The Art of Persuasion

The very first canon of rhetoric is invention which is key in the art of persuasion. Invention is where the whole concept of persuasion begins as it is where you make your game plan. While coming up with your argument it is good to make a note of the three persuasive appeals: logos, pathos, and ethos. Each of these three appeals play a major role especially during the invention process. Not taking them into account during this process would be detrimental to your argument as a whole as they are the biggest influences. Rhetoric as a whole can be used in most situations, but applying each these appeals will help strengthen what you’re saying. For instance, if you were trying to bargain with someone to lower the price on an item you would need to elaborate on why they should. You would look at the credibility of your argument, why what you’re saying would change their opinion, and possibly even use facts for support. All of these would fall under the three persuasive appeals one way or another. By taking into account of these sort of appeals you can then really get your point across and gain your audience’s attention. Each of these all coincide with one another as well as they all help with building your persuasive argument. Though, sometimes there are certain factors that are not as necessary as others, they will still be involved in some form. It doesn’t matter if your audience is in the thousands or just one person. If you are trying to get your point across to anyone you will have to look at the sort of appeals that matter to them regardless. This is rhetoric at its very core and by adding all of the appeals of your audience to it will help further your claim.