Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

Aristotle's three book collection, now called Rhetoric, remains the core of the art of Rhetoric. In this post, I'd like to outline three key concepts to Rhetoric: Logos, Ethos, and Pathos. They are the means of persuasion.

Logos is simply an appeal to the intellect of the audience. This is where logical argument and factual evidence enter the argument. Since humans are not totally rational, this appeal alone will rarely win the day.

Ethos is the attempt to make the speaker look honest and respectable to the audience. Ethos become more important in many political debates, especially in current America, where many citizens are not nearly as knowledgeable about topics as they would need to be to understand the logos of a claim.

Pathos is an appeal to the sympathy and empathy of the audience. The speaker uses pathos to create an emotion within the audience to buttress his claim.

Obviously, a speech or argument doesn't need all three, but it really helps. Try to establish the aura of trustworthiness, respectability, and expertise (Ethos). Then attempt to connect with your audience and set an emotional tone (pathos). Only then, once the audience trusts you and is emotionally primed, should you use your logical argument to explain your points. After that, try to reiterate the emotional connection you have with them, and how your experience and expertise has led you to your conclusions.

Good luck!