The Holy Trinity of Persuasion

Laying down the principles of persuasion, Aristotle writes in Rhetoric, "Persuasion is achieved by the speaker's personal character when the speech is so spoken as to make us think him credible. Secondly, persuasion may come through the hearers, when the speech stirs their emotions. Thirdly, persuasion is effected through the speech itself when we have proved a truth or an apparent truth by means of the persuasive arguments."

Understanding, knowing and practicing these three principles, namely Ethos, Pathos and Logos, helps to lay the foundation in the study of positive persuasion.

Ethos

Ethos, related to the English word ethics, relates to the moral stance and personal character of the messenger. When communicating, the spokesperson’s ethical stance is the first aspect that gets transmitted to the audience. The perceived moral stance of the messenger is the vital test that allows a message to be accepted (or not) by the audience.

The intrinsic ‘believability’ of the messenger leads to the conviction that which is said, 'is true, and will be done'. Spokesperson ethics are valuable inputs in decisions taken by audiences and transgressions are taken very seriously. In Communication, the spokesperson’s character must be prominent to all strategies of persuasion.

Ethics and Communication are inseparably intertwined. Professions that have power over masses have the ability to sway and control the perceptions of millions by directly engaging with just a few. Communication plays the role of a guide for leaders, preparing organizations and communicators for public scrutiny as an 'ethical trigger' for self-governance.  This duty of self-monitoring becomes even more prominent since outcomes get radically influenced depending on the ethical stand taken.

Pathos

The appeal of pathos, or emotions, is sequentially next when persuading audiences. Emotional responses result from deep 'internal' forces and have strong subliminal influence on audiences. Pathos is related to sympathy and empathy, and the use of emotions helps make audiences more receptive to the communication because the use of emotion is unquestionably persuasive.

The response to primary emotions, (and their derivatives) like love, joy, surprise, anger, sadness and fear, is often seen as beyond-our-control.  It implies that our reaction to them is involuntary, subliminal and therefore, uncontrollable. It is this reaction that the communicator seeks in evoking Pathos.

Caution is necessary in the use of emotions due to the deep residual impact it can have. For example, if fear were used as a primary emotion to generate audience responses, the response will generate the after-effects of fear and this could give rise to acute reactions like stress, aggression, anger, and defense as a natural mechanism. These negative reactions could set off undesirable and unmanageable responses in the audience.

Logos

Logos - the appeal of the intellect - generally means logical or academic argument. This third pillar of persuasion is proof, or apparent proof, provided by persuasive arguments and always gives direct and clear answers. This is the rational side of convincing – one that appeals to audiences on the basis of their sense of reality. Logic depends on reasoning which itself rests on truth and perception of truth.

Often the line between fantasy and what is real gets blurred in communication, and what sounds right often becomes more important than what is right. It is, therefore, the communicator’s role to test and retest every message, and each one ought to be corroborated based on facts before presenting to the audience.

          Using logic alone can be harsh and even unjust at times. While they may be able to convey the 
         content, facts frequently do not convey the spirit of the discussion. Cold logic needs to be mixed 

         with the warmth of emotions and the balance of ethics to  suit human relations.

Every persuasive communication rests on the delicate equilibrium of the three pillars of Ethics, Emotion and Rational. When and how to use each of these comes with knowledge about these three principles and a sensitive consciousness of the audience. 

(extracts from the forthcoming book 'Decoding Communication')