What Classical Rhetoric Has to Offer the Teacher and the Student of Business and Professional Writing

Corbett, Edward. "What Classical Rhetoric Has to Offer the Teacher and the Student of Business and Professional Writing." Writing in the Business Professions. Ed. Myra Kogen. Illinois: NCTE/Association for Business Communication, 1989. 37-65. PDF.

In his historical analysis, Corbett details the relationship between writing and rhetoric by showing that the problem of writing, “finding something to say and then selecting, organizing, and expressing what has been found” (65), is basically the same as the definition of rhetoric, “the art of effective communication in the oral or written medium” (65). Specifically, Corbett links classical rhetoric to business writing and seeks to demonstrate that “business and professional communication has its own rhetorical system but that this system has been shaped . . . by the enduring principles of classical rhetoric” (66). The rest of his chapter makes comparisons between business writing principles and ancient rhetorical methods in order to show classical rhetoric’s influence on business writing and encourage the continued study of classical methods.

Corbett mainly uses business writing texts as his objects of study. He mentions examples of advertising and a customer compliant letter, along with current pedagogical practices, although no specific ones are mentioned. Perhaps he assumes that his audience knows the existing business and professional writing practices because he does not pull from specific textbooks, professors, or scholars when referencing typical academic practices. Corbett uses Aristotle’s Rhetoric extensively as a lens to view modern business writing principles; he also makes a passing reference to Cicero and Quintilian.

He focuses on knowing an audience, a concept taken from classical rhetoric that is also important for modern business writing students. Further relying on classical rhetoric, Corbett shows that style, ethos, tone, and delivery are all aspects of business writing that have been influenced by Aristotle’s Rhetoric. He also claims that these elements should be influenced by classical rhetoric. In this way, he makes an unclear analysis: classical rhetoric already influences business writing rhetoric but business writing rhetoric should be influenced by classical rhetoric. What’s more, because he often makes prescriptive statements about using classical rhetoric to build strong business writing strategies, he does not necessarily stick to his original intent of simply demonstrating the extent of which classical rhetoric already influences this business writing system.

However, Corbett states, “Many [students] are totally unaware that the principles and techniques that have helped to shape their rhetorical craft stem from the ancient rhetoricians” (71) so they rely on their intuition to develop their craft. Thus, he recommends that teachers and textbooks make students aware of their indebtedness to classical rhetoricians. Again though, students are probably not learning this craft on their own, so Corbett is unclear about whether teachers need to simply communicate classical rhetoric’s influence or if they need to realize this influence themselves in order to more effectively teach it.

By looking back at ancient rhetoricians and their practice, Corbett intends to show that, perhaps even unknowingly, business writing rhetoric finds many of its principles in classical rhetoric. Corbett believes then, that the primary importance of incorporating classical principles of rhetoric into business and professional writing is classical rhetoric’s ability to “give us a new perspective on fundamental principles and strategies” (72) or open up new venues of communication that are missing from current textbooks. Specifically, Corbett claims that classical rhetoric offers business writing students a guide for using emotional appeals in their documents, a technique not typical in current business writing practice. Thus, he is using historical practices to reinterpret current practices with the goal of guiding students and teachers to a better understanding of their own methods.