The most effective persuasive messages are those that present two sides of an argument and refute the opposing side, followed by single argument messages, followed by messages that present counterarguments but do not refute them (Stiff & Mongeau, 2003). Presenting a rational and logical argument is important, but speakers can be more effective persuaders if they bring in and refute counterarguments. Speakers can also appeal to logos by citing personal experience and providing the credentials and/or qualifications of sources of information (Cooper & Nothstine, 1996). Carefully choosing supporting material that is verifiable, specific, and unbiased can help a speaker appeal to logos.
Research shows that messages are more persuasive when arguments and their warrants are made explicit (Stiff & Mongeau, 2003). Using the guidelines from our earlier discussion of reasoning will also help a speaker create a rational appeal. Speakers employ logos by presenting credible information as supporting material and verbally citing their sources during their speech. The presence of fallacies would obviously undermine a speaker’s appeal to logos. Logos refers to the reasoning or logic of an argument. Communicating enthusiasm for your topic and audience by presenting relevant content and using engaging delivery strategies such as vocal variety and eye contact can increase your dynamism.
Even though everyone can’t embody the charismatic aspect of dynamism, the other component of dynamism, energy, is something that everyone can tap into. Unfortunately, charisma is difficult to intentionally develop, and some people seem to have a naturally charismatic personality, while others do not. Charismatic people usually know they are charismatic because they’ve been told that in their lives, and people have been attracted to them.Ĭity Temple SDA Church, Dallas, Texas – Februrary 2, 2013, Oakwood University, Dynamic Priase – CC BY-SA 2.0. Charisma refers to a mixture of abstract and concrete qualities that make a speaker attractive to an audience. Two components of dynamism are charisma and energy. In terms of personality, trustworthy speakers are also friendly and warm (Stiff & Mongeau, 2003).ĭynamism refers to the degree to which audience members perceive a speaker to be outgoing and animated (Stiff & Mongeau, 2003). In terms of content, trustworthy speakers consider the audience throughout the speech-making process, present information in a balanced way, do not coerce the audience, cite credible sources, and follow the general principles of communication ethics. Perceptions of trustworthiness come from the content of the speech and the personality of the speaker. Trustworthiness refers to the degree that audience members perceive a speaker to be presenting accurate, credible information in a nonmanipulative way. Competent speakers must know the content of their speech and be able to effectively deliver that content. A speaker can enhance their perceived competence by presenting a speech based in solid research and that is well organized and practiced. The two most researched dimensions of credibility are competence and trustworthiness (Stiff & Mongeau, 2003).Ĭompetence refers to the perception of a speaker’s expertise in relation to the topic being discussed. Ethos refers to the credibility of a speaker and includes three dimensions: competence, trustworthiness, and dynamism. Ethos, logos, and pathos were Aristotle’s three forms of rhetorical proof, meaning they were primary to his theories of persuasion.