Ethos

 Ethos (Greek for "Character") refers to the credibility of the writer/speaker.  Ethos is often conveyed through the tone and style of the message, through the care with which the writer considers alternative views, and through the writer's investment in his or her claim.  In some cases, it's also a function of the writer's reputation for honesty and expertise independent of the message.  The impact of ethos on an audience is referred to as its ethical appeal.

Aristotle and other ancient rhetoricians believed ethos to be the most potent means of persuasion, and its theoretical importance has been supported through modern experiments almost without exception.

Communication may be classified as concept-centered or ethos-centered:

• Concept-centered: a communication whose primary purpose is to modify an audience's attitude toward or understanding of something.  In concept-centered communication, the communicator trades on his or her ethos to increase the favorability of his/her audience's attitude toward his/her message.

• Ethos-centered: a communication designed primarily to enhance the audience's feelings or perceptions about the writer/speaker.  In ethos-centered communication, the communicator trades his/her audience's favorable attitudes to increase or improve his/her standing with them.

Ethos: the attitude toward a source held at a given time by the audience.

SOURCE: although we usually mean an individual writer or speaker when we use the word "source," a source may also be a group, an organization, a government agency, or even a country.  For example, the Department of Natural Resources is the source of many messages.  The individual who actually writes or delivers the message communicates on behalf of the organization, and we don't really react to him/her primarily.

Initial Ethos: the ethos of a source prior to the beginning of communication.

Derived Ethos: the ethos of a source produced during the communication.

Terminal Ethos: the ethos of a writer/speaker at the completion of communication.  It is the product of the interaction between the initial and derived ethos. A communicator's terminal ethos today is part of what makes up his/her initial ethos tomorrow.

Note: although we refer to the source's ethos, he/she/it doesn't really have one; the ethos actually lies in the mind of the reader/listener.  Therefore, the ethos of a source may vary greatly among receivers.  A source's ethos is subject to change greatly from time to time and may change dramatically during the course of a single communication.

The Sponsorship Effect: the effect of higher ethos rubs off on a speaker.  i.e. the support of a celebrity or well-known organization.