Everyone's an author

By developing habits of mind, such as listening and searching for understanding before deciding what you actually think of a subject and then try to persuade others to listen, is considered thinking rhetorically. This is especially important because there are two known methods of persuasion: violence and language. As writers, it is of the utmost importance to execute thinking rhetorically, because the audience is vast and sponge-like. Readers tend to believe most things they read, so the information being written must be able to communicate their points successfully. Research is necessary for successful rhetorical thinking and writing, because you have to have as much information to communicate well. After research has been done, or "doing your homework", it must be analyzed and synthesized. When choosing a place to further my education, I did days worth of research on: the best colleges for my specific major, schools I could reasonably be accepted by, schools on the east coast, affordability, location, weather, people, and days and days of more research. My analysis of the information brought me to the schools I applied to, and the synthesis of the information helped me choose my college.
When Watson and Crick were discovering DNA, they had to be aware of their audience of other scientists. Instead of stating their facts and findings in a way that was matter of fact, it eased the readers (mostly scientists) into the new idea of DNA. The vocabulary used shows the amount of rhetorical thinking, knowing that scientists might not be open to accepting this new information.
To successfully use rhetorical thinking in a situation, the audience must be considered first. As mentioned before, rhetorical thinking must be precise to have the desired affect on an audience. A clear stance must be developed without forcing the purpose. For example, if you wanted to ask someone out but weren't sure they were interested, asking them to do something low-key, like study, is showing that you know they exist but not giving away your stance. Then throughout the study session, you throw out different vibes, maybe revealing the true purpose. It's like slowly submerging yourself in a pool, not creating a wake, or a stir in the audience reading the piece.