Ethos, Logos & Pathos

By Erwin Parengkuan

We use these 3 terms directly and indirectly in our daily interactions, even in business/sales contexts.

Let's discuss the meaning of each:
Ethos is the credibility that a person/organization has in carrying out its role, including creating brand awareness, brand loyalty, brand credibility and social validation.Someone who has a strong ethos can easily convey their message with confidence so that it will be very convincing with what they know from the various information/expertise they have and can easily quickly gain "trust" from the person they are talking to along with their work results that have been proven and recognized by the environment.
Logos is a way of conveying that is done logically/rationally, is accepted with a structure that is in line with the purpose of communication, is not confusing in conveying the message, is thorough and does not raise question marks by the interlocutor.This includes being able to display accurate supporting data with an appropriate approach, whether starting from providing comparisons, making analogies so that the technical matters conveyed can be properly absorbed, including developing them using a metaphorical approach.

Pathos is making an explanation with a story line that can move the emotions of the person you are talking to, presenting quotes from famous figures (for example) with clear word choices and displaying important values ​​that apply in general.

These three aspects are fundamental in someone speaking, interacting and influencing the person they are talking to and inviting the person they are talking to to be able to understand what will be conveyed so that it is clearly well received for acceptable reasons.Even though this term has existed since ancient Roman times, it was created by the famous philosopher Aristotle with his knowledge, expertise and broad perspective starting from logic, physics, metaphysics, communication, biology, politics etc. with his very capable abilities in these 3 aspects (still) still powerful today because it involves logic, feeling and skills in communication.

In our daily lives, when we speak, do you still often have difficulty articulating your thoughts into words?Often times I see someone speaking using a lot of inappropriate word choices.Such as the use of ambiguous words (if I'm not mistaken, perhaps, ee..ee, apparently etc.) or the information provided is very general.not to mention the plot is not coherent and directed.In order to influence the interlocutor, the knowledge and weight of the material presented must be up to date, including the richness of having a diverse vocabulary.

If someone owns these three terms, they will be able to easily persuade and make the person they are talking to act or have a new perspective.Not only in communicating this aspect is needed but also in every form of persuasion such as advertising that circulates using these 3 approaches.

Coba mulai sekarang buatlah target hal apa yang ingin diaktifkan dari 3 aspek tersebut, bila kurang data tentu anda harus lakukan riset, bila kurang lentur berbicara harus mempersiapkan alur/blue print akan tujuan bicara dan kenapa hal ini penting untuk anda sampaikan. Bila kurang pengalaman, cepat kejar dan perkaya dengan menggunakan riset yang memukau. Jangan lupa untuk menggunakan pendekatan emosi agar pesan mudah diserap dengan baik oleh lawan bicara.