Ethos, Logos, Pathos

Aristotle laid the groundwork for persuasive communication in the 4th century. Although the times have changed, effective communication hasn’t. Evaluate a communication, such as a value proposition, by using the three elements of rhetoric. Role playing as your audience, score your message from 1 to 10 on these categories:

• Ethos/Credibility: Who are you, and what authority do you have on the topic?
• Logos/Logic: How clear and consistent is your reasoning? How do your facts measure up against my facts?
• Pathos/Emotion: How vivid, memorable, and motivating is your message?

Look for areas of improvement or imbalance.

The Ethos, Logos, Pathos game is credited to James Macanufo.