Towards a Great Speech: Demystifying Ethos, Pathos and Logos

Have you ever wondered what the key components of every great speech are? Perhaps you are wondering what features of speeches might exist that you do not already know about. The ancient Greeks were the first people to bring out a classification that has come to be universally accepted. According to them, there are three major elements of any speech and they are Ethos, Pathos and Logos not necessarily in any order of importance. These three are the major vehicles of persuasion, which Aristotle wrote about eons ago.

Here is a concise treatment of the three major features of every speech which some have rightly dubbed the pillars of public speaking explained in as simple terms as possible.

Ethos - This is a direct reference to the ethical content of your speech. It also has to do with the character or credibility of the speaker in other words, how well the audience is likely to believe the speaker. If the speaker has a reputation of competence built over a period of time the audience will most likely warm up to them but for someone who is not seen as competent enough you just can be sure of the level of acceptance they will have to deal with. For example, you would most likely be more willing to listen to a finance expert talk to you on personal finance that a football coach.

Pathos - Depending on the aim of your presentation there is always an emotional content involved that could be used to effect. How much passion is your speech able to stir up in the hearts and minds of your listeners? The words of Carl W. Buechner, "They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel" easily come to mind. Here is a veiled reference to the importance of emotional content in speech. The power of emotions and feelings cannot be over-emphasised in human life, as people will most likely respond positively if they feel good about your message.

Logos - This is how well your speech appeals to the logic or the intellect of your audience. It is essentially an appeal based on logic or reasoning in other words how convincing your argument is with the help of supporting evidence. Here you may need to use data, detailed analysis and rational arguments to support your presentation. In fact, the word logic is closely related to the Greek word logos. Essentially your audience will want to know if what you are saying to them makes a lot of sense or if it is just some beautifully packaged gibberish.

The perfect speech is that which contains all three types of content and even though there are different schools of thought as to which is the most important of all, it all boils down to the aim of your presentation really. The aim of your presentation will determine largely the vehicle of persuasion you give the highest priority.