Explain What Makes A Speaker Credible

Aristotle believed Rhetoric’s main purpose was to persuade an audience. (Rorty 1996). Aristotle claimed that there were 3 main appeals that the persuader would use in order to convince the audience that their view is the right one, or that their product is the best. Aristotle would argue that these arguments all have a basis in “common sense”, meaning that the persuader can come to a conclusion based off of the audiences shared, and agreed upon knowledge (Gregoric 2007). Logos, Ethos, and Pathos are the three type of appeals Aristotle uses to describe the rhetoric of persuasion.

In using facts, studies and reason to persuade the audience,

Depending on the way that speaker presents themselves, they can achieve persuasion when they can establish a strong “personal character... [that] make[s] us think

His only interest is what will solve the issue for the audience. Make the audience believe that you are selfless. While arguing, act as if the conclusion happened upon. The persuader should express that what he is doing for the audience does harm to him. It also helps to show doubt in your own rhetorical ability, become the underdog.

If a writer wanted to appeal to the audience, what would he have to do? He is going to have to utilize some rhetorical devices of course! Rhetorical devices are key in writing persuasion papers and just any paper that is meant to be read to an audience. In the Inauguration Speech of 1961 given by President John F. Kennedy, he was able to really connect with his audience that day by using lots of different rhetorical devices. By using chiasmus, anaphoras, and metaphors, JFK was able to effectively reach and persuade people to have faith in him despite his age and religion.

The more favorably listeners view a speaker’s competence and character, the more likely they are to accept what the speaker says.

The ability to persuade the audience to think or act in a certain way is essential in

Aristotle has an idea that there are three rhetorical appeals people can use to persuade someone else – ethos, pathos and logos. Each of them is very useful and the persuasion will be most effective when three of them are all used. Amy Tan used all in “Mother Tongue.”

Of the three modes of persuasion, ethos, encompasses a person’s credibility. Their credibility is defined by how often then speak truths, if they have good sense, are a morally upstanding person, and their overall goodwill. Sarah Knight is a Cum Laude Harvard English Literature graduate. Simply knowing this can give a positive impression to an audience even before. she has come on stage. She is educated, well spoken, and well versed. The listener could interpret her education and intelligence as a boost to her credibility.

Passion is a necessary trait all excellent speakers use to persuade their audiences. A passionate speaker uses pathos to sway his or her audience to the speaker’s side by playing with the audience’s emotions. Before pathos is used to move the audience emotionally, it is smart for the speaker to use ethos to build good credibility. With credibility, the speaker has the ability to make the audience trust him or her. That trust is beneficial to help the audience believe what the speaker is saying. Logos is another trait that a strong speaker must make use of to show intellect. It is the appeal to logic. Logic is needed to show the audience that the speaker knows his or her facts and can effectively back them up. Ethos, pathos, and logos are three vital aspects of a good speech. Elizabeth I uses all three appeals subtly throughout her speech, using pathos the most. The queen also uses rhetorical devices to emphasize her points. Through the use of amplification, asyndeton, and climax, Elizabeth I reassures and inspires her troops with her compelling speech.

In speaking of effective rhetorical persuasion, we must appeal to our target audience in a way that will get them to accept or act upon the point of view we are trying to portray. Aristotle said that we persuade others by three means: (1) by the appeal to their reason (logos); (2) by the appeal to their emotions (pathos); and (3) by the appeal of our personality or character (ethos) (Corbett and Connors 32). When Socrates, an infamous rhetorician, gave his “apology” to his fellow Athenians after being accused of atheism or not believing in the gods and corrupting the youth with similar teachings, he employed all three modes of persuasion to prove his innocence. Despite the

Aristotle’s rhetorical strategies can help a writer achieve the art of persuasion. John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech is a perfect example of this. In

If the persuaded possesses high elaboration due to high topic relevance, a strong argument will manipulate that variable. If the persuaded has a high need for cognition, this can be exploited to form a strong argument, and so on.

When your credibility is not accurate and hyperbolized then you are lying referring to your qualifications, which will not help you in the long run and is a lie. How can the audience trust your stance and facts on a topic if in the past you fabricated your evidence and status? Telling falsehoods exhibits that you did not prepare and do not care enough concerning the topic to thoroughly research the subject. Being up to date and securing your facts could potentially alter your beliefs on the subject and knowing as much as you can, will prevent the audience from thinking you are not knowledgeable and can damage your position. If the audience does not conclude that you are secure in your facts or do not have the latest information, then persuading them will be a lost cause. If you do not research your information and give out false data, and then the audience will not trust you and dislike your character for wasting their time to persuade them with lies or unknown errors. (Ross and Leonard 261)

Ordinarily, to establish credibility, public speakers should earn the audience's trust and respect by presenting themselves as authorities on the topic that they are speaking. Consequently, the speaker should not rely on the content of their speech to gain credibility with the audience. Self-presentation is important too since the public will start judging the communicator before the speaker begins to communicate verbally. Establish the authority to the public by speaking about the topic by stating the source of where the knowledge: experience, training, or research came into perspective. When speaking to a skeptical audience, begin by finding common ground. Acknowledge the appeal of the opposing views before deciding to create a strong