Practicing Invitational Rhetoric in the Writing

Center

by Zizi Khalil

What is rhetoric?– Rhetoric = persuasion ? – “the conscious intent to change others” -

Foss & Griffin

Persuasive Rhetoric vs. Invitational Rhetoric

“An invitation to understanding as a means to create a relationship rooted in equality, immanent value, and self-determination.”

Communication for sake of understanding, not persuasion or domination

Starting place of IR based on principles that challenge the immense value patriarchy accords to changing and dominating others

Equality– Elimination of dominance/elitism that characterizes most

relationships– Intimacy, mutuality, camaraderie

Immanent Value– Every being is a unique and necessary part of the pattern of

our world and thus has value– “Your life is worth something…You need be only what you

are”

Self-Determination– Allows individuals to make their own decisions about how

they want to live their lives – Recognizes that others are authorities in their own lives

Prerequisites required for mutual understanding:

Safety– Others have rights to their own views; feeling of

security + freedom from danger from the audience

Value– Views different from one’s own are considered

valuable & worthy– Respectfully affirming others while also affirming

oneself

Freedom– Both parties have the ability to choose for themselves what options they find suitable– No restrictions in the interaction

Writing Centers as inherently feminist learning spaces

Sweetland Mission Statement “Collaborative writing process to instill confidence in fellow writers”

University of Colorado: Center operates “in support of writers” & “Brings writers together with readers”

Princeton: “Writing Center Fellows are there to listen, suggest, and advise. They serve as sounding boards, careful readers…are able to suggest possibilities implicit in a student's own thinking and writing.”

Mission statements address power imbalance in University (professors vs. undergrad students)

Recognizes student writers operating within University setting often lack confidence and authority

Writing center seeks to empower these student writers

Terms like “reader” and “fellow” attempt to equalize writers and WC employees

-Words like “coach, tutor, mentor” more loaded with implicit hierarchy

Writing center strives to deconstruct traditional authority roles through our spoken language

We “value collaboration” but recognize and “face the issues of control” which often arise - Andrea Lunsford

We “not only listen but draw [writers] out,” - Stephen North

Monitor balance of control in each session; – Resist becoming or seen as “little teachers”

Try to divest ourselves of authority; give that authority to writers

Classrooms at UM largely maintain traditional patriarchal power

University evaluates students by grading their work = retains power to label students by issuing grades

Not compatible with WCs because focuses attention on writing product and not the writers (i.e. quality of product determines the grade)

If peer tutors focus on grade, they will focus on product and not writer– Writers won’t take

control of writing process

“Writing centers, then, are equalizing spaces positioned within a larger hierarchical system” - Gabriel Seeley

WC spaces are already designed to utilize invitational rhetoric– Tutors taught to ask the writer to help set

goals during the session– Tutors ask questions of writers in the

session, not give answers

In PR, agency met by compelling others to change their thoughts or ideas

With IR, both parties have agency– No struggle to dominate or establish authority

over the other

In IR, the result may very well be change, but agency lies in the process of creating an environment of safety, value, freedom

PR vs. IR = What we “do to” another vs. what we “do with” another

“Change may be the result of invitational rhetoric, but change is not its purpose”

– Change occurs in the audience or rhetor or both as a result of new understanding and insights gained in the exchange of ideas

– Process of discovery and questioning through comparison

– Can help us raise our consciousness bygetting us to look at issues/subjects through others’ points of views

Offering Perspectives– “I tried this solution when that happened to me…I

thought it worked well.” or “What would happen if we introduced the idea of ____ in this problem?” instead of “You really ought to do…” or “Your idea is flawed because you fail to realize”

Providing Opportunities– Perspectives articulated as a means to increase options

(not limit options like traditional rhetoric)– Audience’s acceptance or rejection to perspective of the

rhetor makes no difference to the rhetor

Absolute-listening– “Our advice, reactions, encouragements, reassurements

and well-intentioned comments actually prevent people from feeling understood”

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