These three elements are powerful ingredients to use in every speech if you want your audience to keep listening long after you’ve finished speaking.
They take their roots in ancient Greece.
Ancient Greek orators studied the most effective speeches ever delivered in all of history and concluded that all of those speeches had these three elements.
You can be sure that they will go a long way in making your speeches impactful and unforgettable.
1. ETHICS This is the root of the word “ethics”. It refers to his integrity as a speaker as well as the character of his message. In essence, it refers to the credibility, sincerity and credibility of him.
The more credible you are as a speaker, the more receptive your listeners will be.
For example, people would rather listen to a doctor give a speech on HIV/AIDS than a car mechanic. Similarly, the average audience would rather hear a car mechanic give a speech about car repairs than a doctor.
“Ethos” is also demonstrated in his manner, accent, and intonation. Your message will be better received if you are natural and authentic.
It is necessary to learn from others but you must always stay true to yourself.
2.LOGOS This is the root of the word “logic”. All speech must be logical.
Remember in lesson one, I mentioned that public speaking is “…deliberate and structured…” You can’t afford to ramble or take your audience for granted.
Whenever you have the privilege of public speaking, make sure your presentation is logical, systematic, and intelligent. This boils down to two things: research and reflection.
Research will provide you with facts and figures.
Reflection will help you organize those facts and figures in a way that will reinforce your message.
Your arguments must be reasonable. This can only happen if you reason.
3. DUCK This is the root of the word “passion”. This refers to emotions, sympathy and imagination.
PATHOS deals with the emotional appeal of your presentation.
All effective speech has an emotional component. People buy things for emotional reasons, not for logical reasons. Think of the many women who have up to 50 pairs of shoes in their closets. Most of the time, they keep those shoes because of how they “feel” when they wear them.
If you watch the ads on CNN or BBC and other global TV networks, you’ll see how much emphasis advertisers put on the emotional component of their products.
In essence, people are emotional. It’s important to take note of this because every speech is like a sales pitch. You want your audience to buy into your message or mindset, so you need to have the right emotional appeal to match your goal.
You don’t smile when you should be sober or frown when you’re making an exciting point. Furthermore, avoid speaking in a monotone.
Instill emotions: anger, joy, sobriety, fear, despair, confidence, displeasure, satisfaction, serenity and other emotions when necessary.
Let’s review all three key elements again:
1. Ethos: your integrity and the character of your message.
2. Logos-reasoning, facts and figures.
3. Pathos-emotional appeal and imagination.