Change Rhetoric and Charisma: Rhetorical Theory
Charismatic leadership = value-based, symbolic, and emotion-laden leader signaling.
à Charisma as the signaling of leadership ability
What is charisma?
• Charis means ‘grace’
• Charisma means ‘enact on grace’
Ethos = value-based
- The appeal based on the speaker's character or authority. It's about convincing
the audience that you are trustworthy, knowledgeable, or qualified to speak on
the subject.
Logos = symbolic
- The appeal to the audience's reason and facts. It's about using logic, evidence,
statistics, and logical arguments to prove your point.
Pathos = emotion-laden
- The appeal to the audience's emotions. It's about using feelings, stories, and vivid
language to make the audience feel anger, joy, sympathy, or fear.
The five cannons of classical rhetoric:
1. Inventio = Invention/Discovery = what to say
2. Dispositio = Arrangement = what is said
3. Elocutio = Style = how to say it
4. Memoria = Memory
5. Pronuntiatio = Delivery = how it is said
A. Inventio/Invention of content
B. Dispositio/Arrangement of content
C. Elocution/Rhetorical style
D. Pronunciatio/Rhetorical delivery
A logical order of artistic appeals in a single speech: pathos à logos à ethos.
,1. The first cannon: Inventio
Inventio, what will I say? Concerned with a system or method of finding or generating
ideas and arguments. Orators had to find argument that would support whatever case or
standpoint they were embracing.
• A clear message, vision, goal
• A way to frame your message
• Arguments and proof
• Artistic appeals (pathos, logos, ethos)
Some classic tips from ancient orators on inventio:
1. Facts and arguments (logos) are insuZicient, speak to emotion (pathos) and
lighten your inner fire about it (ethos)
2. Listen, ask questions, be curious
3. Activate all your senses: see, hear, taste, feel and smell
4. Hardness the power of contrast
5. Context/story makes for deeper content
6. Take a deep dive, some facts must be searched to the bottom
7. Think of visualization of your story
8. Strengthen your talk with story, pictures, props, staging and facts
Classical Greek tradition on ethos appeal: depends on the character of the speaker and
its value-laden communication.
Ethos appeal à ethos perception
Rationality, competence Phronesis = practical wisdom
Appeal to higher values Arete = the highest quality state a person
or thing can achieve, or fulfilling its
inherent purpose
Empathy and emotions Eunoia = goodwill
Modern approach to ethos appeal: more emphasis on authority and dynamism &
explosion of goodwill tactics.
Signaled ethos à perceived ethos
Exuberance, energy, confidence, platform Dynamism
skills
Display competence, success, expertise, Authority
credentials, status
Appeal to higher values Moral character
Humility, similitude, captatio, Goodwill
benevolentiae, resonance, deference,
ritual, self-deprication
,A. Giorgi, S. (2017). The mind and heart of resonance: The role
of cognition and emotions in frame e>ectiveness.
Addresses how frames become eZective by resonating with an audience. She argues
that much of the framing literature focuses on cognitive aspects but often neglect
emotional dimension. Proposes a dual-path model of resonance in framing: one
cognitive and one emotional.
Builds on social movement theory (frame alignment) and institutional theory (frame
resonance vs legitimacy). Resonance is audience-specific and situated, whereas
legitimacy is field-wide (“social fitness”).
Frame = way of structuring or presenting information such that it influences how an
audience interprets an issue.
Resonance = “audience fitness”: the notion that a frame fits with an audience in some
way (evokes images, memories, feelings), thereby increasing it influence/eZectiveness.
Two types of resonance:
- Cognitive resonance (familiarity + conceptual blending):
o The frame must be credible (fits with prior knowledge or belief systems)
and salient (relevant to the audience’s situation) e.g., analogies,
metaphors, blends like the “California roll” story.
o Alignment with audience meaning-making structures matters (how the
world works).
- Emotional resonance (identification + emotional channeling):
o It often requires symbolic/evocative language, imagery, metaphors,
narrative elements that connect with deeper values, hopes or fears
o It can transform negative emotions (shame, fear) into pride, passion, and
solidarity.
o Emotional resonance is typically stronger when the audience is
motivated, engaged, or when the issue connects to identity or existential
concerns
, Interaction:
- A frame may align cognitively, then mobilize emotionally, or vice versa.
- Context, audience heterogeneity and temporal dynamics
Frames work when they both “make sense” (cognitive resonance) and “feel right”
(emotional resonance) for a specific audience.
à However, misalignment can backfire: if a frame is unfit with audience beliefs or
fails to engage their emotions, then it may be ignored, resisted or even backfire.
Link to Inventio
When inventing rhetoric for change, you design frames that both make sense (cognition:
familiarity, clarity) and make people feel (emotion: identification, passion, relief).
Resonance is audience-specific and harder to predict ex ante than legitimacy.
Charismatic leadership = value-based, symbolic, and emotion-laden leader signaling.
à Charisma as the signaling of leadership ability
What is charisma?
• Charis means ‘grace’
• Charisma means ‘enact on grace’
Ethos = value-based
- The appeal based on the speaker's character or authority. It's about convincing
the audience that you are trustworthy, knowledgeable, or qualified to speak on
the subject.
Logos = symbolic
- The appeal to the audience's reason and facts. It's about using logic, evidence,
statistics, and logical arguments to prove your point.
Pathos = emotion-laden
- The appeal to the audience's emotions. It's about using feelings, stories, and vivid
language to make the audience feel anger, joy, sympathy, or fear.
The five cannons of classical rhetoric:
1. Inventio = Invention/Discovery = what to say
2. Dispositio = Arrangement = what is said
3. Elocutio = Style = how to say it
4. Memoria = Memory
5. Pronuntiatio = Delivery = how it is said
A. Inventio/Invention of content
B. Dispositio/Arrangement of content
C. Elocution/Rhetorical style
D. Pronunciatio/Rhetorical delivery
A logical order of artistic appeals in a single speech: pathos à logos à ethos.
,1. The first cannon: Inventio
Inventio, what will I say? Concerned with a system or method of finding or generating
ideas and arguments. Orators had to find argument that would support whatever case or
standpoint they were embracing.
• A clear message, vision, goal
• A way to frame your message
• Arguments and proof
• Artistic appeals (pathos, logos, ethos)
Some classic tips from ancient orators on inventio:
1. Facts and arguments (logos) are insuZicient, speak to emotion (pathos) and
lighten your inner fire about it (ethos)
2. Listen, ask questions, be curious
3. Activate all your senses: see, hear, taste, feel and smell
4. Hardness the power of contrast
5. Context/story makes for deeper content
6. Take a deep dive, some facts must be searched to the bottom
7. Think of visualization of your story
8. Strengthen your talk with story, pictures, props, staging and facts
Classical Greek tradition on ethos appeal: depends on the character of the speaker and
its value-laden communication.
Ethos appeal à ethos perception
Rationality, competence Phronesis = practical wisdom
Appeal to higher values Arete = the highest quality state a person
or thing can achieve, or fulfilling its
inherent purpose
Empathy and emotions Eunoia = goodwill
Modern approach to ethos appeal: more emphasis on authority and dynamism &
explosion of goodwill tactics.
Signaled ethos à perceived ethos
Exuberance, energy, confidence, platform Dynamism
skills
Display competence, success, expertise, Authority
credentials, status
Appeal to higher values Moral character
Humility, similitude, captatio, Goodwill
benevolentiae, resonance, deference,
ritual, self-deprication
,A. Giorgi, S. (2017). The mind and heart of resonance: The role
of cognition and emotions in frame e>ectiveness.
Addresses how frames become eZective by resonating with an audience. She argues
that much of the framing literature focuses on cognitive aspects but often neglect
emotional dimension. Proposes a dual-path model of resonance in framing: one
cognitive and one emotional.
Builds on social movement theory (frame alignment) and institutional theory (frame
resonance vs legitimacy). Resonance is audience-specific and situated, whereas
legitimacy is field-wide (“social fitness”).
Frame = way of structuring or presenting information such that it influences how an
audience interprets an issue.
Resonance = “audience fitness”: the notion that a frame fits with an audience in some
way (evokes images, memories, feelings), thereby increasing it influence/eZectiveness.
Two types of resonance:
- Cognitive resonance (familiarity + conceptual blending):
o The frame must be credible (fits with prior knowledge or belief systems)
and salient (relevant to the audience’s situation) e.g., analogies,
metaphors, blends like the “California roll” story.
o Alignment with audience meaning-making structures matters (how the
world works).
- Emotional resonance (identification + emotional channeling):
o It often requires symbolic/evocative language, imagery, metaphors,
narrative elements that connect with deeper values, hopes or fears
o It can transform negative emotions (shame, fear) into pride, passion, and
solidarity.
o Emotional resonance is typically stronger when the audience is
motivated, engaged, or when the issue connects to identity or existential
concerns
, Interaction:
- A frame may align cognitively, then mobilize emotionally, or vice versa.
- Context, audience heterogeneity and temporal dynamics
Frames work when they both “make sense” (cognitive resonance) and “feel right”
(emotional resonance) for a specific audience.
à However, misalignment can backfire: if a frame is unfit with audience beliefs or
fails to engage their emotions, then it may be ignored, resisted or even backfire.
Link to Inventio
When inventing rhetoric for change, you design frames that both make sense (cognition:
familiarity, clarity) and make people feel (emotion: identification, passion, relief).
Resonance is audience-specific and harder to predict ex ante than legitimacy.
