Logos, Ethos and Pathos: Bringing Humanity to Business Communication

This is Part I of a two-part series. In this post, I present an overview of rhetorical tools, and in the second post, I will present ways to blend these tools into seamless brand storytelling.

Have you ever met someone for the first time, say at a networking event, and the first thing they do is rattle off their elevator pitch? It sounds like, “Hello, I’m Lauren Minors and I am in Marketing for an architecture and engineering firm. We have clients like A, B and C, and we are different because X, Y and Z.” You’ve likely not only heard that, but you’ve done it (I know I have). What’s missing?

Any scenario in which we are required to speak to an audience – whether that’s in person, on your website, in a proposal, whatever – is a rhetorical situation. And in any rhetorical situation, there are three required components: Logos (the appeal to logic); Ethos (the appeal to character); and Pathos (the appeal to emotion). Think of it as a stool: all three components must be present or the act of communication fails.

Because nobody has time for a rhetoric class, here’s a quick rundown of how these three tenets function:

• Logos – Appeal to logic – Logos includes the use of facts, definition, quotes from authorities, real life examples or personal anecdotes. The purpose is to support your claims. In practice, it sounds something like this:

“Our project portfolio represents what you [the client] are looking for in this facility. We have designed similar projects for your peers in the industry. We understand the different specific components of this facility, and will demonstrate that knowledge in the appropriate section of this proposal.”

• Ethos – Appeal to character – Ethos includes the description of background, demonstration of one’s knowledge, and language that is appropriate to the audience as well as the subject. The purpose is to establish credibility with your audience. Therefore:

“18 months. That’s how long design and construction with design-build delivery took for a very large facility with another local client. We are accustomed to fast-track schedules with stringent budgets. After all, every investment you make in your campus is reflected in the cost to produce your product. We will apply this same mindset to your campus, validating your program quickly so we can move on to implementation.”

• Pathos – Appeal to emotion – Employing pathos includes emotionally loaded language, vivid descriptions, emotional examples and tone. The purpose is to establish a human bond with your audience.

“If this sounds like our process and mindset of human-centered design mirrors yours, it’s because it does. We are more than architects and engineers. We are story tellers. The stories are yours, the voices come from your organization and they speak to your business, your culture and your priorities. We work with you to extract these anecdotes and craft them into a project that portrays the characters at the heart of these stories.”

In business (and in particular B2B sales and marketing), we have a tendency to rely too heavily on logos and ethos. We want our clients and customers to logically trust us. We are the smartest. We’ve performed the work hundreds of times. We have the experts. But that tends to fall flat, because it’s missing the human element, the pathos. The appeal to emotion.

We all know that people don’t buy things, people buy people. And that is true for consumers as well as procurement personnel. B2B proposals may not seem like a logical place to infuse humanity, but they should be. Beyond responding to the scope, schedule, budget and other RFP requirements, seek to humanize your brand while you present your other differentiating factors.