Visual Rhetoric (Extra Credit)

                Visual rhetoric is used much more than we recognize.  Most notably, it is used in dress, appearance and mannerisms.  Developing skills to recognize and understand these rhetorical devices come with time and experience.  Most commonly, however, come naturally as an innate ability.  The knack to understand and read a person based on their visual rhetoric is a very valuable skill in many facets of the world.  From situations in relationships to business ventures, understanding the feelings of others is a necessary part of life.  By picking up and paying particular attention to clues given in visual gestures this can be used as a great strength in many aspects of human experience.

                As an LDS missionary, understanding visual rhetoric was essential to success – and to avoiding awkward situations.  Typically, within the first three seconds of introducing ourselves to people we could determine their interest level.  This was particularly important because of our time restraints.  In the business world, salespeople are taught to sell to those who are either favorable or impartial toward the product or service while ignoring those who are unfavorable or hostile toward the business.  Although missionaries are not instructed to ignore any of God’s children, similar principles apply.  Those who convey soft, inviting mannerisms are typically more humble and willing to accept the gospel.  In opposition to this, those with a rugged appearance are usually less likely to listen to the message.  This tactic is not always flawless, and singular second judgments do not always turn out to be true, but it is an effective way to decipher the initial feelings and reactions of others toward the message and the messenger.
               I recognized this most pointedly during my mission when we were authorized to teach via Skype and Facebook.  At first, we were overwhelmed with the excitement surrounding the possibilities of teaching people worldwide.  Eventually, we became very frustrated with the lack of success we were seeing online.  Due to the lack of visual rhetoric, it was difficult to know what to testify of during lessons over instant messaging.  During Skype lessons, there was a small lag time in between our comments and their response which became problematic due to our dependence on the reaction of the investigator.  Some are better at hiding their emotions than others, but it is human nature to react at least briefly in the instant that we hear or learn or something noteworthy.  Visual rhetoric is a large part of human life and can greatly impact the way that we interact and treat others.