The greater a person’s authority, whether formal (e.g. If you are similar to your audience, then your audience will be more receptive to your ideas in the same way that you are more likely to open a door at night if you recognize the voice of the person on the other side. Where you are from, whether in a global sense (what country are you from?), or in a local sense (are you urban, or rural?)ĭo you share a profession with your audience?Īre you a member of the same organization as your audience?Īnalytical? Emotional? Reserved? Outgoing? Rich? Poor? Educated? Middle-class? Urban? Rural? There are many characteristics which you might share with your audience:Įxample: A youthful audience identifies with a youthful speaker, just as a mature audience will identify more with a mature speaker. “If you are similar to your audience, then your audience will be more receptive to your ideas in the same way that you are more likely to open a door at night if you recognize the voice of the person on the other side. Beyond this limit, your audience will see you as lacking authenticity and that’s bad. Keep in mind that there are limitations to how much you can adapt your speech and delivery. If you don’t, you can adapt your language, your mannerisms, your dress, your visuals, and your overall style to match your audience. If you share characteristics with your audience, great! Like trustworthiness, this aspect of ethos is largely independent of the topic. Your audience is more receptive to being persuaded by someone with whom they can identify. Your trustworthiness is enhanced if the audience believes you have a strong moral character, as measured by concepts like:Īdditionally, your audience tends to trust you if you are a member of a group with which these qualities are often associated (e.g. “If the audience trusts you, then they expect that what you are telling them is true. In our world, where speaking takes so many forms and where we often know a great deal about the speaker, we will include both of these elements in our definition of ethos. an industry expert) in his definition of ethos, but this reflects the rather narrow role for public speaking in his world.
youthful language).Īristotle does not include the concept of either a speaker’s authority (e.g.
physical age) or the qualities they adapt (e.g. He stated that we are more likely to believe people who have good character.Īristotle later broadened this definition of ethos to add that we are more likely to be persuaded by someone who is similar to us, whether by their intrinsic characteristics (e.g. In this article, we define ethos, we look at ways that an audience measures your ethos, and we examine why it is so critical for a successful speech.Įthos was originally defined by Aristotle in On Rhetoric as being trustworthy.
#WHAT IS ETOS SERIES#
The first article in the Ethos, Pathos, and Logos series introduced these core concepts for speakers. If not, you are suffering from poor ethos. Is your audience listening even before you speak your first words?Īre they prepared to be convinced by what you have to say?
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