Building Exemplary Character Through Ethos
I sat in the audience, listening to the man share his beliefs. Beliefs that were pretty much in line with my own.
And yet, when I walked away, my face felt warm and I averted the gazes of those around me. I thought, I hope no one thinks I’m aligned with him.
The well-known American pastor-turned-politician spoke eloquently. He had competent arguments. He had all the logos: the rationale, the reasoning, the logical points.
Despite the fact that I agreed with so much of his logos, I did not want anyone to think I was aligned with him. He had the competency, but he had no respect for other people. His words were harsh, lacking consideration and empathy. He was missing the ethos.
It was Aristotle who famously identified logos, ethos, and pathos as the three main modes of persuasion through speech. Ethos – what this politician was missing – refers to the speaker’s credibility and character.
It’s hard to identify with people who speak that way, as much as we might want to on the basis of facts.
When we read that we are called to be ready to speak in 1 Peter 3:15, it’s important to note that not only are we supposed to “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have,” but we’re also called to “do this with gentleness and respect” (NIV). The way we share our faith and hope matters. It’s a vital part of the call.
The Institute for Cultural Communicators holds conferences each year designed to help students, alongside parents and educators, develop their logos skills, while also nurturing their ethos. (And pathos, but that’s another blog post 😉.) But here’s the thing about ethos: it’s pretty hard to coach it unless we practice it ourselves. That’s why we run simultaneous workshops for coaches at every conference. To empower parents, teachers, and leaders to disciple their students in competence and character. If this call for character coaching speaks to your values, I encourage you to join us at a Ready to Speak conference to get some practical takeaways and applications.
In the meantime, leave me a comment. Where have you seen gaps between competence and character affect your students or organizations? How are you building up values of ethos in your spheres?
