Let's talk about great speakers.

*1). Think of a speaker you admire. Does his or her power to persuade come from ethos, pathos, or logos? Think about your own ability to persuade others. What personal qualities do you have that make you persuasive? Does Aristotle's classification scheme work for them, or do they fit into another category?


After pondering for quite some time thinking of one person that really stood out in my eyes, I decided that one speaker that I admire is my mother. Her power to persuade everyone in our family and people that she comes in contact daily comes from power of Pathos.

She has this amazing ability to create an emotional bond with the person she is sharing a conversation with. She is always herself no matter who she speaks to and people love that. My mother also has a different style than most people when she speaks. She's very bold, yet funny and then finishes the conversation by challenging the other person. Case in example: I had a rough day in school and she sat there and listened to about 15 minutes of rambling and frustration. She then said something hillarious and then she challenged me to think about what I will do different the next time a similar situation arises, but not to dwell on it too much because the greatest thing about being alive is that we have a brand new day tomorrow to start new.

My mother is naturally a very positive person and she radiates that whenever one is around her. I read somewhere that people rarely listen to instructions when the plane is ready to take off, but they are all ears when the plane is about to crash. My mother has that rare ability to have people pay attention to the solutions that she proposes.

Both of my parents are very passionate people, especially when they speak. I'd like to think that I inherited some of their qualities as I have a pretty good ability to make people follow my lead when situations to lead arise. Having arguments with people is actually healthy, but it is also very important not to put people down during arguments. The adrenaline is already high and it's not a great idea to over-heat it. I try to stay patient during arguments and then offer a logical and positive solution to a question. It is much easier to be persuasive if one is engaging, positive and logical.

Aristotle's classification definitively fits my mother and she identifies with his "Rhetoric triangle." We always tell her that she would've made a great adveristing manager since commercials play to people's emotions.