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Words For Granted interview

A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Ray Belli who produces the Words For Granted podcast. From Donald Trump to McDonalds, we discuss a range of topics relating to my book How to Apologise for Killing a Cat: Rhetoric and the Art of Persuasion.

You can listen to the podcast on the Words for Granted website and on Spotify.

Continue reading “Words For Granted interview”

Boris Johnson’s Party Conference Speech: why it’s important and what to expect

Britain is on the brink of leaving the European Union and Boris Johnson finds himself on the front line. On all sides he faces forces that work against him day and night to weaken his position as Prime Minister and hamper his efforts to take Britain out of the European Union.

Boris Johnson’s speech at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester may well be a defining moment in his ‘Battle for Brexit’. He has to unite a broken party, inspire a disillusioned nation and send a strong message that will thunder its way across the political chambers of Europe. The question is, will he manage? Continue reading “Boris Johnson’s Party Conference Speech: why it’s important and what to expect”

The Rhetoric of Donald Trump on Twitter

I think it is safe to say that if you have done something that evokes an angry tweet from Donald Trump you’re winning at life. His tweets are famous for their manner, their meaning and their outright chutzpah!

Some people laugh at his tweets, others praise him for his frankness, and some are outright horrified by what he has to say. Whatever your views are, it is impossible to deny that he is a colossal figure and what he says matters.

But politics aside, the rhetoric behind his tweets are fascinating. Before I go on, I will quickly mention that it is easy to think that rhetoric is only found in grandiloquent speeches delivered by eloquent speakers and that it isn’t used in the realm of twitter. But that would be wrong. On the contrary, rhetoric is used everywhere, and by everyone – and that certainly includes Donald Trump on twitter. Continue reading “The Rhetoric of Donald Trump on Twitter”