[EN] Lab’Oratory #3 - Logos

Hello to all,

This post complements the two previous ones, which aim to explain the three pillars of classical rhetoric. With these rudimentary tools, the goal is to know how to develop a speech that will capture attention, win support, and encourage your audience to take action.

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After dealing with ethos, i.e. the credibility and integrity of the speaker, we spoke about pathos, the appeal to the emotions and affects of the audience. Today, it is time to talk about logos: logic or reason. The goal will be to convince your audience.

Indeed, I told you yesterday that if you limit yourself to persuading through emotions without convincing through reason, those who listen to you could accuse you of trying to manipulate them. You must also prove that the cause you are defending and the reaction you are expecting are healthy and legitimate.

To speak to the rationality of the audience, you will probably need a good structure of speech, as a matter of form. If you get lost in your speech, and your cause seems messy, how do you expect to win support? Thus, it is important to have at least a clear and delineated introduction, development and conclusion. A more classical rhetorical structure consists of an exordium, a narrative, a confirmation, a refutation and a peroration. There are others, for example if you want to call your audience to action, which Victor Ferry talks about in his book 12 leçons de rhétorique pour prendre le pouvoir (2020), éditions Eyrolles. Perhaps this will be the occasion for a future post Lab'Oratory.

To show you rational in substance, you can also use figures, statistics and verifiable data. You will need to argue on a solid and factual foundation, so that the public knows that they are dealing with a competent rhetorician who masters his subject.

Finally, you can use thought-provoking comparisons and analogies, for example, to demonstrate your thesis and support your point.

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All in all, here are three keys to keep in mind when preparing your oral or written interventions to defend a cause, an action or values before an audience. Show yourself credible, show integrity; mobilize the feelings of those who listen to you; prove your point rationally. Let's not forget that the public is made up of beings of character, passions and reason.

I hope that these first three posts on rhetoric will have pleased you and enriched you personally. It is important for everyone to be able to defend their ideas in order to make the beautiful machine of democracy work properly. Beyond that, it is always nice to feel that one's interventions hit the mark with those who listen to us, whether it is a friendly, family or professional circle.

In the long run, I was thinking of offering small challenges, short exercises or competitions on the theme of rhetoric and speeches, but my previous posts have not generated much interaction. Feel free to comment and bring the content to life if you are interested!

I hope to see you soon, take care of yourself.