Powerful Argumentative Strategies: A Leadership Advantage For Communication
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~ Aristotle
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As a matter of daily business, executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs in dynamic environments must communicate with many people to get things done.
And they also often have to discuss and argue unavoidably!
Generally, during the last millennia, humans have not drastically changed or improved their communication skills, subtleties, or the probable arguments that accompany them.
Therefore, there are considerable advantages to being aware of the classical wisdom, works, texts, and books of the Greeks and Romans passed down through the ages.
Not only for not constantly reinventing the wheels of communication but also for having powerful argumentative strategies.
Also, using this already accumulated wisdom can be a considerable advantage for executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs!
TOOLS OF PERSUASION
For example, the three essential tools of persuasion the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle named and profoundly explained. [1]
In his works on rhetoric, he states that there is:
? Logos, or argument by logic.
? Pathos, or argument by emotion.
? Ethos, or argument by character.
STRUCTURED REASONING
Logos is based on a series of techniques that employ structured reasoning instead of brute force to persuade others of your point of view.
One of these techniques, concession, is to agree with 'opponents' before shooting them down with a sharp reply.
For example, executives, leaders, or entrepreneurs find themselves in a political debate and try to get through the conversation without disagreement, hoping to avoid the often accompanying slippery slopes.
Suddenly, someone starts arguing that the world would be safer if there were more surveillance and control of communication, and they might concede that a safer world is suitable for everyone.
However, executives, leaders, or entrepreneurs could get their shot in by asking whether the other person would genuinely feel safer living in an Orwellian environment [2] where the government could watch their every move.
ALIGNING WITH FEELINGS
Pathos, the root of the Greek word for 'sympathy,' is about executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs' ability to align with the feelings of those they talk to and argue with.
After all, a classic argumentative error is about forcing the other arguer to change their feelings, like telling team members to cheer up after something went wrong with their project.
But if executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs used pathos in this scenario instead, they would be empathic with their team, leading them to sympathise, and, in turn, they would be more open to other thoughts as they feel understood.
A GOOD REPUTATION
After briefly explaining logos and pathos, it's time to examine Aristotle's third strategy: ethos.
When reading more of him, it's evident that Aristotle was the godfather of rhetoric, and for him, the most crucial argumentative appeal of the three was ethos.
A strategy that relies on disputing the reputation and trustworthiness of others, as Aristotle understood that particularly a good reputation goes beyond sound rhetorical reasoning!
For example, when Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865, was fighting to end slavery in America, his ideas weren't exactly popular.
However, he had a good reputation, was considered trustworthy, and was liked by people, which made all the difference when he sought to abolish slavery.
BEING AT HOME
To avoid misunderstanding, examining the origins of the word ethos is essential to understanding how to use this argumentative communication strategy skillfully.
In Greek, 'ethos', or 'ethics', initially meant 'habitat' - the environment a person occupies!
This environment means that being ethical is about 'being at home' with one's audience, sharing their values, manners and tone to fit in as snugly as a piece in a puzzle!
The Romans also had a word for ethos - 'decorum', which refers to how a speaker encapsulates a crowd's collective voice.
As a practical example, the movie '8 Mile' [3], a quasi-biopic of American rapper Marshall Bruce Mathers III, known professionally as Eminem, depicts his rise to stardom.
The epic rapping finale culminates in a hip-hop club where orators, called MCs, sling verbal attacks at each other.
There, Eminem himself, nothing more than a white-trash bum, wins over the predominantly black crowd in tearing down the street credibility of his opponent by pointing out that he comes from a wealthy family and attended private school.
This ethos-influenced winning strategy worked for Eminem's character in the film!
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However, when ethos is intended in corporate and entrepreneurial business environments to address a crowd, the speaker must remember that convincing an audience using decorum doesn't mean mimicking them.
Instead, it's a matter of representing their ideal!
REPRESENTING AN IDEAL
For instance, when an ethical politician addresses a crowd, he has to seem as honest as possible, even if his constituents are committing fraud or are known for cheating on their partners.
Constituents, though far from perfect themselves, always want an ideal politician, and audiences always want a flawless orator!
Presenting an appealing character is essential to winning over an audience.
VIRTUE
According to Aristotle, an ethos-based argument has three essential qualities.
The first is virtue, which means executives and leaders can persuade others by sharing their values.
However, to do that, they first need to know their values and how they can embody them!
For example, say they're reading a book at home while their teenage daughter listens to Taylor Swift's latest hit album.
We know that teenagers consider independence paramount at this age and that ordering her to turn off the music will undoubtedly backfire!
So, a better option is to give her a choice, comforting her sense of independence and asking whether she'd turn down the music or put on her headphones.
PRACTICAL WISDOM
The second aspect of effective ethos is practical wisdom.
That means executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs must look like someone who always knows what to do - an expert with first-hand experience!
For instance, Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, had the exceptional credentials Americans look for in a presidential candidate.
Therefore, he should have done fantastically as president!
Still, he failed to secure a second term because he lacked the necessary practical knowledge he openly displayed during his first leadership term.
Showing off real-world experience, generally but specifically in leadership environments, is compelling!
And indeed, street smarts are often more effective than book-learning scholars!
An excellent example from current discussions about the war in Ukraine and probable strategies to 'win' or 'end' is when someone invokes their status as a veteran to gain the audience's interest and trust.
Naturally, their first-hand experience means much more than studying war academically, historically, or all knowledge gained from news and articles.
SELFLESSNESS
The final quality of ethos is selflessness, which, in this context, means executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs show those they speak to that, above all else, they have their interest in mind.
They can do this by reaching an agreement that might appear to hurt them personally in a particular moment but which is undeniably and factually correct!
For instance, executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs want an urgent and vital project to go through at work.
Then, they might tell their team that, even if they don't get credit for the project as the designated leader, they'll still work late to make it happen because it's just too good to be passed up.
And it's obvious what this open display of exemplary leadership will lead to!
SKILLFUL COMMUNICATION
Evidently and clearly described in the numerous examples, exemplary leadership is about skilful communication in discussions.
Particularly for executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs in their unique business environments!
Therefore, when they face unavoidable arguments, powerful strategies that use logic while also appealing to emotions are undeniably essential.
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