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How to
Use
Logos as
One of
your
Persuasion
Elements
Most
speeches
we
present
will be
speeches
to
persuade
in one
way or
another.
You may
want to
persuade
your
audience
to take
advantage
of a
product
or
service.
You may
want to
persuade
them
that
your
answer
to a
problem
is the
best
choice.
You may
want to
persuade
them to
change
their
way of
doing
things.
There
are any
number
of
persuasive
speeches
and
presentations.
It has
been
said
that
“people
buy on
emotions,
and
rationalise
on
logic.”
So to
“sell”
or to
persuade,
we need
both the
emotional
connection
and the
logical
support
for our
message.
We also
need to
start
with a
basis of
trust.
The
audience
will not
connect
to
emotion
or
listen
to logic
if they
do not
trust
the
speaker,
do not
acknowledge
the
speaker’s
credibility.
These
three
elements:
emotion,
logic
and
credibility
are
known as
pathos,
logos
and
ethos.
The
words
were
used in
this
connection,
first,
by
Aristotle.
In this
Tip
Number
14 of
the
30
Speaking
Tips, we
will
look at
persuading
using
“Logos”.
It is
necessary
to
understand
that
often-times
what the
speaker
is
trying
to
achieve
will be
in
contradiction
of what
the
audience
believes.
The aim
is to
help
people
come to
the most
logical
outcome
which
happens
to suit
both the
audience
and the
speaker.
You will
need to
research
to
provide
evidence
and ways
of
persuading.
Collect
solid
information
from
known
authorities.
Collect
it from
your own
experience.
Collect
statistics,
quotations
and
back–up
evidence.
The
process
of
persuasion
can
begin
from the
basis of
common
beliefs
– things
your
audience
already
believes
and
takes
for
granted.
Start by
listing
what the
audience
takes
for
granted
about a
situation
or
problem.
That
will
form a
foundation
for
taking
the
audience
with you
into the
following
material.
A good
way to
have the
audience
own the
process
of
coming
to the
conclusion
is to
ask
questions.
It
engages
their
attention
and if
they
answer a
question
that
takes
them a
step
closer
to a
particular
point,
they own
that
answer.
If you
were
presenting
a
solution
to a
problem,
by all
means,
detail
the
theory
of why
it is
the best
solution.
Show the
strengths
and
weaknesses
of the
solution.
Then
make a
clear
outline
of the
procedure
and
methods
to be
used,
the cost
and time
involved,
the
staff
required.
Give
examples
where
similar
solutions
have
worked.
Show why
this
solution
is
better
than
alternatives.
And back
all of
these up
with the
statistics
and
facts
that you
have
collected.
Cite the
sources
for
these
support
materials
adding
the
backing
of ethos
to the
logos.
Use
stories,
analogies
and
personal
details
to make
the
statistics
and
facts
more
real and
palatable,
but be
mindful
that it
is the
logic
that is
at work
here.
As I
said at
the
beginning,
logos
does not
work as
well on
its own
as when
it is
combined
with
ethos
and
pathos.
This is
partly
because
people
buy on
emotion
and
justify
with
rationality.
It also
takes
into
account
that
there
are
people
who are
more
swayed
by
emotions
and
others
who have
to have
the
facts
before
they
will
make a
decision.
So the
combination
has a
better
chance
of
covering
everyone
in the
audience,
and
persuading
them
all.
©Bronwyn Ritchie
If you want to include this article in your publication, please do,
but please include the following information with it:
Bronwyn Ritchie is a professional librarian, writer, award-winning
speaker and trainer. She is a certified corporate trainer and speech
contest judge with POWERtalk, a certified World Class Speaking
coach, and has had 30 years experience speaking to audiences and
training in public speaking. Get her 30 speaking tips
FREE and boost your public speaking mastery over 30 weeks. Join now or go to
http://www.30speakingtips.com
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