Let\u2019s discuss the last one first, as this is usually all we think about when we want to communicate.\u00a0Logos is the information part of the communication, the message. It can be all the snaps, texts,\u00a0emojis, tweets and hashtags that we use. It can be colourful, creative, dramatic, provocative and profound. However, according to Aristotle, logos without pathos and ethos is just superficial chatter and not communication.<\/p>\n
Pathos<\/strong><\/p>\n Pathos is the ability to feel. We get words like sympathy and empathy from this Greek root. Aristotle believes that effective communicators also need to feel with and for their audience, the receiver.\u00a0It’s about compassion. This means we need to enter their world or walk in their shoes. My choice of the\u00a0information I send, as well as the media I use, should reflect my empathy for the person with whom I am\u00a0trying to communicate. If my communication is going to be relevant to them, I need to demonstrate an\u00a0understanding of what is going on in their world and how they think and feel. But even with pathos and\u00a0logos, Aristotle would still question whether this was communication.<\/p>\n Ethos<\/strong><\/p>\n Ethos is the credibility I, the sender, bring to the communication. It is not just the face I present or\u00a0the mask I wear, but the person I am ordinarily. It is about authenticity. Is who I am and what I do\u00a0consistent with what I am saying? Do I have the expertise and authority to say what I want to say? Only\u00a0when ethos, pathos and logos align would Aristotle say we have real communication. This is true, whether we are the sender or the receiver, the communicator or the communicatee.<\/p>\n Jesus, as the Master communicator, demonstrated these three principles in his life and ministry here\u00a0on earth. His authority came from who he was – God in human form. His daily habits and behaviour aligned with this persona. People were attracted to him because they could see he was a good teacher, with authenticity and credibility. His life demonstrated beyond doubt his ability to enter the world of his\u00a0audience. His whole sojourn on earth, the incarnation, was God living amongst humanity, like us.<\/p>\n The use of parables in his teaching also demonstrated great empathy with his audience. He used things in their everyday life, things they knew and understood, to ensure that his communication was relevant and effective. He knew his audience so well that each of the different groups in the same crowd would get the message they needed without boring the other groups present. Who Jesus was, and his ability to empathise with his audience, provided the necessary foundations for his audience to receive the information Jesus was sharing clearly and concisely. It was his ethos and pathos which attracted people to hear what Jesus had to say and enabled them to decide to become his disciples.<\/p>\n So how do we apply the methods of Jesus in the new digital age of the internet and social media?\u00a0How do we become authentic communicators with credibility and compassion for our audience in an age\u00a0of information overload? It seems in our exuberance and haste to click send or share and update our status to the world, little thought is given to the ethos and pathos of our communication. As the sender: maybe we need to click the pause button, before the instant replay, and think about who we are and what our communication is saying about us.<\/p>\n Maybe we also need to click the pause button again and review our audience. Who are all these\u00a0friends? What are their interests and needs? How can I frame my message in a way that all the\u00a0audiences with whom I will share will understand what I mean? Will everyone who receives\u00a0my thread, receive the message as I intended? Is the social media I am using the most appropriate\u00a0way of communicating this message to this person?<\/p>\n Maybe we also need to think about the information. Does my communication reflect my interest\u00a0in them, or just my opportunity to share about myself? Will this create superficial chatter or real chat?<\/p>\n As the receiver of all these searches, tweets and messages, we also need to think about these three\u00a0principles. Is the sender posting the message trustworthy? Do they have the expertise, authority and\u00a0authenticity to communicate on this topic? Are they relevant to me? Does their communication consider\u00a0my context and demonstrate an understanding of my circumstances and life? Does their communication\u00a0care about me or is it just chattering about them?<\/p>\n As Christians, we are called as ambassadors of Jesus. Like Jesus was God\u2019s ambassador to this world,\u00a0so are we. In this fast-paced life with so many opportunities to instantly communicate where we are, how\u00a0we feel and what we think, let\u2019s ensure that we, like Jesus, apply the principles of ethos, pathos and logos\u00a0to all our threads and tweets. Then our chatter will be a real chat.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Click-and-send-scaled.jpg\")
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