The Building Blocks of Rhetoric

I was originally going to go back after conference and analyze a talk I had heard in an earlier session, but as Elder Bednar spoke, I found the structure and approach to the topic of why it’s “wonderful” that the church is led by older, “spiritually seasoned” men under God too intriguing to pass up.

After the story of Gordon B. Hinckley responding to a reporter about our church’s leadership and then sharing his purpose, Elder Bednar states that he “speaks about this topic from a decidedly distinctive perspective” as he’s served as alongside many, much older apostles and prophets as the youngest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He then contrasts their physical weakness with their spiritual strength, relates scripture and testifies of the truth and power of their priesthood positions. Towards the end of his talk, he quotes some of these men, parallels each quote with the phrase “______’s message is a powerful lesson of a lifetime from a man I love” and then ends his talk with a promise that if we heed the words of General Authorities, our testimony of Christ will increase and we’ll be able to receive specific, individual guidance.  

The reason that this structure is so effective is because it persuades us from all sides. The story in the beginning provides a pathetic appeal as we imagine the smile on President Hinckley’s face as he responds confidently to the reporter. We remember President Hinckley’s positive personality and how much we respected his counsel. Next, Elder Bednar sets the stage for his talk with logos by explaining his ‘distinct’ perspective and statistics on his age compared to the oldest average age of the apostles. In the middle of his talk, the testimonies and scriptures that he relates combine pathos, logos and ethos because of the culturally common way that Latter-day Saints perceive scriptures and testimonies as emotional, logical and reputable evidence. He ends his talk with a strong ethical appeal as he quotes the respected apostles and prophets and then uses his own authority to make his promise.

Ultimately, all of these aspects come together powerfully to communicate the validity and strength of Heavenly Father’s older, earthly servants that Elder Bednar intends.

A Cycle of Proverbs

Funny story. In the event of analyzing newly called Elder Dale G Renlund, I completely missed the point of what he was trying to say. I was so focused on writing down my analysis, I was unable to truly analyze his speech. I felt that the conversation about how writing can be a distraction was very fitting for this situation.

What ended up happening though, as I watched Elder Bednar finish conference with that masterpiece, I couldn't help but put some analysis into it. The thing that really impressed me, and increased my respect for Elder Bednar was his use of authoritative maxims and proverbs as we learned from our topics of invention.

As if it wasn't enough to establish his ethos with the authoritative quote of one former prophet, Elder Bednar chose to quote proverbs from the last six prophets and apostles that have passed away. He loved these men, and it was evident in his desire to remind us of the profound things they have said in the past. The reminder of these proverbs was a very powerful way to end the conference, and I know it was truly inspired.

The interesting thing is, by using this authoritative method, Elder Bednar is now, one of those authorities for millions of others who wish to establish their own ethos. That is what we do, we want to support our claims, and statements, until it gets to the point where our own claims and statements can be used as a proverb or maxim. It is almost like a cycle. 

The importance of delivery

Note taking during general conference has always seemed exhausting to me. I'm not good at enjoying things I feel forced to do. And after the many years of being forced to take notes for class, I love just being able to listen without the looming mid-term or final exams. But that can make it hard to remember some talks.

Elder Hales' talk probably would have been one that I would have forgotten this conference. 

This may surprise you after reading Kevin's post about how memorable this same talk was. And it's not that I don't like Elder Hales, in fact, he's one of the apostles I respect the most. Honestly, I don't think I would have remembered his talk because of his delivery. The tone of his voice and his facial expressions did not seem to change through out his entire speech. I didn't see his arms, hands or even a finger. His eyes seemed to be fixed on the teleprompter reading line after line. 

Don't get me wrong, it was a great speech. His arrangement was especially impressive. He was able to tie in the story of him being a pilot through out his entire speech. His stories were descriptive and captivating with even a few laughs. Which makes this talk, in my opinion, a much better read. The only benefit that I gathered from watching the address was that he built his ethos by sitting down. Seriously, he was teaching to the youth from experience. He captivated them by his piloting days and showed them that he has been there and done that by simply sitting in his chair. I praise Elder Hales for his good writing skills and when I'm his age I don't think I'll have the strength to even get into that chair. 

How Firm a Foundation

His talk was a great foundation to the conference

I analyzed President Uchtdorf’s talk on how people choose to not live the gospel, and how leaders and church members should help other church members stay strong in the gospel. While he made very good points in his talk, especially using the quilt story as an illustration on how the gospel is complicated, yet simple, I wanted to focus on the kairos of his talk.

We learned recently in class that when a speaker gives a talk is of vital importance. His talk was the very first talk in General Conference. The audience has not listened to any other speakers, and has just been edified by the musical numbers and prayer, and wants to be further edified. This gives a good prelude to President Uchtdof’s talk, and makes the audience ready to listen. Also, being the first talk, the audience is more inclined to listen and pay attention, rather than the last talk where they (the audience) may be tired or “talked” out.

I also want to point out that I was alone while watching/listening to this talk, so it seemed more personal to me. Nobody else was around to make comments or distract my thinking from the talk, so I was able to gain my own ideas and impressions from only me, and not branch off from another person’s idea or comment. Also, like I have just mentioned concerning the audience, I was edified by the musical numbers and opening prayer before the talk, so I was ready to listen and be attentive, not expecting anything because I have not listened to any talks yet.

I think that it takes a great speaker (they are all great, don’t get me wrong) to start off an eight-plus hour conference. That talk kicks off the rest of the talks, and prepares the audience’s mind for further speakers. I think President Uchtdorf’s talk was a great starter to conference.

Lists, Lists, Lists, and Lists

When the general authorities for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speak at general conference, they hope to motivate and inspire listeners around the world to better live the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, they hope we will not only listen to their prepared messages, but also remember and act on what they teach.  One way speakers help listeners remember the content of their speech is to arrange their message in the form of a list.  Many of us have been taught growing up that the easiest way to organize and remember information (whether it be homework to be completed, groceries needed at the store, or a personal plan for improvement, etc.) is to make a list.  It is a form we are familiar with and comfortable using.



In the recent October conference, Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave a talk in which he addressed the youth and young single adults around the world.  He spoke of problems people of the rising generation face, including incurring debt and dating/marriage crises.  Elder Hales directly delivered wonderful advice and counsel to those he aimed to address.  Being a young single adult, I paid close attention to his wise remarks.  A few days later, his words are still fresh on my mind, and the sound counsel he gave continues to expand my understanding and influence me for good.  Why are his ideas so easy to hold in remembrance?  They were framed in tidy lists.

Here is a list of the lists he used:
1.) A list of scriptural accounts about a person or a group of people fleeing from evil.
2.) A list of sources we can turn to for guidance and direction.
3.) A list of questions we should ask ourselves to determine if he or she is "the one".
4.) A list of qualities we should strive to develop in order to be worthy of "the one".
5.) A list of blessing we will receive if we follow his counsel.

Elder Hales arranged his information in a simple, easy-to-remember format that subtly persuaded me to subconsciously remember all his words.

Simply, Simplify

In President Uchtdorf's opening talk to this weekend's General Conference, he advised people that if they felt the Gospel was not working for them, to simplify their discipleship and go back to the basic fundamentals of living the gospel of Jesus Christ. By making our worship a little less complicated, President Uchtdorf promised members would see remarkable changes, even through these small and simple principles.

President Uchtdorf relayed a story in the middle of his talk. He told of a woman who loved teaching the best relief society lessons. She wanted to make a quilt to go with her lesson. It would be the perfect touch and she wanted to go above and beyond. President Uchtdorf described how the woman's life became very busy, but still she stayed up all night making the quilt. He described the elaborate design, the vibrant colors, and the intricate patterns. In the middle of this rather complex quilt was the word, "Simplify," the ironic topic of the busy sister's lesson.

This story was a great example of the rhetorical concept, antithesis. Antithesis is contrasting two different opposite concepts or ideas. President Uchtdorf's contrasted the idea of being too busy and simplifying, weaving into one story. The sister was trying to teach a lesson about simplifying your life and your worship, but did it in a very complex way. By telling this juxtaposing story, President Uchtdorf not only brought about laughter from the audience and captured their attention, but his story highlighted his message of simplifying our discipleship. Audience members were clearly able to see the importance of simplifying due to the complexity and business in the story. It was an effective rhetorical tool that brought greater emphasis and attention to his ultimate point.

Predominant Parallelism

            Repetition is a well-known rhetorical technique for General Conference speakers, especially in terms of fundamental doctrines and practices.  Elder Lawrence of the Seventy integrated that pattern on a micro-level.  Uniquely, a large portion of his talk was simply the repetition of a single idea.  When a person restates an expression we call it repetition.  When he restates an idea, it becomes parallelism.  Elder Lawrence employed a variety of nuances to shape each iteration of his primary theme, the act of asking God what is inhibiting our progress, to give his message the feel of a rhythmic, ideological beat rather than a single note that is pounded out over and over again to the irritation of those paying attention.

            He accomplished this subtle shifting of ideas by first repeating the scriptural story that clearly explained the principle, sharing many short examples to quickly underline the continuity of his principle across a multitude of similar, everyday contexts, briefly expounding on the central theme to add contrast and depth, and concluding with personal examples and testimony.  The topic of invention of cause and effect was especially critical in the short example section because it helped us to see the real-world impact of asking God what we lack, and the consistency of the positive consequences that ensue.  However, even though parallelism was an effective tool, it was also important to the purpose of his message that not all of his talk followed that pattern.  Like an opera singer belting out an aria at a constant forte, sticking too strictly to unending repetition would have been too much to bear.  The ebb and flow of the non-parallel pieces of the talk ensured that we would not be distracted from the fundamental message by the overuse of a single method of delivery.  This allowed the parallelism to assume a supporting role, peripheral to the core truth that seeking correction from God unbars the stumbling blocks of our progression and facilitates our reentry into His Presence.

"parallelism," no changes made, by Barbara Krawcowicz. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/legalcode