The Three Musketeers of Persuasive Speaking

In The Three Musketeers, Alexander Dumas give us the characters Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. With the motto "All for one, and one for all" they use the tip of a sword to foil plans of Cardinal Richelieu and  persuade allegiance to the French crown.

In modern times, using a sharp pointy object as a tool of persuasion is frowned upon heavily. We instead must rely on words to get across meaning and elicit response to our cause.

Fortunately Aristotle gave us another set of Three Musketeers to rely upon  when words are our only weapon - Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. In his discourse on rhetoric he tells us that there are three elements, or three musketeers to extend the analogy, in a persuasive speech. Like their French cousins, these three elements share the motto "All for one and one for all". Each of the three must be present to be effective.

Ethos
Ethos is a Greek word that essentially means 'character'. In your speech this is where you establish credibility, helping your audience understand who you are and why you have expertise on the topic. It is more than just listing credentials however. To be effective, Ethos should include narratives that highlight your experiences.

Pathos
Pathos is where the attention is shifted to the issues of your audience. This is an emotional appeal to the listener's higher instincts. This is where you identify with their issues, extending understanding and empathy.

Logos
Logos is your call to action. This phase of your speech should outline solutions and provide concrete actions to be taken by your audience. It capitalizes on the credibility you've established and upon the emotional connection made with the audience.

Call to Action

This is all very interesting, but 'yawn', so what?

Let's boil it down. Here is how to use these Three Musketeers in your next speech project. Each of the three elements should be structured like the list below.

1. Ethos -  I have character and experience with which you can identify.
2. Pathos - Because I have character and experience, I understand your issues and concerns.
3. Logos - Because I understand your issues and concerns, you can trust the solution I am providing.

You can also use this structure to analyze a speech.
1. Did the speaker establish credibility?
2. Did he/she make an effective emotional appeal?
3. Was there an appropriate and concrete call to action?

I would love your feedback on this idea. Is it useful to you? How do you think it can be applied for improving your Toastmasters learning experience?

Please use the comment section to let me know your thoughts.

Jeff Wright, CC

Creative Commons Photo Credit to chibichii via Flickr