What is the meaning of logos, pathos and ethos

Since Aristotle published his "Rhetoric", 2300 years ago, he established a series of parameters and teachings related to the essential elements that had to be part of a persuasive discourse . These were three, logos, pathos and ethos, elements that today are still the basic to be able to follow the basic persuasion method for a speech. The three are closely related and are necessary for the discourse to be completely complete and cohesive, therefore, in this article we will analyze in detail what is the meaning of logos, pathos and ethos following the definition promoted by Aristotle and that remains more than valid today.

Ethos: meaning described by Aristotle

It is important to note that the purpose of a persuasive speech is, as the name suggests, end up convincing the audience of what you are explaining. For this reason, it is essential to meet the three basic elements defended by Aristotle and that will be essential to succeed in your business.

So, we begin by talking about what is the meaning of ethos, one of the basic elements of persuasive discourse. When we refer to ethos we are referring to the credibility of the person who is going to give the speech .

If you want to convince the audience of what you are saying, it is important that they believe in your word and, for that, you have to be credible. If people do not see you as a person you can trust, your speech will not help you, no matter how much argumentation and validity your ideas have.

How to build ethos for a speech

As you see, it is important to have ethos so that the discourse can be persuasive but how can we achieve it? The first thing is that you have knowledge on the subject and, if possible, that you have a reputation or a title that demonstrates your experience. For example, if you are a known doctor, lawyer, writer, etc., you can create a speech with meaning and "authority" in the subject.

If you do not have that authority, you can "borrow it", that is, make references to studies and research carried out by professionals in the sector that support your speech. Putting these examples will help you to give more truth to your speech and, therefore, you will win the attention and respect of the audience.

Ethos can also be achieved through your attitude and charisma . To be a good speaker you have to empathize with people, know how to be in front of an audience and have a good time. You will not have credibility if you stutter, if you are unsure or if you remain blank. Confidence, security and determination are basic to be able to make a good speech.

In this other article we tell you who was Aristotle so you can get to know better this philosopher whose teachings we are now studying.

Meaning of Pathos

In order to make a good persuasive speech, Aristotle also talks about pathos, a basic element that can not be missed in a good speaker. The meaning of pathos refers to the effectiveness of your words, that is, the ability they have to cause emotions and thoughts among the people who are listening to you.

To understand clearly what the philosopher is referring to, let's think for a moment about some speech that has made your skin stand up: some movie, a politician, etc. Surely someone comes to mind and this is because people who have written or pronounced these texts have made use of pathos and, therefore, have managed to excite and stimulate our feelings.

A good speaker, to be able to empathize and really reach the audience, has to know how to handle emotions, only then, will he create a memorable speech and win over the audience.

How to build pathos

Appealing to the emotions in a speech is basic so that this one obtains the results that you wish but how to do it? The first thing is that you show yourself honest and vulnerable, it will not do you any good to appear as a "know-it-all", in fact, you may even fall ill or produce a great chasm between you and your listeners. Showing yourself vulnerable and close is the first step so that people can see you as a human being.

Another ideal way to build pathos and, thus, make a good speech is to include anecdotes or stories during your speech. Make sure they are narrations that make sense of what you are saying and that can be used as metaphors of what you are trying to tell with words. Using fiction or examples is a good way to humanize everything you are saying and, therefore, to get closer to the public.

In this other article we give you some tips so you can speak in public.

The Logos of Artistotle

And finally, let's focus on the meaning of logos, the third essential element according to Aristotle and that will help us succeed with our oratory. The logos is the element that refers to the world of thought and logic, therefore, are those elements that you incorporate in your speech and that serve to show and evidence about what you are talking about: you can use statistics, percentages, graphics, etc. . All these data will help your speech is credible and you can end up persuading the public.

The logos is the part that gives rational soundness to the discourse and, therefore, it is also essential to incorporate, otherwise, you would only provide words and more words that would have no real basis. With this element we are able to provide that reliable and scientific part that supports our theory.

How to have logos in a speech

It is simple: you must include elements that refute your theory and that you can explain to the audience so that they understand better what you mean. To do this, you can enter graphs or statistics, you can also refer to research or experts that you have asked to, thus, share your findings with the public.

In order to endow your discourse with logos you need, then, demonstrable facts and proofs of everything that you are exposing, without this, your speech will only have been a verbiage.

Discover here the parts of an oral presentation to be clear about how to structure your speech.