Rhetoric and the Public Sphere

Rhetoric and the Public Sphere

As the iconic co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc., and the innovator responsible for revolutionizing the way humanity communicates in the modern world, Steve Jobs was uniquely positioned to understand the immense persuasive power of rhetorical ability. Throughout his storied career Jobs' reputation for effectively communicating visionary ideas was exceeded only by his preternatural ability to persuade, shaping public perception and convincing consumers time and time again that the latest Apple product was an essential addition to their lifestyle. When Jobs took the stage to deliver his now legendary commencement address to the 2005 graduating class at Stanford University, the late multimedia mogul responsible for the Macintosh personal computer, iPod, iPhone, iPad, along with a wide array of similarly groundbreaking advances in computing technology, was poised to present his own life as an allegory for the dogged pursuit of one's personal passion. In doing so, Jobs epitomized the concept of the epideictic oratory, or "ceremonial speech which assigns praise or blame and is concerned with the present" (Dawkins, 2013), as conceived by Aristotle in his Rhetoric, the original discourse dedicated to forming theoretical foundations for rhetorical speech. By carefully constructing a logical basis for his overriding assertion that pursuing one's passion should be prioritized over purely educational goals, while also interspersing his speech with effective emotional appeals based on anecdotes from his own life, Jobs successfully exploited several methods of persuasion to evoke intense responses from his audience.

Delivered amidst the backdrop of one of America's premier institutions of higher learning, Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, the specific setting of Jobs' signature speech can rightfully be considered to be a rhetorical technique all its own. Located near Silicon Valley, which stands as the locus point of the ongoing digital revolution, Stanford University has long been a breeding ground for students aspiring to become programmers, software developers, online entrepreneurs, or technology moguls, and in 2005 Jobs' reign as the ruler of the computing technology realm was undisputed. With Apple Inc. dominating the markets for mobile smartphones, laptop computers, tablets, and mp3 music devices at the time this speech was given, Jobs' was imbued with an unimpeachable sense of expert power; the crucial component of French and Raven's famed Five Bases of Power, a theory of persuasion which posits that people are far more receptive to new ideas when they are introduced by authoritative figures vested with expert knowledge of a particular subject (French and Raven, 154). Rather than trumpet his own extraordinary success, however, Jobs chose to open his speech by demythologizing his own story, humbly telling the assembled group of freshly minted college graduates "I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit" (Jobs, 2005). With this seemingly simple introduction to his personal story, Jobs successfully integrated the first of Aristotle's artistic proofs, pathos, as he appealed directly to his audience's sympathies and sensibilities.

A close reading of Jobs entire speech reveals many instances in which the CEO's reliance on neo-Aristotelian techniques strengthens his overall rhetorical approach. Along with the pathos displayed in his opening remarks, which described the inspiration gained from a tumultuous childhood as an adoptee and his struggle to maintain a foothold in the world of academia, Jobs' subtle reminder that "the first story is about connecting the dots" (2005) also manages to convey the accompanying artistic proofs of ethos and logos. Weaved within a seemingly humorous recollection of his eclectic experience at Reed College, where the young Jobs enrolled in calligraphy classes firm in his belief that "none of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life" (2005), is a fascinating example of the mogul's almost instinctual ability to harness the persuasive power of logos. When Jobs eventually connected the dots in the very same way he exhorted his audience to do during their own lives, in this case by applying his newly gained knowledge of typefaces, letter combinations, and typography during the design phase of the original Macintosh personal computer, the logical benefits of his unique approach to pursuing success are made evident in spectacular fashion. In appealing to his audience's sense of ethos, Jobs recounts the intensely painful experience of being ousted from his own wildly successful company at the tender age of 30, telling the assembled graduates quite pointedly how "what had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating" (2005). By exposing his own fears and doubts to an audience largely comprised of young adults consumed by the very same emotions, Jobs used ethos to empathize with those whose lives he hoped to influence. As John Naughton observed in his informative annotation of Jobs' speech, "the idea that getting fired might be a good thing is a bracing idea for young graduates, even Stanford ones" (2011), and by running contrary to the conventional standards of a commencement speech Jobs managed to set the standard for this style of speech.

Many experts on the art of rhetorical persuasion have noted that rhetoric is not confined to the realm of abstraction, with countless applications within a real world setting, and the fact that "business transactions, from marketing strategies to contract negotiations, frequently involve persuasive efforts" (Herrick, 2005), suggests that Jobs' unparalleled success as an enterprising entrepreneur were based on solid foundation of rhetorical skill. Due to the inherent challenges of crafting this particular speech, one which minimizes the assumed link between formal education and professional achievement for the newest graduates of a prestigious university, the influence of Aristotle's five cannons of rhetoric was evident in both its structure and style of delivery. According to the neo-Aristotelian approach to rhetoric, a truly persuasive message must be predicated on invention, arrangement, style, delivery, and memory, and Jobs' commencement speech clearly followed this ancient template. By arranging the speech according to the classic threefold structure, telling his audience with characteristic simplicity that "today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories" (2005), and basing each of these three stories on one of Aristotle's artistic proofs, Jobs arranged his message to achieve maximum persuasive power with his signature brand of efficiency. The particular style of Jobs delivery was also quite effective from a rhetorical standpoint, as he engendered himself to the audience through self-deprecating wit, genuine expressions of humility, and personal revelation. By speaking casually and avoiding the professorial tone typical to commencement speeches, Jobs also used his inimitable style of salesmanship to shift the audience's privately held perceptions, parlaying the level of trust he established through his stewardship of Apple Inc. into an authentic personal connection.