Aristotle wrote Ars Rhetorica. In Latin it is usually translated as “The Art of Rhetoric”. Aristotle positioned rhetoric firmly alongside logic. His purpose was to illustrate how you can use debate and persuasion to get people to see things your way—not by using omission or manipulation, but in a logical and ethical manner.
According to Aristotle, to make a truly persuasive argument, include three key elements:
Logical arguments (logos)
Ethical arguments (ethos)
Emotional arguments (pathos)
You won’t be able to convince all the people all the time, but this gives you better odds.
With logical arguments, you persuade your audience based on logical conclusions stemming from facts.
Ethical arguments originate in the notion that we are easily persuaded by people we trust. We scrutinize their arguments less. Getting the trust doesn’t come from thin air, one has to earn it by being consistent.
Emotional arguments persuade your audience by swaying their emotions, winning their hearts with rousing and exciting talk.
The core of Ars Rhetorica was to use the three components in a right mix, but some individuals in a corporate environment would like to use emotional arguments to manipulate their audience.
Logical arguments require more work to collect the facts.
Ethical is even harder, but, I value that most.
– My adaptation on ‘Technology Strategy Patterns”.
Thinking Space 