Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Public Relations

Ethos Pathos Logos - Persuasion - Doctor Spin - The PR Blog — Classical persuasion.

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Ethos, Pathos, and Logos: Three Classical Modes of Persuasion

“Aristotle’s three modes of rhetorical persuasion are ethos, pathos, and logos, which are based on moral competence, emotional appeal, and reason.”
Source: Sino-US English Teaching ¹Lin, W. (2019). Three Modes of Rhetorical Persuasion. Sino-US English Teaching. https://doi.org/10.17265/1539 – ⁸⁰⁷²⁄₂₀₁₉.03.003

Ethos, pathos, and logos are three modes of persuasion recognised since ancient Greece, and they play an essential role in public relations.

Ethos. This mode of persuasion refers to the credibility or ethical appeal of the communicator, which can be established through demonstrating expertise, integrity, and goodwill.
Pathos. This mode of persuasion pertains to emotional appeal, which involves stirring the audience’s feelings to sway their opinions or actions.
Logos. This mode of persuasion is the logical appeal, which relies on presenting sound arguments and evidence to convince the audience.

In PR, these three modes of persuasion are often combined to create compelling messages that resonate with the audience on multiple levels. ²Modes of persuasion. (2023, September 27). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modes_of_persuasion

By understanding and applying the principles of ethos, pathos, and logos, PR professionals can craft messages that resonate deeply with their audience, driving action and fostering lasting relationships.

Learn more: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Public Relations

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Thanks for reading. Please consider sharing my public relations blog with other communication and marketing professionals. If you have questions (or want to retain my PR services), please contact me at jerry@spinfactory.com.

PR Resource: Persuasion

Free Persuasion PR Course - Doctor Spin - Public Relations Blog — Free persuasion PR course.

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Doctor Spin’s PR School: Free Persuasion PR Course

Use this free Persuasion PR Course to elevate your public relations game with powerful insights. Drive impact and influence like never before.

Persuasion Definition, Meaning, and Ethics
Persuasion Techniques
The Golden Rule of Persuasion
Priming in PR: The Subtle Art of Pre-Suasion
Framing in PR: How To Bypass Confirmation Bias
Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Public Relations
The Priming Wheel: 12 Steps to Yes
Pre-Suasion: Robert Cialdini on Priming (to be published)
The Value Triangle: How To Manage Client Expectations
The Power of Artificial Scarcity

“Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality.”
— Nikos Kazantzakis

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PR Resource: Amplification Hypothesis

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The Amplification Hypothesis

It’s common to find that counterarguments strengthen existing beliefs instead of weakening them.

The harder you attack someone verbally, the more you convince them of their belief, not yours.

The phenomenon is known as the amplification hypothesis, where displaying certainty about an attitude when talking with another person increases and hardens that attitude.

“Across experiments, it is demonstrated that increasing attitude certainty strengthens attitudes (e.g., increases their resistance to persuasion) when attitudes are univalent but weakens attitudes (e.g., decreases their resistance to persuasion) when attitudes are ambivalent. These results are consistent with the amplification hypothesis.“
Source: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ³Clarkson, J. J., Tormala, Z. L., & Rucker, D. D. (2008). A new look at the consequences of attitude certainty: The amplification hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, … Continue reading

How does the amplification hypothesis work?

In a threatening situation or emergency, we resort to the primal (fastest) part of the brain and survival instincts (fight, flight and freeze). ⁴Surviving the Storm: Understanding the Nature of Attacks held at Animal Care Expo, 2011 in Orlando, FL.

Dichotomous thinking. This thinking style is at the heart of radical movements and fundamentalism. Even people who exercise abstract thinking, logic, reason, and the ability to recognize complex issues can resort to this thinking style when threatened. ⁵Silfwer, J. (2017, June 13). Conversion Theory — Disproportionate Minority Influence. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://doctorspin.net/conversion-theory/
Egocentric thinking. People who demonstrate non-egocentric thinking in many areas can also use this thinking style under stress. When a target is labelled an enemy, cognitive steps justify violent behaviour and prevent altruism and empathy. ⁶Beck (1999): Homogenization, Dehumanization and Demonization.
Distorted thinking. We tend to ignore details in our environments that do not support our thinking and beliefs. ⁷Cognitive dissonance. (2023, November 20). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance

Establishing common ground and exhibiting empathy demonstrates a genuine understanding of their perspective, fostering trust and openness to your ideas. Conversely, a strategic mismatch of attitudes can serve as a powerful countermeasure if your objective is to deflect persuasive attempts.

Persuade

To persuade, align your attitude with the target. Otherwise, you will only act to create resistance.

Provoke

To put off a persuader, mismatch their attitudes. When they are logical, be emotional, and vice versa.

Learn more: The Amplification Hypothesis: How To Counter Extreme Positions

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PR Resource: Perception Management

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Walter Lippmann: Public Opinion and Perception Management

No one is basing their attitudes and behaviours on reality; we’re basing them on our perceptions of reality.

Walter Lippmann (1889 – 1974) proposed that our perceptions of reality differ from the actual reality. The reality is too vast and too complex for anyone to process. ⁸Lippmann, Walter. 1960. Public Opinion (1922). New York: Macmillan.

One who effectively manages the perceptions of publics acts as a moral legislator, capable of shaping attitudes and behaviours according to the categorical imperative.

The research on perception management is focused on how organisations can create a desired reputation:

“The OPM [Organizational Perception Management] field focuses on the range of activities that help organisations establish and/or maintain a desired reputation (Staw et al., 1983). More specifically, OPM research has primarily focused on two interrelated factors: (1) the timing and goals of perception management activities and (2) specific perception management tactics (Elsbach, 2006).”
Source: Organization Development Journal ⁹Hargis, M. & Watt, John. (2010). Organizational perception management: A framework to overcome crisis events. Organization Development Journal. 28. 73 – 87. … Continue reading

Today, our perceptions are heavily influenced by news media and influencers, algorithms, and social graphs. Therefore, perception management is more critical than ever before.

“We are all captives of the picture in our head — our belief that the world we have experienced is the world that really exists.”
— Walter Lippmann (1889 – 1974)

Learn more: Walter Lippmann: Public Opinion and Perception Management

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ANNOTATIONS[+]

ANNOTATIONS
1	Lin, W. (2019). Three Modes of Rhetorical Persuasion. Sino-US English Teaching. https://doi.org/10.17265/1539 – ⁸⁰⁷²⁄₂₀₁₉.03.003
2	Modes of persuasion. (2023, September 27). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modes_of_persuasion
3	Clarkson, J. J., Tormala, Z. L., & Rucker, D. D. (2008). A new look at the consequences of attitude certainty: The amplification hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(4), 810 – 825. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013192
4	Surviving the Storm: Understanding the Nature of Attacks held at Animal Care Expo, 2011 in Orlando, FL.
5	Silfwer, J. (2017, June 13). Conversion Theory — Disproportionate Minority Influence. Doctor Spin \| The PR Blog. https://doctorspin.net/conversion-theory/
6	Beck (1999): Homogenization, Dehumanization and Demonization.
7	Cognitive dissonance. (2023, November 20). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance
8	Lippmann, Walter. 1960. Public Opinion (1922). New York: Macmillan.
9	Hargis, M. & Watt, John. (2010). Organizational perception management: A framework to overcome crisis events. Organization Development Journal. 28. 73 – 87. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288292596_Organizational_perception_management_A_framework_to_overcome_crisis_events

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Public Relations

Recognised since ancient Greece, they play an essential role in PR.

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