Kairos and actio – a rhetorical approach to timing

Marie Gelang

doi:10.29107/rr2021.3.6

Abstract

This article explores timing, kairos, in human interaction by analyzing nonverbal communication. The skill of timing, being able to do “the right thing at the right time,” is important for rhetorical agency. What are the silent processes in human interaction, and how do they influence the possibility for a kairotic moment to occur? Empirical material consisting of theater rehearsals has been analyzed. The findings show that the actio qualities: tempo and energy, as well as phronesis, are important factors for the appearance of a kairotic moment.

Highlights

The skill of timing, doing the “right thing at the right time,” is important for speakers such as politicians, negotiators, judges, or any citizen trying to get their opinion heard
Like Protagoras, Aristotle claimed that it is the circumstances of the rhetorical situation that are decisive for what is the “right thing at the right time,” especially if the action has to do with questions of ethics, morality and justice (Kinneavy and Eskin, 2000, 433–439, 442)
For a kairotic moment to appear, many different processes have to coincide at a specific moment in time, the process of nonverbal communication

Summary

Introduction

The skill of timing, doing the “right thing at the right time,” is important for speakers such as politicians, negotiators, judges, or any citizen trying to get their opinion heard. Focusing on the two rhetorical concepts kairos and actio and the relationship between them, this article explores the process of silent, nonverbal communication leading up to a kairotic moment. The aim of this article is to explore whether nonverbal, silent processes in human interaction might influence the possibility for a kairotic moment to occur. Section two, following this introduction, outlines the theoretical concepts of kairos and actio qualities, as well as how they can be combined. The fifth section concludes the article with a summary of the findings: namely the importance of the actio qualities tempo and energy in the processes leading up to kairos. The intention of this article is to explore how actio qualities might be a part of the ongoing processes that create a kairotic moment, but not necessarily of the kairotic moment itself

Kairos and actio

The rehearsal of a play

Actio qualities affecting kairos

Conclusions