Audience Above All

Chapters 5 and 6 of Thank You For Arguing introduce new ways to win arguments. The main topics that Heinrichs talks about are decorum (following the audience's rules and expectations) and virtue. Both chapters give very good examples (which is what I'm liking most about the book) about these two ideas. The one that stood out the most to me was when he talks about Eminem and his decorum in the autobiographical movie 8 Mile. This example was so good, that not only was I able to visualize the scene that is explained, but I also understood what decorum means and how it works. That's why I am going focus more on decorum than in virtue.

Dire: (adj) Extremely serious or urgent

When Eminem's example came up, decorum quickly became clear to me. In order to convince the audience, you have to fit in. But how do you fit in? Simple, by acting the way that everyone is anticipating. Heinrichs explains that when he says, "to show proper decorum, act the way your audience expects you to act - not necessarily like your audience" (pg. 69). This includes your attire, gestures, order and tonality among other things. That's exactly what Eminem did: he dressed accordingly and used proper body language. 

Click here to watch Ashton's acceptance speech. 

While reading that part of the book, I remembered a celebrity who won his audience over. Ashton Kutcher gave a great speech in the 2013 Teen Choice Awards. His decorum is perfect; Ashton's attire is teen-ish and relaxed, his gestures are informal and casual, his tone is very sincere and jovial, and the content of what he's talking about has a serious message but he uses humor to make it entertaining and proper for the occasion. This very casual decorum is perfectly appropriate for the event since the audience consists of mainly teenagers. Teenagers are expecting to see a specific show: one that is fun, "cool", and cheerful. That's why Ashton's decorum is so great. He could have given this speech in a ver serious and monotonous tone, but he managed to think the way his audience would and spoke in a suitable way. As it said in the book, "decorum follows the audience's rules," (pg. 70) which is exactly what Kutcher pursued. 

Later on, Heinrichs talks about sympathy in persuasion. That is another thing that Kutcher utilized in his speech when he talks about the jobs he had before becoming an actor. While "persuasion requires sympathy," (pg. 79) it is also said that "persuasion doesn't depend on being true to yourself. It depends on being true to your audience" (pg. 79). He did both things, and that's why everyone is left amazed when he finishes. 

I find it very logical that physical appearance and how one presents itself to an audience is quite important in order to persuade. It is also virtue that is quite important, and specifically supporting the audience's values is what truly makes you appear trustworthy. If I can employ all of these things just like Eminem and Ashton Kutcher did, I'll take another step into mastering persuasion.