This document discusses the concept of ethos and how it relates to credibility and persuasion. It defines traditional Greek concepts of ethos including arete (skill/excellence), phronesis (wisdom/prudence), and eunoia (goodwill towards the audience). It then outlines four modern categories of ethos: similarity, trustworthiness, authority, and reputation. For each, it provides examples of how speakers can appeal to that aspect of ethos to establish themselves as a credible source and persuade their audience. The document also briefly discusses techniques like signaling, invoking audience identity, and making concessions.

1. Ethos
(or why should I listen to you?)

2. Invented Ethos Situated Ethos
Credibility you create
Credibility you
already own

3. Character
Emotion
Logic

6. Traditional Greek
Ethos Appeals
Arete
The quality of skill or excellence
in a given area. Competence and
knowledge.

7. Traditional Greek
Ethos Appeals
Arete

8. Traditional Greek
Ethos Appeals
Phronesis
The quality of wisdom and
prudence that demonstrates a
practical approach to the world.

9. Traditional Greek
Ethos Appeals
Phronesis

10. Traditional Greek
Ethos Appeals
Eunoia
The quality of a demonstrable
goodwill towards the audience

11. Traditional Greek
Ethos Appeals
Eunoia

12. Question : When Mr. Dunbar comes
into the classroom, he carries with
him a certain type of credibility
before he even speaks. We call this:
a) phronesis
b) situated
c) arete
d) invented
e) eunoia

13. Imagine a student is talking to a
SAS class and trying to convince
them to join an Environmental
Service Club. How would you
analyze the ethos of this situation?
Which appeals would be most
effective and why?

14. Four Modern Categories
of ethos
• similarity - What experience and viewpoints do we share?
• trustworthiness - Do I think you’re honest?
• authority — Do you have credentialed knowledge
• reputation - What expertise do you have?
S
T
A
R

15. Similarity
Convincing an audience that you are average and part of the same
group.

16. Similarity
"It was a highly inconvenient thing for them in our debates that I was
just a country boy from Arkansas and I came from a place where
people still thought two and two was four."
(Bill Clinton, speech at the Democratic National Convention, 2012)

17. Similarity

18. Similarity
LINK

19. Similarity

20. Similarity

21. Trustworthiness
Track record of
honesty
—or—
demonstratively
disinterested

22. Trustworthiness

23. Trustworthiness

24. Trustworthiness
My friends and I have been coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendly
Congress. It’s time for our government to get serious about shared
sacrifice.
Warren Buffett

25. Authority
How do we use
references
and
jargon?
How do we show our
qualifications
and
credentials?

26. Authority
Link

27. Authority

28. Reputation
How do
enemies
see you?
How do
allies
see you?

29. Reputation

30. Reputation

31. Attacking
credibility
You can claim your opponents are:
• misinformed
• ignorant
• deceptive
• corrupt
• immoral
• hostile
• part of an evil conspiracy

32. Attacking
credibility
Link

33. Four Categories of ethos
• similarity - What experience and viewpoints do we share?
• trustworthiness - Do I think you’re honest?
• authority — Do you have credentialed knowledge
• reputation - What expertise do you have?
S
T
A
R

34. Signaling
• Virtue Signaling— Demonstrating that you’re part of the
in-group or against the out-group

35. Signaling
• Costly Signaling—
Showing elements
of your identity that
are difficult or
impossible to fake

36. Signaling
• Dog Whistling— Using words, phrase, or references that
small groups recognize but the larger public does not.

37. Invoking an
audience’s identity

38. Reminding the
audience of a
particular role or
membership.

39. Possible
Roles
Parent/Child
Liberal/Conservative/
Independent
American/Nationalistic
Occupation
The “Good” Side
Male/Female
Age
Education
Knowledgeable

40. As conservatives, we know the media is
stacked against us. We know popular
culture is often stacked against us. We
know the narrative has been written
without our voice despite our best
efforts.
Tomi Lahren

41. As Liberals, we know that while we are
all born with equal rights we do not
always have the same opportunities
and so our job is to ensure that the
opportunities are there to get an
education, to get a job, to start a
business, to realise your dreams
Malcolm Turnbull

42. Concessions
Admitting that your opponent has reasonable points in
order to gain credibility and good will.
I totally get that you’re worried about me becoming a
International Assassin. If you see the movies, you think it’s
all knife fights and sniper shots. But, Mom, the reality is
much more bring. Assassins spend more time doing
paperwork than wiring C4.

43. Jonathan Haidt
pronounced “Height”

44. Values
Care/Harm Fairness/
Cheating
Liberty/
Oppression
Loyalty/
Betrayal
Authority/
Subversion
Sanctity/
Degradation

45. Values
Care/Harm Fairness/
Cheating
Liberty/
Oppression
Loyalty/
Betrayal
Authority/
Subversion
Sanctity/
Degradation
F
A
L
C
O
S

46. Liberals Conservatives