Without that grounding, you’re already setting yourself up for failure. If there is one theme that resonates throughout Leith’s book, it’s that you must know your audience their interests, prejudices and expectations. This research phase should not be limited to the subject matter, it should also include your audience. Invention is doing your homework: thinking up in advance exactly what arguments can be made both for and against a given proposition, selecting the best on your own side, and finding counterarguments to those on the other.
This phase is referred to as invention, but it’s not about making something up, it’s more about the information gathering or research phase of your work. How? By doing the work required to have an opinion. So using Sam Leith’s Words Like Loaded Pistols as our guide, let’s discuss Aristotle’s three modes of persuasion: Ethos, Logos, and Pathos.īut before we get into the specifics of the three modes, we need to decide on the structure of our argument itself. Not only is it an incredibly valuable skill to have, it’s important to know how you’re being persuaded when you’re a part of the audience.
The structure of a great oral argument has been passed down through the ages, starting with Aristotle. Any fool can start it, but to end it requires considerable skill.”
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