Summary:
Ethos, logos, and pathos can help you get buy-in from stakeholders.
Communicating with stakeholders has long been a challenge for UX professionals. Luckily, rhetoric provides strategies for navigating these difficult interactions.
The Rhetorical Triangle
Rhetoric is the art of using language to persuade an audience.
The rhetorical triangle (more commonly known as ethos, logos, and pathos) is an easy-to-learn framework for crafting a convincing argument.
The rhetorical triangle is based on the teachings of the Greek philosopher Aristotle. It focuses on three “appeals” that every piece of persuasive writing or speech should have to be effective: ethos, logos, and pathos.
Ethos
Ethos is the speaker or author’s credibility.
When I write, I like to think about ethos in terms of what I bring to the table and why people should listen to me. For example, I have the ethos to write this article because I have a background in writing and have studied rhetorical principles.
Sometimes, your ethos won’t come from your own qualifications but rather from those of others. Citing sources or explaining the qualifications of people whom you consulted will enhance your ethos. Ethos is generally successful when you appear credible and well-educated on your given topic or argument. Here’s how I’d use ethos to persuade stakeholders.
Be Confident About Your Credibility
Few people know your expertise unless you tell them. Don’t be afraid to share the experience and research you’ve performed to reach these conclusions. Doing this can shows that you’re an expert (or at least very informed) on the topic at hand, making it more likely for people to trust your opinion.
Cite Credible Authority Figures
When you don’t feel qualified to present yourself as an authority or just want to prove your expertise by building a consensus, try citing a respected figure. Utilizing sources from respected leaders shows what an experienced practitioner would think in your position. Using an authority figure to back your position will provide the same benefits as being one yourself, making your opinion seem informed and trustworthy.
Just make sure you’re properly citing your credible expert sources. Falsely quoting an authority or making it hard for people to find the original source will undermine any ethos you’ve built.
Logos
Logos is the argument’s logic and reasoning.
Logos, or logic, is about showing how you reached your conclusions. It can be done in various ways, including citing sources (also mentioned above). By showing how you reached your argument using credible research, you show that your request is supported by facts. Logos shows that you don’t just want something; evidence shows that it is needed for a solution. I use these three strategies to incorporate logos when speaking to stakeholders.
Use Supporting Evidence
Back up your thinking with evidence. This evidence comes from:
- Primary research: Evidence your team collects and determines. For example, your team’s user research findings, analytics data, or analysis of customer complaints.
- Secondary research: Evidence from external organizations or experts. For example, you might cite an academic study or a known expert in the area. (An NN/g article, perhaps?)
Evidence shows that you have done your homework and that you’re not making unjustified requests.
Think like Your Stakeholders
Sometimes, your logic differs from your audience’s. This complication is commonplace in UX, where UXers have user-centered logic while stakeholders have business-centered logic.
Both are valid ways of thinking, and the best appeals will fall somewhere in between. Create logical common ground by restructuring your thinking to show the business impact of your requests. This way, you can advocate for users while showing stakeholders that you care about their priorities. You can use this structure to guide you:
If we [do this], it will solve [this user problem] and result in [this business value].
Deliverables are another great method for making UX research and logic easy to understand by stakeholders. Examples of useful UX deliverables include user journey maps, wireframes, usability-test reports, and personas.
Use Data Comparisons
Another way to integrate logos is by using data comparisons to contextualize your argument.
For example, compare current metrics with benchmarks from competitors or industry standards. If your product’s checkout process has a 60% abandonment rate, while a competitor’s is at 30%, this contrast clearly illustrates the problem. Providing a comparison not only strengthens your argument with data but also helps stakeholders understand the scale and urgency of the issue.
Data comparisons are effective because they provide a tangible, relatable reference point that supports the logic of your proposal.
Pathos
Pathos refers to how the argument appeals to the audience’s emotions.
Pathos is the most misunderstood rhetorical appeal. To create pathos, you must understand your audience’s values, beliefs, and preconceptions. That’s because your audience’s values, beliefs, and preconceptions influence their emotional reaction. Pathos is about human emotion, but it’s also about the context that makes those emotions stronger for your audience. For example, the best dog-adoption commercial in the world isn’t going to get results from cat lovers. Here’s how I use pathos with stakeholders.
Get Stakeholders Involved
One of the most effective ways to emotionally connect stakeholders to your work is to involve them in your research or design work. Stakeholders are more likely to be invested in the success of your work if they feel like they’ve contributed to it.
In addition, incorporating stakeholders in your research increases the empathy between them and your users. By understanding users, stakeholders will be more open to your user-centered logic and solutions.
Remember Good Storytelling
Connecting your findings into a narrative is another way to create emotional investment between stakeholders and your project. Humans naturally gravitate and connect to content when it is presented as a story.
One way to accomplish this is to focus your research and solutions into a story told from the user’s perspective. Deliverables that translate your research into a journey or relatable figure naturally turn complex research topics into a simple-to-understand user narrative.
Use Emotional Visuals
Images or video clips of real users interacting with your product, or photos that convey emotions like frustration or satisfaction can help stakeholders see the human impact of your work.
For example, a screen capture of someone struggling with a complicated interface can create empathy. Visuals make the emotional aspect of your argument more immediate and relatable, driving stakeholders to action.
Scenario: Using Ethos, Logos, and Pathos Together
Let’s try a hypothetical to show how the triangle comes together.
You’re a UX designer at a mid-sized ecommerce company, and you need to convince a key stakeholder to invest in a redesign of the checkout flow. Currently, the checkout process is difficult, leading to a high rate of cart abandonment.
Ethos
Start by establishing your credibility.
You explain that you have been working on the user experience of the ecommerce platform for over three years and have led successful projects to improve customer satisfaction. You also mention that you’ve conducted extensive user research on the checkout experience, including usability tests and customer interviews. By sharing this background, you reassure the head of marketing that your insights are well-founded.
Logos
Next, you present the logic behind your argument.
You share data from quantitative usability tests showing that 60% of users struggled with the checkout form, and as a result, many abandoned their carts. You also present findings from competitor analysis showing that simpler checkout flows have significantly lower abandonment rates. You structure your pitch clearly:
“If we simplify the checkout flow, it will reduce friction for users, resulting in fewer abandoned carts and an increase in completed sales — which directly impacts revenue.”
Pathos:
Finally, you build an emotional connection.
You share a story from one of the qualitative usability tests. You describe a user who became visibly frustrated when trying to fill out multiple forms, eventually giving up and leaving the site. You emphasize how this frustration impacts not only the user’s perception of the brand but also the company’s bottom line. You also suggest involving the stakeholder in a future usability test session, allowing them to see firsthand the struggles users face. This emotional appeal helps the stakeholder empathize with users, making the case for change more compelling.
By combining ethos (your experience and research), logos (data and logical structure), and pathos (user stories and emotional engagement), you create a well-rounded and persuasive argument. The stakeholder is more likely to be convinced of the value of the redesign and willing to allocate the necessary resources.
Conclusion
While I can’t promise that these tips will always get you your desired result, they are a good framework for improving your argumentation. By using ethos, logos, and pathos, you can increase the effectiveness of your arguments. Next time you have a big stakeholder presentation, consider the rhetorical triangle to improve your chance of success.