Question

Is it a good idea to use ethos right at the beginning of a document? If so, why?

Answer 1

Ethos: An attitude held by the receiver (the audience) toward the speaker (the source). We commonly refer to this as source credibility, the prestige of the speaker, and personal proof. Ethos can be initial (the beginning of the message), it can be derived (produced during the message) and it can be terminal (source credibility at the close of the message). Ethos is in the mind of the receiver; the receiver has it; we as an audience determine if the communicator is credible. The ethos of a source may vary greatly; especially if he/she is controversial. And the ethos may vary even within the same message. We commonly and mistakenly speak as if the source has the ethos. The source may be a group or organization; does not have to be an individual. Ethos is dynamic; always subject to change; may even be volatile.

Ethos—argument by character of the speaker. If you are respected, have good character and are trustworthy, your audience is likely to grant you considerable influence and/or leeway in your argument. Aristotle said, “A person’s life persuades better than his word.” He said that the three essential qualities of persuasive ethos are (a) virtue, (b) practical wisdom, and (c) selflessness or disinterest.
Virtue—the audience believes you share their values. You don’t have to be pure of soul or universally good. But you must “seem” to have the right values as does your audience. Values change from audience to audience. For example, pop culture tends to value youth, money, good looks and body enhancements. Not everyone would agree. If you want to be persuasive you must understand your audience’s values and then at least appear to live up to them.
Practical Wisdom—your audience must see you as a sensible person; one who is sufficiently knowledgeable to deal with the problem at hand. This is a common sense that things can get done with your plan. This is more than looking up decisions in books or sticking to universal truths. It’s an instinct for making the right decisions on every occasion. Therefore, we often think of practical wisdom as “flexibility wise leadership.” All great heroes have it. To demonstrate this you need to show off your experience; show your experiences have worked in the past. Sometimes we may have to bend the rules to get the job done. For example, there was an iincident when Indiana Jones was confronted by a master swordsman wielding a large scimitar. What did Jones do? He pulled out his pistol and shot the guy—he bent the rules. And when we take a middle course or position inside the extreme fringes, we tend to make our audience more comfortable. It was the ancient Greeks who felt most decisions lied somewhere between the extreme ends of an issue.
Selflessness—free of special interests; as well as not uninterested or bored. Many of our politicians like to paint themselves as not coming from moneyed-interests or rich country club lifestyles. Instead, they like to tell us about their impoverished childhoods and how they had to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. (Who knows, this may even be true in some cases.) This strategy attempts to show the audience that they have made it on their own and are beholden to no one.