Speech/Discussion:As you read in Chapter 5: Audience Analysis, Aristotle, who is considered the father of rhetoric (public speaking) used the Greek term “Ethos” when considering the character of a speaker.Ethos (character) was essential to successful persuasion. Speakers were expected to be honest, knowledgeable, and rightly motivated.Today we use the term “credibility,” to refer to speakers who are believable and authentic whether they are presenting speeches to inform, persuade, or entertain.In order for you to develop speaker credibility, you must ask yourself:Have I put forth effort to learn who my audience is so I have something to offer them?Do I respect my audience as individual human beings? Do I respect them enough to serve their needs and interests?Is my topic relevant and appropriate for them?Is my approach honest and sensitive to their preexisting beliefs?Reviewing demographic and psychographic information (Lesson 5.1) can help you answer these questions.Ultimately, your audience needs to know they can trust your motivations, intentions, and knowledge. They must believe that you have no hidden motives, that you will not manipulate or trick them, and that you have their best interests at heart.A good way to “test” your credibility is to look closely at 21st century components of Ethos:You see, these days, not only are we concerned with our Character (or honesty), our Competence (knowledge about the topic), and how we convey our Caring (about the audience), we also want to deliver an engaging and dynamic message. Body language and appearance play a role in the Charisma we bring to a speech, however, the delivery of a message must never take center stage. Content must always be the focus of a speaker’s attempt to develop credibility. Likewise, an audience must plug into the content of a speech when deciding the credibility of a speaker.Four Components of EthosIf we are ever so infatuated with a speaker’s ability to “wow” us with skilled delivery techniques, we may miss the real meaning behind the message. We may be so overwhelmed by a speaker’s “slick salesmanship” and “emotional appeal” that we miss the essence of what is being said. We may be “convinced” even if there is no solid evidence or reasoning as to why we ought to be convinced. This is the challenge we must meet as potential speakers and audience members.So, let’s see how good we are at recognizing speaker Ethos (credibility). Here’s the assignment:Once you’ve studied Chapter 5and reviewed the material here, you’ll want to choose one of the videos below and present a 4 – 5 minute informal speech discussing whether you believe the speaker has developed Ethos (or credibility) within the presentation. You’ll want to base your discussion on the principles of Competence, Character, Caring, and Charisma.tell us what you’ve learned in a “low pressure” 4 to 5 minute informal “talk”. In other words, tell us what you’ve discovered about how the speaker developed ethos, specifically:How did the speaker show that she/he was competent?What did the speaker specifically do to project character?How did the speaker specifically show that she/he caredabout the audience?What particular techniques did the speaker use to project charisma?Again, state your perspective and support your thoughts using the 4 Components of Ethos described above. Feel free also to add in “evidence” from this week’s e-text reading as well as brief portions of the video you chose.Here are the videos for this activity. Choose 1 to develop your informal speech:EitherThe Power in ‘I am’ – Theodore Roosevelt JohnsonTEDx Talks. (2013, November 8). The power in “I am”: Theodore R. Johnson at TEDxOrlando [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUzXkjiWb9QOr The Art of Asking – Amanda PalmerTED. (2013, March 1). The art of asking | Amanda Palmer [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMj_P_6H69gOr Asian Enough? – David HuynhHuynh. (2016, October 11). Asian enough? [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/wc-Mzf3ztcsAgain, choose just one of these videos for this assignment.
