Warren Buffett Rhetorical Analysis

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Warren Buffett, 87, Chief Executive Officer of Berkshire Hathaway is known as one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, yet; it is his innate talent for storytelling that makes his name ring louder than the corporate conglomerate he leads. Buffett’s rhetorical strategy goes beyond investment acumen by employing axiomatic communication skills that project the right ethos onto shareholders and stakeholders alike, making him an authentic, credible and trustworthy leader. This paper will explore how Buffett utilizes three key principles comprising; clarity of communication through written and oral dialogue, the synesthetic metaphor that illustrates the similarity between Buffett and his audience, and deliberative linguistic structure of oratorical …show more content…

The exchange being exorbitant compensation leads companies to near-overnight success, which more often than not results in bad business decisions and deceit, ensuing in shareholder loss. Buffett’s occupation as CEO has not been a series of home runs; however, he remains transparent by communicating in a plain language that in turn, protects the exploitation of Berkshires shareholders to investments outside of the company’s “circle of competence”. This is cleverly achieved through concise language explaining terminology coupled with usage the of metaphors in Buffett’s Chairman’s Letters to the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway. For instance, Buffett states in his 2008, Letter to Shareholders on the economic collapse, “By year-end, investors of all stripes were bloodied and confused, much as if they were small birds that had strayed into a badminton game … In poker terms, the Treasury and the Fed have gone ‘all in.’ Economic medicine that was previously meted out by the cupful has recently been dispensed by the barrel.” Illustrating a candor that speaks louder than any shiny technical verbiage assuring his readers that investing with Berkshire is a relationship, and human …show more content…

Buffett has remained adamant that the core responsibility of a company is to maintain its reputation. Infamous for his one liner’s Buffett claims, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation, and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” In 1991, Buffett solidified himself as a person of integrity and honesty as he appeared before the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance of the Energy and Commerce Committee of the U.S House of Representatives, to accept responsibility for the Salomon Brother’s scandal. Speaking in first person narrative, Buffett personalizes his message, each sentence averaging ten words or less. Moreover, the language is concise and to the point, inclusive of all “8,000 employees regret” illustrating the innocence of those affected. Buffett’s specific word order depicts a firm, uncompromising leader, whose choice of words, “lose money for the firm by bad decisions, I will be very understanding. If you lose reputation for the firm, I will be ruthless” exemplify Buffett’s successful attempt to salvage its reputation, but most importantly persuade

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