1.4 Texts, Rhetoric, and Persuasion: Argumentative Materials

You do not need to be a good storyteller to tell your own story. But whenever you open yourself to a community or put relevant words into any form of communication, you need to be honest, humble, and influential in your expression.

When you see society reflected in your smaller community, you may discover that you are surrounded by ill-faithed people who lack proper argumentative logic but have strategically and successfully twisted office politics into ruin. Ignorance and foolishness might have become your best survival strategy. As time runs out, you may still have to face the bloviator, who speaks at length without substance; the charlatan, who falsely claims expertise in a field; the chutzpah-driven character, who displays offensive self-confidence; and the bluffer, who deceives others about ability and credit. To move away from impostor syndrome in the workplace, you need a plan for persuasion and for making sound arguments. This may not be as much of a problem in the West, where communication is often compact and direct. But in more submissive Asian social settings, people often soften themselves in confrontation, especially when facing an opponent with higher rank or seniority. They may choose a stronger communication style instead of focusing on the substance of the conversation, which can be disturbing and bewitching in meetings. Such behaviour outsmarts the virtue of persuasion.

The word “rhetoric” signifies the art of communication in speaking and writing. Social communication can be divided into three categories: writing, reading, and thinking. I set speaking and listening alongside writing here because they serve as equivalent forms of communication. Ancient Greek philosophers consolidated rhetorical principles that shaped the virtue of persuasion through writing and speaking. In today’s fast-moving culture, the speed of constant change makes us forget the key elements of rhetorical expression. When we see a billboard advertisement slogan, we may encounter crucial social phenomena from the past that create a persuasive illusion, making us prefer one product or service over another. So, what materials drive your mindset in communication? They are Ethos, Pathos, and Logos: credibility and authority, emotional appeal, and logical reasoning, respectively. Speaking louder, screaming, and yelling do not make communication more persuasive; instead, they distance you further from your community.

Ethos drives the projection of credibility in your work. Let me be clear: credibility is not equivalent to authorial ranking, although authority can be an amorphous form of status. To establish credibility, you need to create common ground between your claim and your audience. You do not need to be an authority figure from an institution to co-create that shared space. For example, you can write a novel about an unrevealed historical past that you physically discovered. In politics, leading religious figures and legal professionals are more likely to gain political momentum from people who share common values and religious beliefs. In the workplace, senior employees are likely to be trusted by management because they have more experience than junior employees. But there is a dark side to personalising Ethos. If an incredible claim is built upon personality alone, the pillar of Ethos may collapse overnight, and authority may be dismantled. As a writer or speaker, it is wise to remain humble and faithful to your work.

In the process of communication, humans have a distinctive sensitivity to the temperature of language itself. Based on the tidy subtext of speech, small gestures, tone of voice, and rhythm of words, audiences can identify the true character of your speech or writing. This is where Pathos finds its place in English writing and speaking. We do not need fancy wording to paint a rosy picture that we do not appreciate; instead, your pitch needs to be convincing to your audience’s desires, fears, values, and feelings. One prominent example of Pathos as an emotional appeal device appears in cigarette health warnings on tobacco products: pictorial images of tobacco-related diseases are shown on cigarette boxes with warnings to consumers. From an anti-marketing perspective, Pathos influences decision-making when consumers look at the picture and recall the side effects of excessive smoking on health, family, and relationships. With greater consideration of the harmful consequences, they may consume less of the product. In today’s internet world, Pathos can play a major role through imagery. In fact, the same applies to writing when you consider your audience’s feelings with a predictive mindset. With proper word choices and writing style, we can reach the warmth or coldness of human feeling.

The argument of Logos relies on logic and rational reasoning. Facts, mathematical research, empirical statistics, authoritative statements, and scholarly claims constitute the fundamental support for Logos. Supporting evidence must be truthful, valid, precise, and specific. Logos is therefore considered the rational side of thinking in argumentation; it is hard to challenge without concrete study and factual revision of the case. For example, gasoline prices may have risen to four dollars per gallon yesterday because of the war in the Middle East. If the war was the main cause of the price increase, you would compare gasoline prices before and after the outbreak of the war to establish your factual claim. Logos has its own drawback if the factual claim is made with methodological flaws. For example, if you stated that the unemployment rate of a country was ten percent after surveying only a small population from the southernmost city, the statistics would be misrepresented for the entire country. Your Logos would then be challenged.

To make a good argument, you first need to look back at yourself and ask whether you are prepared to take up challenges. Good persuasion requires mutual consideration of facts and credibility, along with a touch of emotional appeal. This brings us back to the discussion of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Ancient Greek philosophers discussed the virtue of “rhetoric,” the art of communication, as a critical determining factor in argument. When a heated argument turns into a warm debate, it becomes an opportunity for learning and growing maturity. The volume of your voice does not count, but your mindful strategy does.

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