Aristotle said that all speaking is persuasive speaking.
I agree. After all, who am I to argue with Aristotle?!?
Regardless of the venue (10 people or 1,000 people, a conference, a sales call, or a feedback session), we, as speakers, are always trying to sell our credibility and value – not to mention our ideas. Hence, all speaking is persuasive.
Thank You For Arguing is a fascinating introduction to classical and modern rhetoric, packed with speechwriting lessons for every public speaker.
It is grounded in the wisdom of the past (beginning with Aristotle’s ethos, pathos, and logos) and yet written for modern speakers with countless references to everyday persuasive examples.
This article is the latest of a series of public speaking book reviews here on Six Minutes.
The previous article of the Ethos, Pathos, and Logos series defined pathos and described why emotional connection is so important for your presentations.
In this article, we explore how to build strong pathos in your presentations through a variety of emotional pathways.
American psychologist William James wrote:
The emotions aren’t always immediately subject to reason, but they are always immediately subject to action.
Emotions — whether fear or love, pity or anger — are powerful motivators for your audience. An audience emotionally stimulated in the right way is more likely to accept your claims and act on your requests. By learning how to make emotional appeals, you greatly improve your effectiveness as a speaker.
In this article of the Ethos, Pathos, and Logos series, we turn our attention to pathos, and the role of emotion in persuasive public speaking.
2300 years ago, Aristotle wrote down the secret to being a persuasive speaker, the secret which forms the basis for nearly every public speaking book written since then.
Do you know the secret?
If you don’t, you might be wondering what a 2300-year-old theory has to do with public speaking in the year 2010.
In a word — everything!
In this article, you’ll learn what ethos, pathos, and logos are (the secret!), and what every speaker needs to understand about these three pillars of public speaking.
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