Logo - appeal to logic : back up your argument
Etho - appeal to self : ethics : speaker's credibility
Pathos - emotional appeal
What makes a good argument?
- Self - Interest
- Connection to the subject
- If you're not passionate, audience won't be
- Self-Interest = Ethos
- Expert Testimony
- Interviews, quotes, documentation with experts that back up your opinion
- State how the quotes back up your opinion
- Valuable for creditability
- Expert Testimony = Ethos & Logos
- Quality of Reasoning
- Offer facts, statistics, or supporting details
- Research driven
- More likely to be accepted when backed by facts or supporting details
- Without facts it's an opinion and won't go far
- Quality of Reasoning = Logos
- Facts include: Dates, events, things that can be refuted
- Flaws in Opposing Arguments
- Point out flaws in your opposistion
- provide facts that discuss the flaws or faults
- Do it ethically
- Just as important to secede an argument you can't refute
- Know both sides
- FOA = Logos and Ethos
- What about your audience?
- Appeal to audience's self-interest
- Talk about benefits and harms
- Benefits are good things that happen if the audience accepts your plan/position
- Harms are bad things that happen if the audience doesn't accept your plan/position
DON'T USE
- Irrational evidence
- Generalities
- Arguments that make little sense
- Data that doesn't back up your position
- Mud slinging
- Emotional persuasives
- An appeal to feelings, passions, and prejudices instead of logic
- Propoganda
- Transfer of emotions or ideas from sources that have little to nothing to do with your topic
- Quotes from people who aren't professionals in the field of your argument
- Quote famous people because they're famous
- Oversimplification
