One of the key lessons I learned at university was communication. It introduced me to Aristotle’s persuasive appeals of logos, ethos and pathos when communicating. This technique used to persuade, and motivate is known as Rhetoric. What fascinated me the most was the various ways we communicated with our audience and influence their view of us.

Communication is the single most important thing in today’s world get it right you might just open new doors and break barriers. What then does Aristotle teaches us about persuasion “rhetoric is the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion and since mastery of the art was necessary for victory in a case at law, for passage of proposals in the assembly, or fame as a speaker in civic ceremonies, he calls it “a combination of the science of logic and the ethical branch of politics”

😑Pathos

This is the appeal to emotions. When it comes to pathos all emotions are at the table that is sadness, fear, joy, lust etc. it can either be a negative or positive emotional influence. This is when a speaker relies on tactics that emotionally touch the audience. an example of this in action is a speaker presenting about climate change and he says to his audience “ this beautiful forest home to a lot of innocent animals has been destroyed recklessly by timber poachers something the responsible members of this community can avoid.” This is a powerful factor to rely on when communicating given the unprecedented power of emotions.

🤴Ethos

This is the appeal to authority. When it comes to ethos the reputation of the speaker is the tactic that is being used to influence hence the appeal to authority and credibility. This also includes how the speaker carries himself, and how they present themselves to the audience. In as much as the speaker relies on their credibility or character, they can also use non-verbal skills of communication such as posture, body language, eye contact and even choice of clothing, when influencing their audience. Ethos is important in rhetorics as it influences the mood and opinion of the audience. An example of ethos in action is “ as the CEO of this wonderful organisation it is best for us to strategically use aggressive tactics when it comes to promoting our products.”

📜Logos

This is the appeal to reason. When a Speaker relies on logos they are presenting rational arguments and facts that support their argument. This is also a powerful appeal as it is difficult to argue against facts and the truth. In most instances, it’s easy for a speaker to influence an audience when he provides strong facts and evidence that shows that their position is correct. The opposite is true when an argument is flawed or entirely wrong it’s hard for a speaker to influence his or her audience. A good logical argument will assist the speaker’s appeal to authority – ethos – as the audience perceives the speaker as a knowledgable person to who they can lesson. Here is an example of logos “ according to latest research 60% of our customers are employed and they own cars this suggests that our products appeal more to a greater part of the working population. Taking this into account the features we introduce should also appeal to that class least we risk shrinking our market”

🏹Mythos and Kairos

In addition to the above three appeals, some modern scholars have also highlighted mythos and kairos as modes of persuasion. Mythos refers to the appeal to myth or culture. When a speaker relies on mythos they will be trying to persuade an audience using shared cultural customs or societal values. Kairos refers to the appeal to time. when a speaker relies on kairos they try to persuade an audience using the place and time they are presenting their arguments.

Conclusion

Communication happens every day whether we like it or not, yet even when we don’t like it silence can communicate something as well. One needs to learn these communication charms to get the most out of our efforts. Imagine a CEO who gets one of these wrong and fails to put across a message, life can be hard for them, but if they nail it every time their job becomes easy and the future will be brighter for themselves and for the company they lead. As always practice makes improvements necessary for one to master this art of persuasion.