2). Consider a well-known speaker, for example, the current President of the United States (or Presidential candidate). What is this speaker's strongest characteristics as a speaker? Is it credibility, attractiveness, power, or all three? In what ways could the speaker build ethos in these areas?

Ronald Regan is, in my opinion, one of the greatest speakers of this century. Second only to Martin Luther Kink, Jr. The ability to captivate an audience through ethos by displaying great perception of power, wealth, and attractiveness were among Regan's best qualities. Not only did Regan display power but he also built great credibility. Ultimately his credibility is what made the nation love him so much. Not only did Regan practice great Rhetoric but he also exhibited and fostered a wealth of trust amongst his followers. If only we had someone today with Regan's characteristics in this trying time that our nation faces. Now, more than ever before, we have a house so divided that it is becoming impossible to collectively solve problems without strict underlying political agendas.

1). Have you ever been influenced by a speaker? Think of the best speaker you've ever heard. What was it about that speaker that made his or her communication memorable? Think of the worst speaker you've ever heard. What do you remember about his or her message?

I was influenced by a speaker within my professional organization. She is a Vice President for a large Fortune 300 company. I attended this speach in New Jersey where she lived and where my business is based. K had the perfect blend of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. What I remember most about her speach was her unbelievable confidence in herself. At the beginning of the speach the audience did not truly understand the position that K held within the company. Throughout the presentation it became evident that her stature was more than initially met the eye. In a nut shell it was her confidence and delivery that made the speach truly memorable.

I have also seen some very bad speakers. One memorable speaker that comes to mind as compeletly ineffective I will refer to as B. B got up in front of a group of high lever company officers to deliver a sales presentation. As visual effects and aides have become a necessity to spice up a presentation they had the opposite effect for B. Instead of playing off the visuals, in this case a power point presentation, B read from the slides facing away from the customer. Speaking in front of your customer in an effective manner gives the buyer confidence that you know what you are delivering and can make good on your promise. B's lack of ability to discuss and deliver value hindered and ultimately lost the sale. Perception is very important!

· Pick one concept from the assigned reading that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

The Psychological model of communication is particularly interesting to me. When the messages sent by a source are interpreted by a receiver differently than the source intended it creates unsuccessful communication. I find that people interpret messaged differently than intended all the time. This can be seen when people agree on a particular point but yet they are still arguing. Neither person really knows that they have the same opinion because the message is either not being interpreted correctly or is not being coded correctly. By altering a senders point of view to see the perspective of the recipient we can often improve our abiity to effectively communicate.

*Pick one concept from the assigned reading that you found useful or interesting and discuss it:

I find the five canons of Rhetoric particularly useful in delivering a persuasive message. Arrangement is particulary important. When delivering a message or persuading an audience, the order in which the message is delivered is extremely important. To get the desired results a speaker must build up to his or her proposition. It must be arranged is such a fashion that some type of emotion or interest is evoked while at the same time allowing the orator to remain organized. Organization of thought is crucial to how a message is delivered and how an audience will interepret that message.

*The Greeks believed that to be an orator, an individual had to be morally good. Comment on whether you agree or disagree. What, if any, is the connection between goodness, truth, and public communication?

I think that to be an effective orator one does not need to be morally good. In fact, some of the most famous and influential speakers have been morally corrupt or devoid of all moral value completely. There is a difference between being an effective deliverer of messages and actually following through with promises made throughout the delivery. However, as time goes on and promises go undelivered and actions promised do not happen the orator will lose their effectiveness. This is similar to what has happened to some of our politicians. During the election they promise the world even though it is obvious that one man or one woman can not make as big an impact as what they are promising. I think that goodness, truth, and public communication are closely coupled. Part of being an effective orator for the long term is to gain the trust of one's audience.

*Think of a speaker you admire. Does his or her power to persuade come from ethos, pathos, or logos? Think about your own ability to persuade others. What personal qualities do you have that make you persuasive? Does Aristotle’s classification scheme work for them, or do they fit into another category?

There are many speakers I admire. One in particular that comes to mind is Ronald Reagan. His power to persuade, even through hard times, was exceptional. Reagan's power was a true mixture of ethos, pathos, and logos. Reagan could address a message, word it properly, and then find a logical way to deliver the message. All this while at the same time be able to exhibit great personal character. It was Reagan's personal character that the masses flocked to. It was not always the message he was delivering but rather the way in which he delivered it. Only when a speaker can harness ethos, pathos, and logos can they be truly successful at rhetoric.