As I mentioned in previous posts, working in the field of collections for a bank offers me hundreds of opportunities a day to practice persuasive speech. Pathos, or the appeal to one’s sympathy, was on my mind this week as Christmas approaches. More empty bank accounts flash before me. I speak to fathers who are late on their mortgage but intend to get their children Christmas presents anyway. And I have to ask them to stretch themselves a little thinner.
Many people attempt to appeal to my sympathies. The tactics used are consistent and almost ubiquitous and tears seems to be the most useful with other people. As dehumanizing as the job is, for both sides, humans respond to the pain of others. The ability to distinguish the real from the fake tears is a sad talent to possess but an extremely important part of my job. An appeal to your emotions is aimed at the heartstrings.
But, enough shop talk, let us review the three artistic proofs: pathos, logos, and ethos. Pathos, as previously mentioned, is the sympathetic appeal. A mode of persuasion that attempts to affect the listener’s emotional state. Logos is the use of a logical argument, to appeal to the thinking, rational side of the listener. Finally, ethos is the attempt to sway the listener by establishing authority or credibility on a subject. For example, a toothpaste commercial where the actor is wearing a lab coat and says, “9 out of 10 dentists approve.”
Communicating and existing in society requires multiple persuasive interactions a day. From the inherent biological things we persuade each other (“aren’t I nice, look at me smiling,” “I know what I’m doing, look at how I own this area,” and “please don’t kill and eat me today, I’ve got stuff to do later”) to the more direct attempts at persuading another human being, these efforts terrify most people. The thought of asking for a raise, or a job interview, for instance, provides most people with a fear so great they freeze or stumble. This fear is caused by a lack of honing these skills and possessing little self-efficacy. Confidence provides further energy and ability for anyone to more easily convince another of something and confidence is a fake-it-’till-you-make-it skill.
Power poses, reciting planned speeches, and practicing interviews are extremely helpful exercises. Confidence in any ability is built over time so substantial effort will eventually pay off, and is required. Once a person fully realizes their potential and strength the world opens to them. Their confidence creates an aura of ethos that those around them resonate with. Have you ever met a person that simply transforms the room around them? A person that almost magnetically attracts attention and commands respect. One doesn’t have to be particularly good looking, though it helps, or particularly interesting, though that also helps, but one does have to possess confidence.
As a person of self-taught and hard-won confidence, I know there is only one thing stopping anyone else from having it: their own mind. Free your mind and you free yourself to excel. What’s stopping you?
Rebecca Bowen 