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Ethos, Logos and Pathos
Aristotle identified 3 ‘appeals’ at the heart of influencing and persuading others…
Ethos – This is about your credibility and trustworthiness. Do they believe in you, your,
brand and your ideas? The mistake people make here is to try and influence others by
using the name of the brand, or their own personal brand in the false hope that it will
be enough to win the other person round. In most cases it doesn’t. People want more
than just credibility.
Logos – This is about the logical arguments and reasons that you bring to the table.
Does it appeal to their rational mind? People need the logical argument in order to
make a decision. However, you can’t just bank on this to win the other party over. You
can throw facts and figures at people but you run the risk of them saying “So what?”
Pathos – This is about emotions and feelings. Do you appeal to their heart and
imagination? People buy people and this is where you will win them over. Do they
like you? Are you showing a genuine interest in them and their company? Are you
tapping into their emotional intelligence?
When influencing and persuading you need a mixture of all three ‘appeals’ if
you are to win the other party over successfully.
Simply relying on Pathos is risky. Your customer may like you and your banter,
but if there is no substance to your argument or proposal, i.e. no Logos and if
you haven’t demonstrated your credibility i.e. Ethos, then you are likely to
struggle to win them over. More importantly, your relationship may be shortlived or even a non-starter!
Think about the way in which you influence your internal and external customers – is there a
pattern to the way in which you persuade? In hindsight, is it the most appropriate way or should
you think about modifying your behavior?