English Discussion (2 well-developed paragraph)

Ethos , or the “ethical appeal,” relates to the writer’s credibility and the convincing power of the character of the author. It refers to their trustworthiness as a speaker/writer.

The development of ethos is an effective persuasive strategy because when we believe that the speaker does not intend to do us harm, we are more willing to listen to what she/he has to say.  We are naturally more likely to be persuaded by a person who, we think, has personal warmth, consideration of others, a good mind and solid learning. It can also be affected by the writer's reputation, as it exists independently from the message— including their expertise in the field, a previous record or integrity, etc. Let's look at an example.

When you are feeling sick, you go to the doctor. The doctor has strong ethos outside of the message he is about to give you. We know about the schooling doctors have to go through, their rigorous hours, and the general desire to help people. And of course the doctor wears a white coat. Ah, the white coat. Does he really need this to examine you? Probably not, but he wears it to tell you that he is a doctor. Think about when you see a doctor on television, when they appear on a talk show or the news. They are often still wearing their white coat. Why? Did they just come from the hospital? Of course not, but the producers of the show likely asked him to wear it because it looks like they got an expert on the show. They did get an expert, but that determination should be because of what he is saying, not what he is wearing. Another factor can influence a doctor's ethos as well: bedside manner. You've probably had a doctor that was a jerk. He was short with you, just gave you the facts, wrote you a prescription, and maybe seemed annoyed that you were sick. We often leave those encounters questioning the diagnosis. All the years of medical school and that white coat have lost their power because of the way the doctor delivered the message. Compare that to a doctor who has personal warmth, who takes the time to answer all your questions, and assures you that you are going to be okay. She could tell us that we had an alien growing inside of us and we'd still believe her.

I once read an article on the pro-life side of the abortion debate, specifically late-term abortions. I won't tell you what side of the argument I am on because it doesn't really matter for this discussion. The article made some good points and was generally logically argued. But there was one huge factor that made it less persuasive than it could have been: each time the author referred to someone who was pro-choice or to a doctor that performed abortions, they used the term "babykiller." Yikes. The message of the author was weakened or even lost by the dozens of references to "babykillers" and "babykilling." The author destroyed his ethos and his ability to persuade. Now, to be fair, I likely wasn't in his intended audience. He was probably writing to people who generally accept the use of those terms. Again, the ethos of a writer is determined by the author's audience.

Ethos is often conveyed through tone and style of the message and through the way the writer or speaker refers to differing views. You will read more about this later in the week when we discuss counterarguments.

Features of the ethical appeal:

· Language and tone appropriate to audience and subject

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. You speak differently to different groups of people.  For example, let's say you have to give a presentation that explains how to bake your secret cookie recipe.  In the morning, you have to give this presentation to the head chef of a local restaurant. In the afternoon, you have to give the presentation to a class of 4th graders.  Of course your language and tone is going to change because if it doesn't, your message will be lost and your audience will not be persuaded by you.

· Restrained, reasonable, sincere, fair-minded presentation

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. If you watch enough CNN, MSNBC, or FOX News you'll likely see people get into an argument.  Some people react by raising the volume of their voice and just repeating their views over and over instead of responding to the statements the other person is making. Other people calmly respond to challenges, keep smiling, don't interrupt, and don't get upset.  Viewers are often more persuaded by this person because of this restrained presentation. 

· An established—or demonstrated—credibility, expertise, reputation

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. We discussed the established credibility of doctors above.  But sometimes the credibility has to be demonstrated.  For instance, I had limited ethos in the eyes of you, the student, when this semester began.  You assumed that I was educated enough to be allowed to teach at college class, but that doesn't mean that I am a good teacher.  Throughout the semester, I have demonstrated [or at least tried to] an expertise in this discipline.  I use appropriate terminology, grade fairly, have an organized Blackboard shell, and make little jokes here and there. 

· The inclusion of outside authorities through research to develop credibility

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. Of course I don't know it all, so I have you read other materials as well.  I select credible, useful resources which also increase my credibility.

· Sound logic

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. Of course if you aren't logical, your ethos is affected because people will start to question your education or intelligence.  They may even question your honesty if they believe you are using fallacies intentionally.

· Appropriate level of vocabulary

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. Similar to the cookie example above.

· Correct grammar

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. You've heard the warnings:  don't have a single typo on a resume when you are applying for a job.  Why?  Because the idea is that if you cannot get a single piece of paper perfect, why would they trust you to do anything else?