The Rhetorical Lab

Definite article.
The first of our kind.
So far as we know.

If we’re successful enough to be replicated maybe someday we can be “A” Rhetorical Lab.

The word means “the ability,
in each case, to recognize all the available means of persuasion.” From Aristotle’s On Rhetoric.

Originally this word meant understanding and analyzing all the ways something could work to persuade. Seeing from many others’ perspectives.

Not hoodwinking unsuspecting folks into agreement.
Which is why we’re trying to rehabilitate the R word.

Or, “laboratory,”
whose pronunciation is more or less pretentious on different
sides of the Atlantic.

It’s a place to experiment,
test hypotheses, record results. And a place to stare clear-eyed at the answers and
(usually) try again.

From a root, “labor,” that implies this stuff is hard work.

Have you ever gotten the sense that…

…You’re saying or writing what you think you’re supposed to say, instead of what you actually mean?

…There are a dozen ways you could argue something, and the one you picked is just random chance?

…You’ve begun to sound like a press release or strategy deck? Even when you don’t want to?

…People are nodding their heads while you’re talking, but not actually getting it?

Or worse, thinking you’re wrong?

Or worse, laughing at you?
At first silently, in their heads?
But, then, later, among their friends,
or even your friends?

If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, you may want to consult with us.
Or in one case, a therapist.