Writing · StudentHub Lesson
Persuasive & Rhetorical Techniques
Explore ethos, pathos, and logos and other techniques used to persuade an audience.
What you will learn
- Define ethos, pathos, and logos
- Identify rhetorical appeals in speeches and texts
- Recognize persuasive techniques like repetition and rhetorical questions
- Analyze how appeals affect an audience
- Apply rhetorical appeals in your own writing
Watch the lesson
What Aristotle and Joshua Bell can teach us about persuasion - Conor Neill · TED-Ed
Watch on YouTubeTopic notes
Main Idea
Persuasive writing and speech rely on rhetorical appeals—ethos, pathos, and logos—to convince an audience, a framework dating back to Aristotle.
Key Concepts
- Ethos appeals to credibility and character
- Pathos appeals to emotion
- Logos appeals to logic and evidence
- Context and audience shape which appeal works best
Definitions
- Ethos: persuasion through the speaker's credibility or trustworthiness
- Pathos: persuasion through emotional appeal
- Logos: persuasion through logic, facts, and reasoning
- Rhetorical question: a question asked for effect, not an answer
Structures / Templates
- Combine appeals: state credibility (ethos) → give an emotional example (pathos) → back it with data (logos)
- Use repetition of key phrases to reinforce a message
Examples
- Ethos: 'As a doctor with 20 years of experience...'
- Pathos: 'Picture a child going to bed hungry tonight.'
- Logos: 'Studies show a 40% increase in outcomes.'
Common Mistakes
- Relying only on emotion without evidence
- Ignoring the credibility of your source
- Overusing one appeal and neglecting the others
- Failing to consider the audience's values
Key concepts
Important terms
- Ethos
- An appeal to the speaker's credibility or character.
- Pathos
- An appeal to the audience's emotions.
- Logos
- An appeal to logic, facts, and reasoning.
Quick revision
- Ethos = credibility
- Pathos = emotion
- Logos = logic/facts
- Rhetorical triangle from Aristotle
- Combine appeals for strongest persuasion
- Consider your audience
Check your understanding
Question 1 · Multiple choice
Which appeal relies on emotion?
Question 2 · Multiple choice
An advertisement stating '9 out of 10 dentists recommend...' uses which appeal?
Question 3 · True or false
Logos appeals to an audience's emotions.
Question 4 · Short answer
Who originally described the three rhetorical appeals?
Question 5 · Multiple choice
A question asked for effect rather than to get an answer is called a:
Done with Persuasive & Rhetorical Techniques?
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