A persuasive speech relies on an argument. An argument is made up of two parts: a position the speaker takes for or against an idea or issue, and the evidence the speaker uses to support his or her position. The Greek philosopher Aristotle divided arguments into rational and emotional appeals. Emotional appeals, known as pathos, grab audience members’ attention and inspire them to act. Appeals to reason, or logos, lay out a logical justification for the speaker’s argument.

Speakers can generate pathos with vivid imagery and compelling stories that evoke shared values like courage, equality, and hope. Rhetorical devices like repetition and parallelism can also make an audience feel moved by your message.

Speakers can conjure logos by sharing facts and statistics that support main points, showing causal connections between concepts, or citing examples and drawing analogies that illustrate the thesis.

An argument that relies solely on logos may make sense, but it is unlikely to move your audience to act. Conversely, an argument based solely on pathos may sound good but actually be emotionally manipulative and misleading. Powerful persuasive messages balance both pathos and logos.