Means of Persuasion

Means of Persuasion

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Means of Persuasion

Aristotle wrote that to persuade an audience, one’s argument should have three main elements: emotional, ethical, and logical appeals.

Emotional appeals are meant to invoke the feelings that your crowd already has. One can do this by the use of images depending on what one is addressing. The photos should be simple such that your audience can understand fast. An author to support his claims can also use words. It is important to ensure that you use emotional appeals appropriate to your audience and topic of discussion. They should not be too much such that the audience feels manipulated.

Ethical appeals are used to show that your character is credible, such as those used in some nonprofit organizations. You can do this in many ways, such as citing your academic achievements, interviews, use of analogies, and building a common point of interest with your audience. Creating a common ground entails ensuring you and the audience care about discussion issues. Nelson Mandela was able to do this by using rugby to unite all the people of South Africa at one point. Citing the relevant sources will show that you are more knowledgeable.

Logical appeals are the most important of all appeals. One should provide evidence such as facts, statistics, surveys and questionnaires, observations, and data to be more persuasive. ‘Facts and statistics are two of the most commonly used kinds of evidence.’ It is also advisable to look at the counterarguments that one might have and know how to approach them.