The Rhetoric of Compliments

Typically, when we think of rhetoric, we think of someone who delivers a moving speech or just has a way with words that has some significant impact on their audience.  And while this interpretation of rhetoric is valid, I also realized that simply complimenting someone is also a form of rhetoric. Just as a speech may have a persuasive or impressive effect on the audience, so might a compliment.
I started thinking about this topic after I had a meeting with one of my professors. I knew I was doing well in his class, but I wanted to meet with him to see how I might improve my performance even more. During our meeting, he said some really nice things about both my work ethic as well as my personality. I don't know what it is, but there seems to be something different about being complimented by a professor or other authoritative figure than being complimented by a friend. In any case, these short phrases which praised either my performance in the class or my personality had a significant impact on me, the audience.
Generally, we tend to take compliments for granted. As a society, we have become so skeptical of others and their motives in doing or saying certain things to us, therefore preventing us from accepting a compliment at face value. However, by constantly reading into a compliment more deeply than what is actually being said, we tend to miss the most significant part of being complimented. Sometimes, when someone compliments me, I, too, begin to question their motives and such, but today, after hearing such kind words from my professor, I am led to think differently. His words encouraged me to keep the good work up. His compliments let me know that I am doing something right and to me, that is just as persuasive and motivating as any speech I could listen to for minutes on end. From now on, I hope to view compliments differently and learn to actually appreciate the significance behind them.