Module B: Speeches (The Rhetorical Triangle)

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The Rhetorical Triangle: Speeches

Logos: The appeal to reason

Consistency and clarity to the logic of reasons

Cause and effect

Deductive reasoning from principles

Inductive reasoning from experience

Contradictions

Ethos: The persuasive appeal of one’s character

Credibility through tone and style

Persuasion through credibility

Trustworthiness

Similarity with audience and their values

Special/expert knowledge

Pathos: The appeal to emotion

Grabs people’s emotions by manipulating listeners with a combination of concrete information and emotive examples, or phraseology.

Appeals to negative emotions (fear, discrimination, revenge)

Appeals to positive emotions (love, charity, brotherhood, justice)

Use of figurative speech (metaphors, rhetorical questions, parallelism)

Construction:

Introduction (drawing the initial interest)

Narration (defines the problem)

Confirmation (details about the arguments)

Refutation (addresses counter arguments and considers the audience)

Conclusion (satisfying close)

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