A rhetorical question is a question where the answer is already obvious, or one you go on to answer yourself. It is a lovely little rhetorical figure, because it lets you persuade your listener more effectively: they shape the answer in their own head, rather than simply being handed a statement or an instruction. And an answer we arrive at ourselves always feels more like our own.
A couple of examples:
- In a salary conversation: "Surely the best thing is to give me a wage that keeps me motivated to perform for the good of the company?"
- A vacuum-cleaner salesperson: "You are after the smoothest, quietest vacuum cleaner on the market, aren't you?" "Yes!" "Then, based on exactly what you are looking for, this is the one I would recommend, the best in its class."
There is a second, quieter use for the rhetorical question too. If you sense that not everyone in the room is following your line of reasoning, but nobody quite dares to speak up and ask, drop in a rhetorical question pitched at a relatively simple level. It clarifies your message, and in doing so it gently catches up the listeners who were beginning to feel lost, without anyone ever having to admit it.
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