Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!
“Leadership is influence.”
John Maxwell
Aristotle postulated there were three ways to influence in a conversation or speech:
Ethos-Character
Pathos-Emotion
Logos-Logic
In his own words,
Persuasion is clearly a sort of demonstration,
since we are most fully persuaded when we
consider a thing to have been demonstrated
since we are most fully persuaded when we
consider a thing to have been demonstrated
Of the modes of persuasion furnished
by the spoken word there are three kinds. […]Persuasion is achieved by the speaker’s personal character when the speech is so spoken as to make us think him credible. […]
by the spoken word there are three kinds. […]Persuasion is achieved by the speaker’s personal character when the speech is so spoken as to make us think him credible. […]
Secondly, persuasion may come through the hearers,
when the speech stirs their emotions. […]
Thirdly, persuasion is effected through the speech itself
when we have proved a truth or an apparent truth by means
of the persuasive arguments suitable to the case in question.
-
- —- ARISTOTLE,
Aristotle was a scientist so I can about imagine he preferred the logos (logical) argument. After all, facts typically win a case if arguing in front of a judge or jury, where influence can be a life or death matter. Think DNA evidence.
I submit that Pathos dominates today. When Aristotle says “stirs [the] emotion”, when someone gets riled up or angry about something, the listener’s intelligence goes down, some estimate as much as 30 points, and reasoning may give way to the emotional state. Think OJ Simpson trial.
Perhaps to be the best leader, you should consider employing all three elements.
•Stay in your lane. If you don’t have credibility or the character to carry a topic forward, employ additional resources to quickly establish yourself.
•Understand how most others might feel about your topic (indifferent, excited, upset…)-maybe survey in advance to better understand your audience when possible.
•Understand the facts surrounding your topic/position/vision.
I’ve heard several aspirational leaders stand in front of their organization and say, “We are going to double revenue in [x] years.” The questions under the breath of the audience (at least those listening) are:
-How are we going to do that?
-What’s in it for me?
-Can I trust this person enough to sacrifice my life preferences for the company’s all in the hopes that it will come back to me, with considerable gains, in the future?
-Do we have the resources?
-Will we get the training required in a timely manner?
Cover all your bases before getting in front of your audience.
Now go win over some hearts and minds.
Have a blessed weekend!
Tenacious Cadence 