Rhetoric Tip #3 — Logos: Make the Case with Clarity and Logic
Logic is your ally, unless you bury it under jargon, charts, and boredom.
Don’t Just Drop Facts—Drive the Argument
Some speakers treat logic like a firehose. They blast the audience with facts, charts, stats, and syllogisms. Then they wonder why people look like they need a nap or a neck massage.
Here’s the truth: Logos isn’t just about being right. It’s about being understood.
As Aristotle taught, logos means using reasoning that connects. That means:
Clear premises and conclusions
Analogies that hit home
Evidence that supports (not overwhelms)
Examples that light up the point, not just “prove it”
Think of it like this. A good logical appeal is like a great dance partner: it guides, it flows, it never steps on your toes.
Structure Is Your Superpower
One of the fastest ways to build logos is to give your audience a roadmap. No one likes to be intellectually kidnapped without directions. Try these:
Problem → Solution → Benefit
Then → Now → How
Three Key Points (with parallel phrasing—bonus points if you make it musical)
Even your best logic gets lost if it’s tangled. Confused minds don’t say “yes”; they say “what?”
Don’t Let Genius Get in the Way
Ever talk to someone who’s so smart they forget to speak English?
Engineers, academics, and lawyers—I see you. You’re brilliant. But if your audience doesn’t get it, it doesn’t matter. That’s not persuasion. That’s a podcast for one.
Drop the acronyms. Skip the PhD vocabulary. Translate your insight into something your neighbor would understand.
I once coached an engineer who recounted a story of pitching a high-stakes proposal to a prospective client. He had the facts down cold, with the charts, data models, and performance metrics to back it all up. After the meeting, the client said: “Impressive... but I still don’t know why this matters to us.” No contract. Ouch!
My diagnosis? There was no story, no connection, no clarity of benefit. All logos, no translation, until we worked together. His next pitch won the contract.
Churchill Brought the Thunder Backed by Logic
Yes, Winston Churchill stirred souls. But don’t forget what came first: a mountain of reasoning. Take this classic line from his “Their Finest Hour” speech:
“Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour.’”
These words strike the heart, but they’re also built on strong logical argument: strategy, context, evidence, and clarity. The emotion landed because clear logic led.
Test Your Logos
Pick one of your big ideas. Ask yourself:
What’s the problem?
What’s the evidence?
What action or belief do I want to lead my audience toward?
If the audience can’t trace your logic from start to finish, tighten up your map.
Need Help? Let’s Make It Click
Want your next talk, pitch, or proposal to actually persuade people instead of putting them to sleep?
Let’s build a message that earns trust, engages the heart, and guides the mind—step by logical step.
An integrating narrative binds the elements of one’s persuasive efforts together into a cohesive, ordered, memorable whole. An intelligent listener can use it to replay your message (or much of it) in his head later to further evaluate your proposition, passively multiplying your opportunities to persuade. Constructing such a narrative is an investment.