Rhetoric Should Match the Audience

Rhetorical Theory Analyzed

In his address, “Teaching by the Spirit – The Language of Inspiration,” Elder Neal A. Maxwell establishes rhetorical theories LDS speakers and teachers can utilize to effectively inspire their audiences. One of those theories is the need to base one’s remarks around the intended listeners, and to do so with authentic care for their wellbeing:

“…If we already care deeply about those to be taught, it is so much easier for the Lord to inspire us to give customized counsel and emphasis to those we teach,” Maxwell said.

The notion of customized counsel for the intended audience is a powerful form of rhetoric. The most changing and memorable sermons of my lifetime were all ones where I felt the message was directed to me; that the speaker prayed specifically to know what I needed to hear, to know what I needed to be instructed to do. Because I knew the speaker had spent time seeking inspiration on my behalf and cared if I actually followed it, I was much more likely to take he or she’s words to heart.

Rhetorical Device Analyzed

Elder Holland’s address, “Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments,” employs many rhetorical devices to capture the listeners’ attention and maintain the level of reverence such a sacred topic requires. What stood out most to me came before he got to the heart of his message, however. The way he introduced his topic and cautioned the listener had me studying the first paragraph of Human Intimacy, especially these lines:

“It would be better not to address the topic at all than to damage it with casualness or carelessness. Indeed, it is against such casualness and carelessness that I wish to speak.”

Elder Holland’s use of repetition with the words “casualness” and “carelessness” evokes a powerful call to action in listeners. By stressing both of them twice in his introduction, Elder Holland alerts his listeners to the importance of his topic and gently but definitively demands their attention.

If he were to have demanded, “listen to me” or “don’t act immaturely because I’m talking about sex,” the feeling in the Marriott Center would have been entirely different. Instead, his intentional use of simple words with repeated endings lulls listeners into a spirit of reverence akin to that of which such a topic necessitates.