Kairos and Decorum - Something Done in the Right Moment and the in the Right Way Makes All the Difference

Kairos

Kairos describes the right moment, or opportune moment.  In the above clip Sam refers to the moment in terms of time laps since a death to make an accident but kairos can refer to more than just time.  The moment was not right for the joke not just because the timing was bad but because the "feel" of recent death was not appropriatefor a joke.  In this case, six seconds is too soon.

If kairos refers to more than just time what else does it encompass?

Location plays a factor in determining kairos; it will probably never be the right time to make a 9/11 joke at ground zero.  The location of something, a speech on in front of important monuments, for example, can add weight or significance to what is being communicated.  A march on Washington is meant to get the attention of those working in Washington; it is a way of bringing the issues to the lawmakers doorstep. 

Rhetor and audience are a large determining factor in kairos.  Being able to read an audience, know what their interests, sensitivities, passions, age, economic class, jobs, relationships, political leanings, etc. are can change how a message is received.  Knowing yourself as a rhetor, what you are interested in at the moment and so on, will change what you want to discuss and the message you want to communicate.  These things can be fleeting or can remain the same over a lengthy course of time.  A rhetor takes into account all the shifts that can occur and uses them to his or her advantage when constructing a message. 

Kairos doesn't just determine what message may be the best but how to best convey a message; it determines what words, images, sounds, etc. may be best in any given situation.  According to rhetoric.byu.edu, "a speaker or writer takes into account the contingencies of a given place and time, and considers the opportunities within this specific context for words to be effective and appropriate to that moment." 

Kairos can be used as a means and tool of invention. Sharon Crawley and Debra Hawhee give some questions that may help a rhetor determine kairos and use it in invention:

"1. Have recent event made the issue urgent right now, or do I need to show its urgency or make it relevant to the present? Will history of the issue help in this regard?
2. What arguments seems to be favored by what groups at this time? That is, which communities are making which arguments? How are their interests served by these arguments?
3. What venues give voices to which sides of the issues? Does one group or another seem to be in a better positions - a better place - from which to argue? in other words, what are the power dynamic at work in an issue? Who has power? Who doesn't? Why?
4. What lines of argument would be appropriate or inappropriate considering the prevailing needs and values of the audience?
5. What other issues are bound up with discourse about this issue right now, in this place and in this community? Why? " 
 

Whether the kairos for a message exists and is obvious or whether a rhetor has to seek it out or create it, it is important to the creation and reception of a message. 


Decorum

Closely linked with kairos is decorum.  I said in kairos that how something is said is as important as what is said; kairos can help determine what the best way to convey a message; decorum, according to rhetoric.byu.edu, sets a structure for the  "pedagogy and procedures of [rhetoric] as much as it governs the overall uses of language." 

Like kairos, decorum considers a wide range of "social, linguistic, aesthetic, and ethical proprieties" and is tied to the rhetor and the audience.  Though decorum sets a standard, that standard can be considered to be on a continuum.   Word choices and linguistic composition that is appropriate for a message being conveyed in the street of west Phoenix will not be appropriate for the Senate floor; a student writer writing an informal paper uses a different manner of speech and has different word choice than a professional writer. 

Decorum is concerned with what is appropriate in any given rhetorical situation.  Because it applies to rhetorical situations as a whole, its considerations extend beyond word choice to include visual and auditory choices.  The phrase "may not be suitable for all audiences," for example, is a nod towards this idea of decorum, a warning that the following message is audience specific and that the creators of the message considered who their audience may be and perhaps should not be.  When considering what colors, fonts, words, and images to use, a graphic designer follows the standards of decorum appropriate for their target audience. Images intended for an older audience may not be appropriate for an ad target at school children and over-simplified ad campaigns may not appeal to a more educated audience. 

As important as rhetorical choices in regards to decorum must be appropriate for the rhetor and the audience, the choices should fit the situation.  A greeting card that is light hearted and drawn with cartoons may not be appropriate to send to someone that just lost a loved one; just as a serious and poetic card about love may not be appropriate to give when a relationship is new and uncertain. 

As we can see, the factors determining the appropriate use of words, images, videos, sounds, etc., are closely related to the factors that determine the kairos, or opportune moment, for a message.  What is said, how its said, when its said, and who its said to make a difference in how the message is conveyed.

Below is an amusing example of the standards set forth by decorum being overlooked in a newspaper headline. 



While Chick is the last name of the councilwoman that the article is about, the title conveys, perhaps accidentally, and inappropriate message.  There are better titles that could have been used and would have been more appropriate to the situation.