Transcript Document

ETHOS
=
LOGOS =
PATHOS =
The name used by Aristotle for
what we now refer to as
credibility.
The name used by Aristotle for
the logical appeal of a speaker;
two major elements are
evidence and reasoning.
The name used by Aristotle for
what we now refer to as
emotional appeal.
The audience's perception of whether a
speaker is qualified to speak on a given topic.
Factors in Credibility

Competence


How an audience regards a speaker’s
intelligence, expertise, and knowledge of the
subject.
Character

How an audience regards a speaker’s sincerity,
trustworthiness, and concern for the well-being
of the audience.
 Initial

The credibility of a speaker before she or he
starts to speak.
 Derived

The credibility of a speaker produced by
everything she or he says and does during the
speech.
 Terminal

The credibility of a speaker at the end of the
speech.
How Do I Enhance My Credibility?
 Explain
your competence
 Establish
 Deliver
common ground with your audience
your speeches fluently, expressively,
and with conviction
LOGICAL APPEALS (LOGOS)
Reasoning
The process of drawing a conclusion on the
basis of evidence.
Evidence
Supporting materials used to prove or
disprove something.
Evaluating
Evidence
RELIABLE
Objective . . . Competent to judge or comment
RECENT
Up-to-date . . . Current
COMPLETE
Comprehensive view, by virtue of the number of
sources consulted
ACCURATE
Redundant . . . Verifiable . . . Can be found in a
variety of sources
Four Types of Reasoning
 FROM SPECIFIC INSTANCE (INDUCTIVE)
(hint: starts with individual instance)
Reasoning that moves from specific facts to a general
conclusion.
My cat is a good hunter. My friend’s cat Is a good
hunter.
Therefore, all cats are good hunters.
 FROM PRINCIPLE (DEDUCTIVE)
Reasoning that moves from a general principle to a
specific conclusion.
All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore,
Socrates is mortal.
Four Types of Reasoning
 FROM CAUSE TO EFFECT (CAUSAL)
Reasoning that seeks to establish the relationship
between causes and effects.
A storm hit just before my dog started to howl.
Therefore, the storm caused my dog to howl.
 BY ANALOGY (ANALOGICAL)
Reasoning in which a speaker compares two similar
cases and infers that what is true for the first case is
also true for the second.
If you like spicy Mexican food, you’ll love spicy Chinese
Szechuan food .
INDUCTIVE REASONING



Avoid hasty generalizations
If your evidence does not justify a sweeping conclusion, qualify
your argument
Reinforce your argument with statistics or testimony
DEDUCTIVE REASONING


Make sure listeners will accept your general principle
Provide evidence to support your minor premise
CAUSAL REASONING


Avoid the fallacy of false cause
Do not assume that events have only a single cause
ANALOGICAL REASONING

make sure the two cases being compared are essentially alike
• HASTY GENERALIZATION
Jumping to conclusions on insufficient evidence
Last year alone three members of our state legislature were
convicted of corruption. We can conclude, then, that all of our
state's politicians are corrupt.
• POST HOC (Ergo, Propter Hoc)…AKA FALSE CAUSE
If one event happens after another, the 2nd event
was caused by the 1st
Susan got a headache right after she ate the shrimp salad;
therefore, it stands to reason the shrimp was bad.
•INVALID CAUSE
When the two cases being compared are not really alike.
Of course Ming-Lao can prepare great Italian food; his Chinese
cooking is fabulous.
• SLIPPERY SLOPE
A presumption that once something begins, nothing can be done
to stop it
Passing federal laws to control the amount of violence on
television is the first step in a process that will result in absolute
government control of the media and total censorship over all
forms of artistic expression.
• RED HERRING
Introduces an irrelevant issue to divert attention from the subject
under discussion.
Why should we worry about endangered animal species when
thousands of people are killed in automobile accidents each year?
• AD
HOMINEM
Attacking the person, not the argument/issue
The governor has a number of interesting economic proposals,
but don’t forget that he used to be a hippie.
• EITHER-OR THINKING
Forces listeners to choose between two alternatives when more
than two alternatives exist.
The government must either raise taxes or reduce services for the
poor
• CONFUSING FACT AND OPINION
Because I (or someone else) believe it, it must be true
Obviously, most if not all male ballet dancers are homosexuals.
• BANDWAGON
EFFECT
Assumes that because something is popular, it is therefore good,
correct, or desirable.
The President must be correct in his approach to domestic policy;
after all, polls show that 60 percent of the people support him.
Appeals that are intended to make listeners feel
emotional about the issue: sad, angry, guilty,
afraid, happy, proud, sympathetic, reverent,
etc.
 Use
emotional language
 Develop
 Speak
vivid examples
with sincerity and conviction
Using Emotional Appeals Ethically
 Make
sure the emotional appeal is
appropriate to the speech topic
 Do
not substitute emotional appeal for
evidence and reasoning