Aristotle’s Thoughts Still Driving PR over 2,000 Years -By Ugochukwu Ugwuanyi

Public relations is persuasion, simplicitas! The practice exists to subtly influence perception. Persuasion is the art of getting audiences to say “yes” – not through manipulation – by tapping into the impulsive, pre-existing decision-making shortcuts through which people avoid thinking hard about every choice they have to make.

To achieve its objective, public relations has been unwittingly going way back in time to a fundamental model developed by an eternal sage. This is not going to change any time soon, even though the 2026 World Public Relations Day ushered in “The Golden Age of Strategic PR.” The aeon in question is over 2,000 years ago, when the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) propounded the three core rhetorical appeals in his treatise titled Rhetoric.

In the 4th Century BCE, Aristotle – the iconoclastic student of Plato – defined three distinct rhetorical appeals as they pertained to the art of persuasion, viz., ethos (Latin word for ethics), logos (Latin for logic or rationality), and pathos (Latin for emotion). What Aristotle said in sum is that it takes all of ethos, pathos, and logos for an argument to be grounded and persuasive.

When applied to public relations, ethos is the organisation’s credibility. Pathos is its ability to emotionally connect with the publics. Logos is the strength of the brand’s reasoning or the basis for its propositions. Your point of view will become agreeable with a disagreeable audience after you have reminded them that they are intelligent people whose opinion must be respected and earned their trust, using logos and pathos to acquit yourself as an authority in the subject matter.

Angles for Convincing Arguments

When ethos, logos and pathos rendezvous, it’s called the rhetorical triangle, often referred to as the Aristotelian triangle. Provided the person isn’t obtuse or a simpleton, whoever you’re trying to win over would be ruminating over the following while listening to your postulations:

Can I trust this person? (Ethos)

What has this got to do with me? (Pathos)

Does his point of view even make sense? (Logos)

It’s important to understand the dynamics of these modes of appeal because campaign concepts, strategies and tactics would always miss the mark when one or two of these pillars are taken for granted. Effective communication doesn’t ignore or downplay any of ethos, pathos and logos but balances all three per the credibility of the source, emotional appeal, and logical reasoning of the message. Since some schools of thought believe that persuasion isn’t about convincing people (logos) but building trust, understanding their perspective, and creating genuine value, ethos and pathos should be brought in to shore up the inadequacy of logos.

In the extant attention economy, for an organisation to ratchet up brand equity and enjoy unalloyed loyalty, the rhetorical triangle must be manifest in its storytelling, media mentions, stakeholder engagements, company announcements, executive thought leadership, internal communications, case studies, annual reports, website updates, and social media posts, customer success stories, and reputation management efforts.

How Aristotelian Triangle Attracts Audience Attention, Amplifies Authority

Although the rhetorical triangle has been widely studied and applied in various fields, including behavioural science, public speaking, writing, advertising, politics and law, it is most fundamental in public relations owing to the discipline’s desperation for trust and authority. This is because brands would want to come across as credible in the estimation of the publics.

There’s hardly a better way to establish authority – which in PR is also known as thought leadership – than through the masterful exploitation and integration of ethos, pathos and logos. Each aspect of the rhetorical triangle must, in equal measure, epitomise the campaign or messaging.

Pathos: Aristotle observed that human beings actually impart judgment differently depending on their emotional state. With this as the case, it is in the brand’s interest to design messaging in a manner that mines the required emotional response from their publics. Brands would want to establish and sustain a strong personal connection with their stakeholders. Every stakeholder comes with their own set of concerns, necessitating an understanding of what they hope to achieve – be it advancing a strategic initiative, solving a pressing problem, or securing resources.

Pathos is useful in effectively aligning communications with what matters to stakeholders. Pathos is wired into the publics through the use of storytelling, vivid language and imagery in messaging. This is even as emotional response is engineered through early identification of possible points of resistance and proactively addressing them.

Logos: Organisations are out to sate the sensibilities and intellectual reasoning of their audiences through proof. With the publics’ increasing curiosity and attention to detail, communications must be supported by science and statistics. Employing clear reasoning and evidence positions the brand as an authority (market leader). Customers get to trust a product courtesy of the manufacturer’s expert presentation of facts, data, logical explanations, and structured arguments.

Logos appeals to the intellect and rationality of your target audience and shows that the conclusion reached by the brand is true or makes sense. The whole idea here is to get audiences to conclude that the brand knows its onions.

Ethos: Aristotle called this “persuasion through character,” as ethos primarily explores the characteristics of the rhetor. Etiquette is a critical factor in developing an effective ethos. This includes proper use of tone, word choice, and respect for audiences’ opinions. Ethos earns credibility by demonstrating the brand’s sincerity and moral rectitude. Audiences will always appreciate organisations they deem to have integrity, be knowledgeable, and fair. When people trust you, they will be favourably disposed to what you have to offer. Third-party validations such as niche publications, awards and speaking engagements at industry-related platforms are great ways to cultivate credibility.

Pragmatic Applications of the Rhetorical Triangle

1.      Ascertain why an argument isn’t persuasive as is: When a client isn’t convinced about your tissue session or has reservations about your pitch or playbook, you must examine your use of logos. If your presentation deck or strategy outline is boring, you can ideate on pathos instances that would make your message resonate with the audience. And if, after doing the heavy lifting, another colleague is selected to drive the strategy or be the face of the campaign, the one passed over and relegated must work on their ethos.

2.    Information literacy: This has to do with having an understanding of how others are trying to get you to do what you ordinarily wouldn’t. Ethos, pathos and logos can be useful tools for information literacy in this way. When a salesperson comes into your office to give you a slick pitch about a new piece of software that’s going to change your working life, you can think about how they’re trying to convince you. Is it all pathos with very few facts (logos) to back up their claims?

I Agree with Aristotle on Ethos, Pathos, Logos Pari Passu

Persuasion shouldn’t come across as pressure or imposition. This is why the strength of one’s argument alone doesn’t cut it. In order not to be overtly forceful, the best PR practice would be to complement logos with pathos and ethos. More so, if you only rely on logos, communications might become dry and boring; hence, this mode should be balanced with the other appeals.

Some audiences respond well to data-driven arguments, while others may be more persuaded by narrative arcs that tap into big-picture storytelling. There are stakeholders who prefer a formal, structured presentation, even as others appreciate informal, quick updates. Understanding whether a stakeholder prefers detailed reports or brief, high-level overviews allows you to connect more effectively and deliver your message engagingly.

Whatever the case, brand custodians and communications managers must:

1.      Establish their organisation’s credibility with the publics.

2.    Build a strong personal connection with stakeholders.

3.    Appeal to audiences’ rationality and intellectual acuity.

Ugochukwu is a branding specialist, storyteller and media trainer who can be reached via nmiringwu@gmail.com