There are so many speakers that we have encountered throughout our lives, some of which are truly memorable, based on their ability to persuade, instruct, intrigue and simply to speak clearly and effectively in front of an audience, whether simply a few people or many. One of my most admirable speakers that I still remember is one of my high school’s teachers, Susana Garcia. Within her regular classes, she was energetic and enthusiastic, which was contagious. She spoke in a manner that reflected her character: down-to-earth, friendly, and sincere. Within our graduating ceremonies, as a representative of the teachers, her congratulatory speech both invoke tears and warmth as she gave us her best wishes, hopes, and treasured memories to become our foundation for tomorrow. Her speaking power seems to come from both ethos and pathos, though she did speak in a style more aligned with ethos, personal character.
As for my speaking style, my persuasive power comes mostly from my logic and sound arguments, logos, though ethos may play a slight role in persuasion, based on conveying my trustworthiness and good character. As Aristotle believed, his classification scheme does still work and apply to one’s persuasive power and the contributing personal qualities, since convincing someone requires sound arguments, reliability, and an appeal towards the audience.
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I have never met Susana Garcia so I can not relate to your observations about her. However, teachers are public speakers therefore communication and teaching are closely related. Throughout my school years I have met many professors who were good speakers. What a difference it makes when a teacher can speak in a way that captures attention! Teaching is supposed to inform. However, it is more effective if it can inform and influence at the same time. I recall teachers who just delivered information I easy forgot and teachers who motivated me (changed my feelings) whose lectures I remembered forever. I think that speaking that reflects a personal character, ethos, helps the audience to connect with the listeners. Just like Susana Garcia whom you remember mostly from her ability to arouse emotions. I think that pathos and logos are most important in teaching, especially in higher education where students seek mostly credibility (reflected in personal character) and logic.
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That's awesome that you got to experience having such an amazing instructor. It is really rare to come across those who can bring such a great attitude to work, and who genuinely care for their student's education. I personally, think i've only experienced one teacher like this, and as Maisy said, its her lectures that i'll remember forever, not necessarily the lectures of teachers who just informed. Education is something that I think our society does not value enough, yet it is expected that we get good grades and excel in classes. If education was receiving a higher portion of the state's budget, then maybe as a result, teaching could be a more prestigious occupation in which in order to get hired, you HAVE to prove you're able to inspire and connect with students. Because as of now, the pay scale for public education is so low that they seem to hire almost anyone with a credential and students are just not connecting because we can sense when a teacher cares, and when they don't! In LA I felt this alot at my high school where we had many over-crowded classrooms and bad teachers. Logos is not enough for a teacher to possess, in my opinion they must also be able to use ethos and pathos to get their information across effectively.
ReplyDeleteHello scorpiochild! You mentioned your teach as an example of someone who is a good speaker. Have ever encountered a speaker that was unbalanced? Or perhaps used logos where ethos was needed? What was the response of the audience? :)
ReplyDeletePersonally, I have been an unbalanced speaker where I have ineffectively used pathos in my speeches to appeal to the audience. However, that left lukewarm responses and an awkward atmosphere/situation. There was also a time when I used ethos when logos was need, which garnered undesired responses from the audience, including some confusion, disapproval, and probably some thoughts that go along the line of "why the heck did she say that?" This meant that my audience was not convinced or persuaded by what I was saying and it lessened the impact of my argument.
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