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The Greek philosopher and godfather of rhetoric, Aristotle, believed that ethos, an appeal to the credibility and authority of the speaker, was the most important of the three appeals. If the speaker is not seen as trustworthy or knowledgeable on the subject, then all the logic and emotion in the world is unlikely to sway an audience. There are two primary ways to appeal to ethos:

Some speakers have a certain amount of ethos because of who they are, such as a well-respected scientist who presents an argument on the effects of caffeine. But what if that scientist wanted to talk to the school board about increasing security at her son’s school? Does being a well-respected chemist help? A bit, sure, but it’s not really relevant to the issue at hand. At that point the scientist would have to establish her ethos as a parent who shared the values and concerns of other parents in the room.

You persuade a man only insofar as you can talk his language by speech, gesture, tonality, order, image, attitude, idea, identifying your ways with his.
—Kenneth Burke

Here’s the opening to a letter to the editor of the Columbus Dispatch newspaper written by high school senior Owen Dirkse in response to a proposal to put police officers in his high school in Columbus, Ohio. As a young person, Dirkse realizes that some readers might dismiss his argument; he therefore is careful to firmly establish his ethos as an insider with knowledge of the situation, as well as a person who values his school and community:

As a senior at Upper Arlington High School, I am extremely proud of both my school and community. Except for two years in private education, I have spent my entire life in the Upper Arlington School District and know firsthand what an amazing system it is. We have a reputation as one of the best school districts in the state, and others look at our productive, safe learning environments with admiration.

Unfortunately, the high school made a major misstep recently by employing a school resource officer. [. . .]

Like most people, I feel that school safety is a top priority, but involving law enforcement in our day-to-day routine is neither the best nor most cost-effective means to keep our students safe.

Dirkse opens with what amounts to his credentials: he is not a psychologist or a law enforcement expert (though later on, he cites a relevant study by the Justice Policy Institute) but simply a concerned student. He recognizes that his audience is less likely to be his peers than the adults who read a print copy of the local newspaper; thus, he continues in the next few lines with the statement, “Like most people, I feel that school safety is a top priority,” assuring readers that he shares their concern and understands the legitimate motivation that might lead to a decision to put law enforcement officers in the schools. Dirkse wants his adult readers to respond positively to the case he is making—so he emphasizes various ways that he, a student of good character, respects their shared values. In fact, he uses those values to argue that putting police in the schools increases the risk that students may come into conflict with them.

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