As much as people complain about have to write papers and making speeches, there is not any other assignment that can help prepare people for their futures as much as essays and speeches. In modern society, nothing is more important than communication skills. These skills can only be honed through writing and public speaking. The ability to communicate is something that can separate the successful from the unsuccessful, the employed from the unemployed. Although today's modern society puts value on fast, short communication, rhetoric, pathos, logos, ethos, kairos, and exigence are more important than ever. Rhetoric allows people to do the three most important types
of discourse: inform, motivate or persuade. Pathos can be especially helpful,
as it appeals to a person’s emotions.
Logos appeals to logic. If an
argument does not make sense, it is not likely that anyone will agree with it.
Ethos refers to the trustworthiness or credibility of a writer or speaker. Without tone and style, ethos hardly
exists. Even if the argument is sound,
if the audience does not trust the writer or speaker, the argument is
pointless. Kairos is a word meaning the right or opportune moment. Possessing a
skill like this can make an argument stronger, but it could also make it worse.
Lastly, exigence is the reason discourse even happens, as it is the issue,
problem or situation that causes someone to speak. The job market is competitive and the more
skills someone can demonstrate, the more likely they are to be successful.
Communication is vital to any career path one chooses. Effective communication can only occur
through intelligent discourse, and by having control of these different
elements, especially when it comes to writing and public speaking, success is
not far off.
