Winsome Persuasion by Muehlhoff Tim;Langer Richard;Schultze Quentin J.;

Author:Muehlhoff, Tim;Langer, Richard;Schultze, Quentin J.; [Muehlhoff, Tim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Published: 2017-05-11T14:57:42+00:00

The Fitting Response

In one short essay, rhetorician Lloyd Bitzer changed how we think about ways to construct and deliver a message. He argues that a speaker must be fluid in delivery and adapt to a specific speaking situation. This situation in turn helps the speaker determine a fitting response. Bitzer notes, “If it makes sense to say that the situation invites a ‘fitting’ response, the situation must somehow prescribe the response which fits.”14 A fitting response emerges as a speaker considers diverse constraints in the situation. Simply put, a constraint is anything—allotted time to speak, quality of the sound system, available evidence, oratory skills of the speaker, biases of the audience, length of a blog, 140-character restriction of a tweet—that limits a communicator.

When explaining the concept of constraints to my students, I have them watch a clip from the Oprah Winfrey Show where the host focuses on spirituality by inviting a panel of New Age speakers to address near-death experiences, reincarnation, and the supposed divinity that exists in all of us. At one point Oprah turns to the audience for questions. A woman raises her hand and declares she is a Christian. She then sets out to voice her objections and present a Christian perspective. In doing so, what constraints might she face? First, as an audience member she’s expected to ask questions, not give a sermon. Also, how long will Oprah allow her to speak before interrupting? Once Oprah interrupts, will the audience member get a chance to respond? How complex can her articulation of the Christian perspective be in light of severe time limits? Finally, what possible credibility does she have with a nationally syndicated host? How she answers these questions will determine a fitting response.

These same questions about constraints apply to all counterpublics in communicative settings. What credibility or ethos do I have? How much time will I be given to present my views? If I write a letter to the editor, what is my word limit? If I join an online conversation, how much can I write before people tune me out? Twitter and its limit of 140 characters presents a unique challenge to crafting a fitting response. While the inherent limits of Twitter prohibit giving a robust description of an event or telling a detailed story, it does allow you to provide links to full reports that readers may not know exist.

Most importantly, crafting a fitting response requires us to ask: Of all the available evidence I have, which is most strategic? Though it is beyond the scope of this chapter to present all the forms of evidence available to a counter­public, we’ll consider two that work in most situations—statistics and stories. In order to explore the strengths and limitations of these forms, we’ll consider how a counterpublic seeking to advocate for Syrian refugees might use both.15

Syria’s civil war, which began in 2011, has produced the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. Tragically, more than 11 million people—over half of Syria’s population—have been either killed or forced to flee from their communities.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.