Modes of persuasion

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The modes of persuasion, modes of appeal, or rhetorical appeals (Greek: pisteis) are the broadest classifications of rhetorical devices, which a persuasive speaker or writer uses to convince their audience. Often, the modes of persuasion are directly equated with these three traditional rhetorical appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos—an appeal to the presenter's credibility, an appeal to audience emotions, and an appeal to reasoning or logic, respectively—all three of which appear in Aristotle's Rhetoric. There is also a less well-known fourth term, kairos (Ancient Greek: καιρός): appealing to the timeliness, or meaningfulness of the timing, of the presentation. Other factors Aristotle requires of strong rhetorical speakers are wisdom, virtue, and goodwill to better persuade their audience. The three or four traditional modes of persuasion are present in fiction, in advertisements, on television, in flyers, in social media, and even on billboards on the side of the road. This type of persuasion...

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