Gary C. Woodward - Böcker

In today's world of instant communication, we often marvel at the ability of a public figure to handle a hostile audience. Persuasive Encounters studies successful persuasion against tough odds. Through the analyzation of specific historical and rhetorical evidence, the events presented here illustrate and sometimes challenge the viability of current abstract models. Detailed studies of encounters involving such diverse figures as Edward R. Murrow, Edward Kennedy, Thomas Szasz, and Ed Koch form the basis of the work. Shorter analyses focus on the sometimes controversial actions of social activists ranging from abolitionst Wendell Phillips to the Beatles' John Lennon. In its scope and assumptions, the book is the first of its kind. Such studies are usually isolated in journals or reduced to short examples in persuasion texts. Persuasive Encounters demonstrates that the understanding of communication processes can never be very far from the analysis of specific settings and events. It goes on to show that confrontations can be positive forces for change.The text is comprised of five instances of persuasion advocacy combined with six shorter case studies. Each chapter includes background information on the immediate and secondary audiences, a summary of significant events that surrounded the situation, and contemporary accounts of public reaction. In addition, a transcript of the remarks or exchanges that actually took place and an analysis of the persuasion are provided. Students of persuasion, communication theory, and discourse analysis will find this work a valuable resource.

In today's world of instant communication, we often marvel at the ability of a public figure to handle a hostile audience. Persuasive Encounters studies successful persuasion against tough odds. Through the analyzation of specific historical and rhetorical evidence, the events presented here illustrate and sometimes challenge the viability of current abstract models. Detailed studies of encounters involving such diverse figures as Edward R. Murrow, Edward Kennedy, Thomas Szasz, and Ed Koch form the basis of the work. Shorter analyses focus on the sometimes controversial actions of social activists ranging from abolitionst Wendell Phillips to the Beatles' John Lennon. In its scope and assumptions, the book is the first of its kind. Such studies are usually isolated in journals or reduced to short examples in persuasion texts. Persuasive Encounters demonstrates that the understanding of communication processes can never be very far from the analysis of specific settings and events. It goes on to show that confrontations can be positive forces for change.The text is comprised of five instances of persuasion advocacy combined with six shorter case studies. Each chapter includes background information on the immediate and secondary audiences, a summary of significant events that surrounded the situation, and contemporary accounts of public reaction. In addition, a transcript of the remarks or exchanges that actually took place and an analysis of the persuasion are provided. Students of persuasion, communication theory, and discourse analysis will find this work a valuable resource.

Denton and Woodward provide a newly updated revision of their classic in political communication. This pioneering text provides a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the role and function of communication in American politics.A synthesis of some of the best writing in political communication from the fields of communication, political science, journalism, and history, this edition features completely new chapters on the topics of campaign management, congressional campaigns, politics and popular culture, and unofficial Washington. This edition also reflects updated sources and recent examples. Students and scholars in the fields of communication, political science, political sociology, and contemporary American political history will find this text invaluable.

Denton and Woodward provide a newly updated revision of their classic in political communication. This pioneering text provides a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the role and function of communication in American politics.A synthesis of some of the best writing in political communication from the fields of communication, political science, journalism, and history, this edition features completely new chapters on the topics of campaign management, congressional campaigns, politics and popular culture, and unofficial Washington. This edition also reflects updated sources and recent examples. Students and scholars in the fields of communication, political science, political sociology, and contemporary American political history will find this text invaluable.

The Perfect Response is a lucid account of the social origins of fluency from a scholar recognized as "a leading analyst of the dramaturgical dimensions of politics." In this imaginative study Gary C. Woodward creates and elucidates the idea of "The Rhetorical Personality, using a deft blend of communication theory, social history and rhetorical criticism. With unusual capacities for expressiveness, persuasiveness, and sensitivity, Rhetorical Personalities thrive in settings that call for communication that will transcend differences and engage others. They typically have a heightened sense of their own persuasive power, a skill for "reading" audiences, and the capacity to function effectively in unfamiliar settings. Each chapter of The Perfect Response probes the nature of these uniquely social persons from a different perspective: through the sympathetic characters of a prolific Hollywood filmmaker; by examining the nature of the social isolation in individuals with autism-spectrum disorders; through cross-cultural comparisons; and by assessing seminal and recent social science research on key benchmarks of rhetorical skill, such as "high self monitoring," "other-direction," and "the capacity for engagement with others." Focusing on public figures that range from comedian Steve Martin to political leaders as diverse as Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, Woodward builds a detailed "conceptual map" for profiling the kinds of individuals who naturally maximize the possibilities of communication in public settings.

Drawing on examples from contemporary life, Woodward explores rhetorical conditions that create powerful moments of identification.Illustrated with interesting examples drawn from politics and art, The Idea of Identification draws on classical social and rhetorical theories to establish a systematic framework for understanding the varieties and forms of identification. Woodward references a variety of contexts in contemporary life to explore the rhetorical conditions that create powerful and captivating moments. By invoking the influential ideas of Kenneth Burke, George Herbert Mead, Joshua Meyrowitz and others, he shows how the rhetorical process of identification is separate from psychological theories of identity construction. Woodward concludes with an argument that film theory has perhaps offered the most vivid descriptive categories for understanding the bonds of identification.