How a Greek philosopher can help you to become a more persuasive communicator

In a previous life as a chemist, I was part of a group of scientists that wanted to take newly developed techniques in nano-material manufacturing from the laboratory to industry.  We embarked on a series of presentations, hopeful of finding financial backers willing to provide the necessary funding to make this possible.

The world of financiers was a long way from our laboratories.  Every few weeks, we would take off our lab coats, put on our business attire, and make our way to polished wood and glass conference rooms that had expansive views, and a small number of serious looking people in suits.  We delivered the presentation many times over many months, and from the feedback that we received, we slowly refined the presentation from being a details heavy slide show on nano-material technology, to a persuasive story about an exciting and promising investment opportunity.

We eventually got the money we needed, but only after we had unwittingly shaped our funding pitch to incorporate the elements of Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle.

Developed by the Greek philosopher Aristotle over 2000 years ago, the rhetorical triangle proposes that a speaker can use three kinds of appeals to persuade an audience: ethos, logos and pathos.  Aristotle argued that these elements effectively influence an audience’s perception and response to what you are communicating, ensuring the greatest success in getting your message across. 

Ethos is about establishing credibility with your audience, noting that an audience is more likely to trust and be persuaded by someone they perceive as knowledgeable, ethical, and authoritative. 

Logos focuses on the logic behind what you are saying.  This involves the use of evidence, facts, statistics, and reasoning to build a solid case.  Aristotle believed that clear, rational arguments, presented in an organised way, are fundamental to convincing an audience.

Pathos appeals to the emotions of the audience, acknowledging that people are often influenced by their feelings.  Using emotional appeals – through storytelling, vivid imagery, and addressing the audience’s values – can create a stronger connection and make the message more compelling.

The emphasis that you place on each of these elements will depend on your audience.  For example, government policy makers will probably place most value on the authority of a speaker (ethos) and their ability to mount a credible, well-evidenced argument (logos); while voters will often be swayed less by a speaker’s credentials and evidence, and more by a speaker’s ability to address the voters frustrations and fears (pathos). 

In hindsight, my group’s funding pitch was always strong in ethos: we did a good job of establishing our credibility as a highly qualified group of materials scientists, chemists and physicists, with strong research and publication histories.  However, our presentation initially lacked both logos and pathos.  It wasn’t enough to explain how good we were at manufacturing nanoscale materials – we needed to use logos to make it clear how hard it was to make these materials at scale, and to outline how we proposed to make this process scalable.  And we needed to employ pathos to get our audience of accountants and investors excited about the potential financial returns that could result from being an early to market producer of specialised nano-materials, by explaining how these materials would be increasingly sought after for use in technologies including fuel cells, batteries, catalysts and pigments.

It’s worth asking yourself the following questions whenever you want to communicate something that really matters:

Ethos

·     How will you establish your authority on the subject?

·     What is the best way to clearly communicate your qualifications, background, or experience related to the topic?

·     Does your content draw from reliable, well-regarded sources?

·     Is your tone and language appropriate for your audience and the context?

·     Is the style and format of your communication aligned with its purpose?

Logos

·     Is the objective of your message clear and well-defined?

·     Have you provided solid reasoning and trustworthy evidence to support your claims?

·     Is your argument coherent and structured in a logical, easy-to-follow manner?

Pathos

·     What emotions do you wish to invoke in your audience?

·     Have you used vivid examples, personal stories, or imagery to connect with your audience on an emotional level?

·     Does your message resonate with the values, beliefs, and feelings of your audience?

Want to learn more about tools like Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle? Our Communicate for Influence Workshop is a one-day workshop that introduces the basics of communicating to influence strategic outcomes.  For further information on this or any of our offerings, contact The Expert Leader at info@theexpertleader.com