
The evidence is also very specific. He provided scripture citations when necessary and footnotes for all of his stories. He introduced each story properly and provided adequate analysis on how the story relates to his point. This further made his argument more understandable.
This speech is very effective. The way President Uchtdorf mixes in humor with relevant examples and spiritual insights makes his argument more interesting to the reader. Certainly the rhetoric he uses helps the audience internalize his message more fully.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
A Sales Pitch
A sales pitch: A man came to our door the other day marketing car repair rewards cards. The card was designed where the purchaser would put down a deposit to gain access to the card. The card contained around 20 reduced price/free services, that when used, would allow the purchaser to receive back their initial deposit.
The argument: Everyone with a car needs car repairs at some point. By using our rewards card you will save money on your car repair needs.
The purpose: To encourage people to buy a rewards card.
The audience: The audience in this case is specifically Provo students with cars looking to save money on car repairs.
The goal: The goal is not only to sale rewards cards but to ensure that the auto shop has repeated business. Because card holders have to use all of the services on the card to receive their deposit back, they are motivated to go to the repair shop for all of their repair needs.
How he did it:
First, the salesperson used ethos to try and sale the repair cards. He was dressed in a jumpsuit like the ones typically worn by auto-mechanics. By looking like an auto-mechanic, the sales person was essentially saying that I should trust his opinion on the rewards cards because he knows what’s best when it comes to car repairs.
Second, the sales person used logos. The first thing he did was hand me a card so that I had the product in my hand. He made it harder to say no when he did this because I would have to openly reject him by handing back the rewards card. This made me emotionally involved in the sales pitch.
However, the weakness in the argument was his evidence. First, the evidence was not very specific. He talked very little about the money I could save by using the card, or how good their repair services were. Because I knew little about what was on the car or how good their repair shop is, I had an easier time rejecting him.
Second, his evidence was not very typical. As a student that is in Provo for only a limited time, I was not convinced that I would use all the services to get my deposit back. He did little to personalize his pitch to his student audience.
This is why I felt the argument was not very effective. He failed to address is student audience effectively, thus I did not fully see why I would need the auto repair card.
The argument: Everyone with a car needs car repairs at some point. By using our rewards card you will save money on your car repair needs.
The purpose: To encourage people to buy a rewards card.
The audience: The audience in this case is specifically Provo students with cars looking to save money on car repairs.
The goal: The goal is not only to sale rewards cards but to ensure that the auto shop has repeated business. Because card holders have to use all of the services on the card to receive their deposit back, they are motivated to go to the repair shop for all of their repair needs.
How he did it:
First, the salesperson used ethos to try and sale the repair cards. He was dressed in a jumpsuit like the ones typically worn by auto-mechanics. By looking like an auto-mechanic, the sales person was essentially saying that I should trust his opinion on the rewards cards because he knows what’s best when it comes to car repairs.
Second, the sales person used logos. The first thing he did was hand me a card so that I had the product in my hand. He made it harder to say no when he did this because I would have to openly reject him by handing back the rewards card. This made me emotionally involved in the sales pitch.
However, the weakness in the argument was his evidence. First, the evidence was not very specific. He talked very little about the money I could save by using the card, or how good their repair services were. Because I knew little about what was on the car or how good their repair shop is, I had an easier time rejecting him.
Second, his evidence was not very typical. As a student that is in Provo for only a limited time, I was not convinced that I would use all the services to get my deposit back. He did little to personalize his pitch to his student audience.
This is why I felt the argument was not very effective. He failed to address is student audience effectively, thus I did not fully see why I would need the auto repair card.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Paper A Revision
The argument: Full-day kindergarten classes positively impact the academic growth of kindergarten students both in the short-term and in the long-term.
The purpose: To encourage parents to enroll their children in full-day kindergarten classes.
The audience: Parents who have the option to enroll their children in full-day kindergarten but may be leery of doing so. These are parents who may be fundamentally uneducated about the benefits of full-day kindergarten or may have some concerns about the developmental appropriateness of the classes.
The goal: To increase enrollment in full-day kindergarten classes.
How I do it: First, I use logos to appeal to the audience’s logic. I do this by citing multiple cross-sectional and longitudinal studies that demonstrate the positive impact of full day kindergarten classes. For example, I cite Zvoch, Reynolds, & Parker, 2007 who demonstrated the positive effect of full-day classes on literacy acquisition.
Second, I use pathos to appeal to the parents of kindergartners. I do this by including comments about “Dora the Explorer”, “Little Einstein”, and Goldfish crackers, all items familiar to a parent of a kindergartner. I also outline the benefits of full-day kindergarten to appeal to the parents’ emotional ties to their child’s well-being.
I use evidence that is both relevant to the discussion of the benefits of full-day kindergarten and to the audience specifically. For example, one study actually interviewed parents of full-day kindergartners and asked them how they felt about the extended-day classes (Boardman, 2005). This allows the audience to read the opinions of parents themselves rather than the opinions of myself, the author.
Finally, the evidence is very accurate. All of the evidence comes from credible sources in the field of education, the majority of it having undergone an extensive peer review process.
I believe this draft of the paper is more effective than the last. Certainly most parents are concerned about the academic well-being of their children. Thus, a brief paper that demonstrates the benefits of full-day kindergarten is useful.
The purpose: To encourage parents to enroll their children in full-day kindergarten classes.
The audience: Parents who have the option to enroll their children in full-day kindergarten but may be leery of doing so. These are parents who may be fundamentally uneducated about the benefits of full-day kindergarten or may have some concerns about the developmental appropriateness of the classes.
The goal: To increase enrollment in full-day kindergarten classes.
How I do it: First, I use logos to appeal to the audience’s logic. I do this by citing multiple cross-sectional and longitudinal studies that demonstrate the positive impact of full day kindergarten classes. For example, I cite Zvoch, Reynolds, & Parker, 2007 who demonstrated the positive effect of full-day classes on literacy acquisition.
Second, I use pathos to appeal to the parents of kindergartners. I do this by including comments about “Dora the Explorer”, “Little Einstein”, and Goldfish crackers, all items familiar to a parent of a kindergartner. I also outline the benefits of full-day kindergarten to appeal to the parents’ emotional ties to their child’s well-being.
I use evidence that is both relevant to the discussion of the benefits of full-day kindergarten and to the audience specifically. For example, one study actually interviewed parents of full-day kindergartners and asked them how they felt about the extended-day classes (Boardman, 2005). This allows the audience to read the opinions of parents themselves rather than the opinions of myself, the author.
Finally, the evidence is very accurate. All of the evidence comes from credible sources in the field of education, the majority of it having undergone an extensive peer review process.
I believe this draft of the paper is more effective than the last. Certainly most parents are concerned about the academic well-being of their children. Thus, a brief paper that demonstrates the benefits of full-day kindergarten is useful.
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