Ethos, Pathos, Logos: 3 Pillars of Persuasion

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Step 1 - Know Your Purpose

What do you want the Audience to know think or do after your presentation?

I want my audience to ….to be informed / to think about / to be influenced by / to agree to / to change to / to believe / to feel that / to be motivated by / to be inspired by / to be educated about / to increase understanding on / to feel reassured / to feel safe from /

STEP 2 – Audience Connections – ‘what’s in it for me’?

AUDIENCE PROFILE

1

Audience’s common grounds and beliefs around the topic

2

Audience’s priority needs, grievances around the topic

3

Audience’s benefits or wants and desires around the topic

4

Audience’s possible objections around the topic

5

Audience’s existing knowledge on topic

6

Audience’s new knowledge on topic to be given

7

Audience’s demographics - age, sex, educational background, etc

8

Audience’s expectations from the presentation

STEP 3 – Collect Ethos, Pathos, Logos points

Logos – Be understandable by preparing a logical argument

Ethos – Be credible and believable around the topic

Audience centric points

Choose the points of most value to the Audience

Logos

Common ground

Identify common places which the audience already strongly believes in

Logos

Be one with the message

List your experiences around the points to build credibility

Ethos

Meaningful, believable data

Examples, facts, statistics and case studies

Logos and Ethos

Simplify unfamiliar points

Flowcharts, diagrams, linear orders, use analogies

Logos

Pictures, Diagrams, charts

Illustrate points, Simplify data, show contrasts, show trends

Logos

Opposing point of view

Find points to nullify possible objections- Logos and Ethos

Logos and Ethos

Background to educate

Anything urgent in the near future, past events

Logos

STEP 4 – The Power of 3

In Presentations “Less is More”

Power of 3 – Educate, Inspire, Influence

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Select the 3 points with the greatest emotional power that will achieve your Purpose and will Educate, Inspire and Influence your Audience

- Develop a single line description or a slogan around the most important point

- Organise the Ethos and Logos Material around the 3 points

STEP 5 – Build the Body Framework

THE RULE OF TELL THEM

Introduction

Time 10-20%

- Tell the audience in the introduction what your subject is and how you have organized the presentation

- by stating the key elements

Body

Time 65-80%

- Then tell them the details of the key elements

- by expanding and qualifying the key points in more detail

Conclusion

Time 10-25%

- Then tell the audience what you have just told them

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- by summarizing the key points, concluding with the main subject again

THE BODY

- Build a structure for the Body around the Three Points and their Ethos and Logos

- Develop your slides

- Save doing the Introduction and the Conclusion sections for later

STEP 6 – Select Hooks for the Body

Surprise your listeners with a hook that immediately grabs their attention.

A hook or grabber is the part of your speech that compels an audience to sit up and pay attention. Look to actively engage your audience right from the start with strong emotional connections. - suspense, curiosity, and wonder, anger, funny etc.

Hooks and Grabbers

Pathos material to build in Connections and Hooks to your 3 points

- Creating a Mental Image

- Rhetorical Questions

- People Stories

- Shocking statements, Startling Statistics

- Power Words