rhetoric: The art of using language effectively so as to persuade or influence others (OED, 1a).

We live in an attention economy. Everything from words to images to sounds are used to grab and hold our interest. The messages that cut through the noise exist at the intersection of credibility (ethos), emotion (pathos), and evidence (logos) and are different for different people. Your values are influenced by your age, your background, your education, your occupation, even your geographic location. Skilled rhetoricians take the time to understand the people they want to speak to and speak to them in a way that they understand and are moved by.

Throughout my time at UALR, I was given assignments that required me to assess my audience and craft an appropriate message that would appeal to them, be educational, and either persuade or inform.