​Ethos

​Ethos is an appeal to the speaker's ethics--his or her character, credibility, and authority on the subject.

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1. The audience must trust the speaker in order for the persuasion to happen.

2. It is not enough to be credible; the speaker must deliberately demonstrate this credibility and reliability.

​Ethos: How to use it

1. Show that you are experienced and knowledgeable on the subject. Use your own knowledge when you can, but cite others when you can't.

2. Show the audience that you are a good person. Respect them. Connect to them.

3. Show that you are professional. Use appropriate language and tone.​

​Pathos: An Emotional Appeal

Pathos is an appeal to the audience's emotions.

1. By evoking emotions, the speaker is more likely to persuade the audience.

2. Pathos can be very powerful because humans are emotional creatures.

3. Any emotion works: fear, sympathy, love, joy, pity...etc.​

​Pathos: How to use it

1. Know your audience and know what emotions or subjects will move them in the way you want.

2. Make it personal for the audience. Tug on their heartstrings, or scare them into persuasion!

3. Use descriptive, vivid language and imagery to make it more real.

4. Use examples and stories that will engage the audience and evoke emotions.​

​Logos: Logical Appeal

Logos is an appeal to logic and reasoning.

1. The speaker must prove his/her claim with evidence and reasoning.

2. Strong evidence and solid reasoning is difficult to dismiss, so logos is essential to persuasion.​

​Logos: How to use it

1. Make sure your argument makes logical sense. Avoid logical fallacies (flaws in logic)

2. Make sure your argument is clear and easily understood. If your audience can't understand it, you can't convince them.

3. Use facts, statistics, numbers, charts, etc.​

​You Decide

​On the next slide, we are going to watch a commercial. Your task is to silently decide which of the Rhetorical Triangle appeals is used.