Persuasion & Rhetoric
📋 What it is
Persuasion uses three classic appeals: ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion), and logos (logic and evidence).
🗣️ Coach says
Aristotle named three ways to persuade. Ethos = “trust me, I’m credible.” Pathos = “feel this.” Logos = “here’s the evidence.” The strongest arguments use logos; ads often lean on pathos to skip the evidence.
🧠 Memory hook
Ethos = trust, Pathos = feelings, Logos = logic. Which is doing the work?
😂 Giggle
What did the rebuttal say to the claim?
"I object to everything you stand for!"
😲 Whoa!
Every great speech mixes all three — but watch out: when someone leans ALL on pathos (feelings) with no logos (evidence), they’re often hiding a weak case.
⚖️ The claim on trial:
“This ad proves the product works: “Buy this or your family isn’t safe!””
You're the judge. Deliver a verdict, pick the evidence that really matters, then reveal.
✗ Weak / flawed — Weak / flawed — it’s pure pathos (fear) standing in for logos. Strong claims need evidence, not just feelings.
When an appeal is all emotion (pathos) with no evidence (logos), it isn’t proof.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
Watch an ad and label its appeals: ethos, pathos, or logos? Which one is missing?