Role-Playing

Role-Playing is a topic with a great number of facets that aren’t covered in the book, seeing as it has possible used both in dyadic communication as well as group-oriented personal interaction. It can be used as a strong communication mechanism, playing the role of a character that someone knows in order to convey a specific point to that person. For instance, if it’s a child being stubborn, role-playing can be used by the parent to emulate a character the child idolizes to convince them that an action would be either in their interest or that said character would do it, and thus so should they.

Not only is it a strong communication mechanism, but it is also a way to relax a group to allow for more open communication. Using it for the possible entertainment value behind it can be quite fun as well as getting people to act as if they were in a role that they wouldn’t normally find themselves in.

Interesting Concepts

I found the three aspects of Rhetoric – Ethos, Pathos, and Logos – to be one of the more interesting concepts of the course. What made these stand out to me is that, after learning more about them, I began to realize how much of an impact that they had on my life before even learning about rhetoric and communication. Not only did I see how much I used them, but how much I focused on them in others as well.

The rules behind personal interaction also piqued my interest. From my personal observations of others, I’ve noticed how differently people act when in the same situation with just different company. My family and their friends are a perfect example of this: My brother finds it natural and normal to be insulted by his friends as a greeting, and finds it humorous. On the other hand, my mother is professional in most circumstances, having a job where she is required to be as such – a Support Technician – and thus greets people with directness and respect.

Rhetorical Research Methods

Out of all of the different research methods, the Conversation Analysis is the most interesting to me. I like this approach because it is direct and into the actual interaction between individuals instead of focusing on the different parts that affect an encounter or interaction. Not only does this focus on the spoken parts of the interaction, but also the nonverbal communication that is used. In general, this methodology is focused intently on how persons interact.

If I wanted to do a study on an aspect of deception, I’d use this same method in combination with being unobtrusive in the interaction. With such a focus, my question would be, “What cues does someone give when they are being deceptive?” By focusing on the interaction itself, as well as nonverbal cues and even verbal interaction, I could take note of alterations in their behavior or distinctive differences between them and a similar partner. In addition to differences from their partner, by observing them in a normal interaction without deception, comparison with a deceptive encounter would illuminate behaviors and cues that they give when they are being as such.