Uncertainty and Rhetoric: Letting the numbers speak for themselves

Abstract

While past research has examined how language acts as an antecedent to various organizational outcomes, we seek to uncover the antecedents of organizational language. Specifically, we examine how the language used by speakers in organizational narratives is influenced by the degree of uncertainty inherent in the action the speaker is requesting of the audience. We find that the degree of uncertainty of the requested action influences the use of relatively more or less logos, pathos, and ethos rhetoric. Specifically, when the speaker’s requested action has lower degrees of uncertainty, they are more likely to use relatively more pathos (emotional) rhetoric in the organizational narrative. When the requested action has higher degrees of uncertainty, they are more likely to use relatively more logos (logic) rhetoric and ethos (moral character) rhetoric in the organizational narrative. In essence, we uncover how uncertainty shapes the message delivered by speakers to their audience.