Do you ever need to convince someone of something?

Patrick Stewart saying,

You may want someone to do:

  • Agree with you

  • Take an action

  • Buy a product

The 3 appeals of persuasion can help:

  • Ethos (credibility)

  • Pathos (emotion)

  • Logos (facts)

Ethos

Establish your character and credibility in the subject.

Rob Lowe saying,

  • Gain built-in credibility by highlighting your related expertise or credentials, such as an advanced degree, certification, or years of experience in the subject.

  • Establish credibility by citing expert sources, sharing similarities with your audience, or having an expert endorse you.

Quiz

You are listening to a presentation on climate change. Which of the following accomplishments by the speaker is an example of built-in ethos that will help them establish credibility?

Pathos

Get an emotional reaction from your audience.

Cory from A Boy Meets World saying,

Show an image or video that illustrates the consequences of inaction or the benefits of action.

A dog in a burning room saying,

Use analogies and metaphors to compare your ideas to something they already feel strongly about.

A woman telling her friends,

Tell a story to make your audience feel a strong emotion, such as excitement, sadness, or anger.

Leonard from Big Bang Theory crying and closing his laptop.

Use descriptive words to make your audience see, hear, smell, taste, or feel your words

John Lennon singing,

Pathos can be powerful, but don't overuse it.

It could backfire and elicit the opposite emotion.

Quiz

You want your roommates to help clean the apartment. Which of these is an example of a pathos appeal?

Logos

Support your claims with facts and figures.

Showing how much you know about the topic also helps build credibility.

Spok from Star Trek saying,

Appeal to people's logic:

  • Share statistics from a credible source

  • Show a graph of results or trends

  • Cite supporting research

  • Share case studies with outcomes

Quiz

You're asking your boss to purchase new software. Which of the following is an example of a Logos appeal?

Take Action

Next time you need to persuade someone, ask yourself 3 questions:

A woman saying,

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