6.3 Creating Rhetorical Appeals

Focus and Rhetorical Appeals

Focus

Question: what factors are contributing to the poor management and organization of the study group?

Focus:

• Poor management and organization of the team members and leader (subject)

• Fails to provide all the benefits available to the learners in the study group (point of significance/persuasive response)

Credibility Appeals (Ethos)

1. Shared values: the importance of the learners, our number one priority; teamwork, because work gets done better as a team; team members’ contributions to the study sessions’ goals; management and organization, because they show the learners that the groups know what they are doing, and that there is some level of management in the group. In the end, this leads to effective sessions; study groups: worthwhile and beneficial when sessions are productive (I realized this as a learner in the group.)

2. Shared background/experience: We all share the experience of being a learner in the study group, learning and improving because the team members and leader were well organized and managed. The group has a good reputation and is known for its productive study sessions, so we all know what successful sessions look like and we have all seen learners receive the benefits that the group has to offer. We share the experience of there once being good management and organization, and each session had a goal that was achieved. We share the experience of choosing the values that are needed to guide the group into the future.

3. Preference to writer’s position: The part of the position as a writer that will make readers listen to me is the role that I have as an assistant. This role will allow my readers to comprehend that I know what I am saying and that the issue I am calling to action is for the improvement of the groups and their learners. It will also be important to remind them that we have all been learners in the group; that personally, the advantages gained are because of the organized team members and leader who taught me; and that the learners that we currently have are here for that and not otherwise.

Affective Appeals (Pathos)

1. State of emotion you want readers to feel:

Since my focus has to do with the poor management and organization that fail to provide the benefits for the learners, I would want my readers to feel what it is like to have their group totally disintegrate. I have seen the best primary-level study group in the country collapse because of issues such as ours. This study group’s team members’ underperforming led to unorganized and meaningless sessions, and the leader lacked strong leadership and management skills. In the end, the group was too far gone to turn around. The group eventually lost all its learners, and a primary-level group was no longer available. The readers would suddenly feel perturbed and would consider the fact that this could possibly happen for our group if something were not done.

2. State of emotion you want to avoid: I want to avoid emotional manipulation. I do not want the readers to feel as though I am trying to control or contrive them by exaggerating events to make myself seem more vulnerable. Avoiding this is important because my readers would feel that they should be embarrassed for not seeing the underlying intent or net benefit that fixing the issue would bring to the group. If this happened, the readers would no longer be interested in my paper and the issue would be ignored.

Rational Appeal (Logos)

1. Example story or narrative:

Benefits of a study group:

• Learn new study skills

• Exposure to different perspectives

• Motivation booster

• Procrastination solver

• Discussion and interactive environment

• Promotes critical thinking

These benefits are not possible if the team members and leader do not do what is necessary and there is poor management and organization. For example, to enhance the idea of what an ideal study group looks like, I could describe the characteristics of one.

2. Definition: A study group is a group of people who regularly meet and provide an environment for people to externalize their thoughts on shared fields of study, learn more, or become better at studying.

3. Model or plan: I know of a college-level study group within the country that quickly dissolved into chaos because there was not some sort of management and organization. The group dealt with this issue by planning and organizing before each session. Their leader kept sessions on track and moving forward. To keep track of information, they found an organizer and kept agendas so that the team members knew what to expect and how to prepare for each session. This helped their team members prepare sufficiently and encouraged them to complete tasks in an organized manner, which enabled a smooth conduction of their study sessions.

4. Ideal, premise, or principle: “It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others succeed.” -Napoleon Hill (Oluoch, 2021)

5. Describe cause/effect: Bad management has caused the organization issue within the group. If a group does not understand its mission and the team members do not understand their tasks, most of the time it is because the leader does not communicate effectively nor has a clear vision of the group’s purpose. This hinders the level of productivity and time spent during study sessions.

6. Consequences: This issue leads to ineffective sessions, which, in the long term, could result in lower engagement and morale of the team members. Sessions would no longer mean anything to learners, and they would rather self-study. This could decline the number of learners currently in the group and those thinking about joining. The group would eventually disintegrate, because what is a study group without learners? Who will the team members teach and guide?

7. Connection between persons and actions, or the lack of connection: The actions of the team members and leader are inconsistent. The team members have a history of being organized and doing tasks persistently. The leader has a history of managing the group well, so there is a lack of connection between the persons and their actions.

8. Means to ends: When learners choose to join study groups, it is just a means to

an end, a way to make studying easier for themselves.

9. Direction in a stage or process: Those who do not think that study groups are beneficial might argue that the sessions often turn into social events where very little study occurs. They believe that self-studying, because of less distractions, is more efficient.

10. Classifications: Most of the current learners are starting to believe that study

groups generally are not beneficial, but the truth is that the team members and leader in this specific group are blocking them from obtaining their benefits. As a result, they think it is not worth being in a study group.

11. Comparisons and contrasts: There are those who think that study groups are based on heterogeneity or homophily and grow the majority of issues in a study group. They think that the learners raise conflicts, especially if there are cultural differences to bridge or there is a language issue to contend with. However, this is not the case for all study groups. As can be seen with my group, the issue is not caused by learners, but by the people that make up the group, which are the team members and leader.

12. Shared authority: Universities such as Florida National University encourage the use of study groups so that students can gain a better understanding that cannot be gained in school. They are saying that study groups are a way to show others that you are invested in yourself, which will gain their respect.

13. Analogy: Study groups make students more like oysters than sausages. The job of teaching is not to stuff them and seal them up, but to help them open and reveal the riches within.

Reference Oluoch, S. (2021, May 24). You can succeed best and quickest by helping others succeed. Success Afrika. https://successafrika.com/