A speaker that I really admire is Steve MacMillan, President and CEO of the company I work for, Stryker. Stryker has always been a very successful company with 9 strait years of double digit growth, but with the turn of the economy, it is feeling the effects of it’s customer’s capital freezes. Steve MacMillan spoke at the national sales meeting and really used a persuasive speech to get the sales force to forget 2008 and convince them that 2009 will be a more successful year.
His power to persuade these hundreds and hundreds of people to not give up and to continue the fight definitely came from the ethos mode. According to Aristotle, a speaker relying on the ethos mode must be able to convince his audience of his credibility through a demonstration of his intelligence, character, and goodwill. For MacMillan, he can show his practical wisdom and shared values with the sales force through the experience he has gained in the past. He is good at showing his character because he is a generally likable guy and emits a certain friendly quality that people can relate to. He can also show goodwill easily because what’s good for him is good for his audience so it’s easy for them to believe he wants what’s best for everyone.
I think that I have the ability to persuade people because I think that I am good at relating to people, and involving them in what I do. Aristotle has a theory on Enthymeme that I can easily relate to. It essentially means that the audience is provided the premise but then expected to make their own conclusions. It’s a way to make the audience feel involved and feel a personal connection, and this is something I really like to explore when trying to persuade.
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Hello Nicciri! Are there other examples of good speakers that you have heard? What were the tactics they used to convince their audience? What are some bad examples you have heard?
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