ABSTRACT
The previous chapter introduced Atkinson’s theory of how rhetorical devices are used to invite applause. This analysis proved invaluable in helping to understand how hand gestures can both articulate the structure of applause invitations, as well as refuse applause when it occurs at inappropriate points during a speech. Atkinson’s theory has, in fact, proved remarkably influential and provides some compelling insights into the stage management of political speeches. As such, it has become widely accepted, although it has always been open to criticism on a number of counts. Nevertheless, since the time when the original research was conducted in the 1980s, the theory has never been subjected to any systematic re-evaluation. In this and the next two chapters, a series of studies are presented which were intended to do precisely this – to test the validity of Atkinson’s theory of rhetoric.
