Rhetoric definition

I believe the definition of thinking and acting rhetorically is communicating in a strong, clear way. As stated in the text of "Everyone's an Author", the first step to thinking rhetorically is to listen. You must be willing to listen to others without judgement. If you listen intently to their point of view, you can gain an understanding of their side. Everyone has a reason for their beliefs, and part of acting rhetorically is to listen to them enough to understand what drives and influences their beliefs. The next step is to analyze what you think and why. You must be able to communicate your stance in a clear way so others can understand it. To have an opinion you want to speak for, you must be educated about it. You must know all sides to your argument. Besides that, you must also identify what drives you to feel that way. Giving credit to your sources or inspirations of the utmost importance. It builds "ethos, or character" (Everyone's an Author), to show the sources that have influenced your decisions or opinions. These can be sources in favor, or against your opinion. The next part is to know your audience. Writing in a way that respects their interests will give your content more authority. Part of this is acknowledging the other side of the argument with respect. Like Watson and Crick, when writing their theory on the structure of DNA, they never failed to acknowledge their competitors, and those who inspired their ideas. Writing rhetorically is the wisest, and strongest way to get your message across. It shows your respect to the other sides, and your care and devotion to making your views clear.