10.4.1 Ethos (Ethical Appeal or Credibility)

Aristotle in ancient Greece argued ethos consisted of three dimensions: good character, goodwill, and intelligence. A good character is related to a source or speaker’s nature – whether the audience sees one as an honest person. Goodwill refers to the intention the speaker has toward the audience. Intelligence is connected to a speaker’s expertise (Frymier, 2021, p. 65).

When you present qualifications, experience, expertise, and wisdom (whether yours or others’) in an attempt to build readers’ confidence in you and your document, you are using ethical appeals. Part of what will convince readers to “listen” to you is if they know who you are and what makes you an authority on a subject. Another aspect of ethos is the credibility and “trustworthiness” of your sources of information. The appropriate development of ethos will build readers’ confidence in you.

You may also have encountered the “stylistic” appeal: the use of language and visual effects to increase the persuasive impact. For example, a glossy, fancy design for a résumé can have a positive impact just as much as the content. This is yet another facet of ethos as it is an appeal that lends to how you are perceived by your audience.