Inviting Transformation

Presentational Speaking for a Changing World, Second Edition

 

Sonja K. Foss and Karen A. Foss

 

Five core assumptions characterize invitational rhetoric:  (1) the purpose of communicating is to gain understanding; (2) the speaker and the audience are equal; (3) different perspectives constitute valuable resources; (4) change happens when people choose to change themselves; and (5) all participants are willing to be changed by the interaction. The goals of invitational rhetoric are to clarify ideas and to create an environment in which growth and change can occur for both audience and speaker. Speakers can facilitate the exchange of ideas by creating conditions of freedom, safety, value, and openness. Freedom is at the heart of an invitation to transformation—the freedom to choose to change; safety generates confidence for all participants to express ideas; value recognizes and appreciates the intrinsic worth of all participants; and openness is a willingness to explore diverse perspectives. This ideal environment increases the possibilities of achieving mutual understanding. The authors designed the book as a concise guide for becoming adept and creative presentational speakers. Sample presentations reflect the diversity of interactional goals, focus, frames, organizational patterns, forms of elaboration, and connections discussed in the text.

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