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Aristotle identifies three approaches to delivering artistic information that we will

also examine:
1. Ethos: Utilizing authority and character to persuade

2. Pathos: Engaging emotion to persuade

3. Logos: Presenting logic to persuade

The student may note that the third approach, logos, is closely tied to the information

covered in this lesson thus far. While effective communication depends
fundamentally upon clear and well-connected ideas, how heavily you focus on logic

as your means of persuasion should depend, as we'll see, upon your goal and your

audience.

Ethos: Utilizing Authority and Character to Persuade

Ethos refers to utilizing authority and moral character to persuade. It involves

appealing to an audience by focusing on a speaker or writer's assumed moral or
ethical character. When a business appeals to its longevity and respectability (i.e.,

statements such as, "Company ABC, the company you've come to know and trust …"),

the business is using ethos; and when people offer their various academic and
professional distinctions prior to a presentation, they are using ethos as well. To

understand this idea better, consider the following example.

Example: Person X is giving a presentation before the entire executive board of the

company for which he works. He has a decent presentation, but is dressed in tattered
clothes and has only been in the company for a few months. Person Y, a longtime

member of the company, well-dressed and generally respected, disagrees with many

of the points that Person X makes in his presentation. Person Y tells the other board
members that she has "been a trusted member of the board for many years and has

seen many presentations." She then proceeds to explain that "while Person X's

presentation was decent," she's "not confident in the new associate's ability to deliver
results."

TX Marketing II: Negotiation Techniques 14