Aristotle laid the groundwork for persuasive communication in the 4th century. Although the times have changed, effective communication hasn't. Evaluate a communication, such as a value proposition, by using the three elements of rhetoric. Role playing as your audience, score your message from 1 to 10 on these categories:
- Ethos/Credibility:
Who are you, and what authority do you have on the topic?
- Logos/Logic:
How clear and consistent is your reasoning? How do your facts measure up against my facts?
- Pathos/Emotion:
How vivid, memorable, and motivating is your message?
Look for areas of improvement or imbalance.
The Ethos, Logos, Pathos game is credited to James Macanufo.