I listened to the My Favorite Murder “Investigateighteen” podcast. The podcast reviews murders and infamous crimes that have occurred in the past. For this podcast, they use the rhetorical strategies of informality, decorum, and pathos. These are the most effective tools for the podcast to be successful.

To start, the podcast has a very informal structure to it. The two women, Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, are very friendly with each other and don’t really speak as if they are work colleagues. They more speak as if they are sitting around talking about things happening in their lives or having a good time. This keeps the podcast enjoyable. It doesn’t feel like a lecture at school or a documentary, it almost feels more like gossip. While they do keep the information factual, they present it in this gossip like way to make it enjoyable. They audience feels like they are a part of the the conversation instead of watching it from the sidelines. Using an informal tone helps keep the podcast fun even as they talk about very serious topics such as murder and mutilation.

Their decorum is also very important as it fits into their informal speech. This is reflected as the subjects are gruesome and it seems as though if they were talked about formally, it would be too disconnected. For the decorum of the podcast, there is no holding back when it comes to how things are said. There is frequent swearing and a bluntness to most statements. This decorum is used to keep the podcast interesting and enjoyable. Not holding back and what they want to say and being blunt is very fitting for the topic. It also works for the audience who may not want them to be blunt. The way the show is run and the nature of podcasts that are shows doesn’t allow for them to be as formal as documentaries. They are people speaking to one another and they often speak in a way that makes an audience member think they can have a conversation.

To keep a conversation feeling, they also use a lot of pathos in their show. They speak their opinions o the crimes and express their genuine horror when they talk about what happened to these people. This allows them to be viewed in a very human way and makes them likable. Keeping this human look is to the benefit of the podcaster as it gives the idea of a closer bond between them and their listeners. The overall goal of the podcast is to talk about the gruesome and do it in a way that is enjoyable. To talk with emotion is interesting because it allows for viewers to compare their own opinion or even gain an opinion when they may not have one.

All in all, elements such as informality, decorum, and emotion are necessary. They are talking about people that have lost a great deal and if it is presented wrong, it could be disastrous.