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Audiences want more than logical and emotional appeals from a speaker; they want what’s relevant to them from someone who cares. Aristotle termed this effect of the speaker on the audience ethos, or moral character. Modern-day scholars call it speaker credibility.
Audience members’ feelings about your credibility strongly influence how receptive they will be to your proposals, and studies confirm that attitude change is related directly to the extent to which listeners perceive speakers to be truthful and competent (well prepared).5
The following steps will help you establish credibility:
| Appeal to Logos | Targets audience members’ reasoning and logic through argument (e.g., claims, evidence, warrants). |
| Appeal to Pathos | Targets audience members’ emotions using techniques of language such as vivid imagery, dramatic storytelling, and repetition. |
| Appeal to Ethos | Targets audience members’ feelings about the speaker’s character through demonstrations of trustworthiness, competence, and concern for audience welfare. |