Of all the purported job skills that we emphasize, persuasion has to be one of the most underrated.  So much attention is given to your qualifications and experience, and not nearly enough on your ability to influence to make them matter.  How else will you assure someone that you can truly sell a product or that your project ideas are viable or profitable?

Consider what a job interview, a presentation, or a speech would look like without the ability to convince your respective audience? It’s not enough to be simply knowledgeable on a topic – we’ve all had teachers, professors, or even managers that know their subject inside and out, yet still left us unconvinced.

How do you become persuasive, or is it even possible to learn? Despite those who argue it remains an innate ability, it’s commonly held that there are three modes of rhetoric you can use to help structure and support your argument.

While the ideas behind them will sound familiar, they’re seldom used together effectively. For your next presentation or job interview, consider leveraging the following:

Ethos
Ethos is the Greek word for “character” and is an appeal to the authority of the speaker. This is where you would establish your credibility with the audience, such as your qualification or years of experience with your company – essentially, why they should believe what you’re saying.

Pathos
Pathos means “suffering” and represents the emotional connection with your audience. This is often done through the use of storytelling or even the way in which your argument is delivered.

Logos
Logos is an appeal to logic and essentially looks at how well you’re able to establish credibility. In this case, you could leverage relevant data, such as facts or figures, to support your argument.

There’s far more to the art of persuasion than simply sounding authoritative. By leveraging all three of these modes, you’ll deliver a stellar and ultimately convincing argument. 

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