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Communication Tools of the Masters
If you want to educate, persuade and motivate EMS providers, you must be a master of some fundamental tools assembled by the people who invented the art of influencing more than 2,000 years ago.
Aristotle (384–322 BCE) was a student of Plato, teacher of Alexander the Great and inventor of the three modes of persuasion around which the art of influencing others through communication is built.
The modes of persuasion are the three essential elements of virtually any communication, spoken, written, or performed, that must be included if you want to inform, influence, or inspire your audience.
Authority (ethos)—This does not refer to the job authority that, say, a supervisor has when speaking to a subordinate. This is authority in the sense that the speaker is an authority on the subject. They know what they’re talking about.
Authority may be generally accepted, such as when a known expert is speaking within their field, like a cardiologist teaching about acute coronary syndromes. Other times the communicator can establish their authority through the contents of what they communicate. Aristotle said that for a person to communicate authority, they must present competence in the topic they’re communicating, good intention in their reason for communicating it, and an understanding of and connection with their audience.
Emotion (pathos)—For the person receiving the communication to retain information, be influenced, or be inspired to act, there must be an element of emotion. Astounding statistics may momentarily grab attention, but emotional elements like case studies and personal stories are what drive the message home. Keep in mind that this refers to things the audience finds emotional, which is not always what the speaker finds emotional.
Logic (logos)—Finally, whatever is communicated must make sense. This is usually the bulk of what the speaker (or writer) is trying to teach or communicate. These are the facts that lead from one to another, building to a conclusion that’s the main point of the communication.
It’s one thing to understand the essential elements of communication, but it can be quite another to actually put that communication together. Almost 300 years after Aristotle, Marcus Tullius Cicero, a lawyer, politician, and one of the greatest orators of ancient Rome, assembled a guide to do just that: the five canons of rhetoric.
Invention (inventio)—This is the research and brainstorming phase. Whether you’re crafting an e-mail or building a full-scale lesson plan, take a moment to ensure you have your facts straight and are considering all aspects of what you intend to communicate, even if you don’t include them all.
Arrangement (dispositio)—This is the process of deciding the order of the information you want to communicate. You may want to state what you’re talking about up front, so your audience needn’t wait for you to get to the point. Other times you may need to build up information or a persuasive argument so that when you get to the conclusion, your audience is right there with you, ready to take action.
Style (elocutio)—This is where you craft the actual words and, depending on how you’re communicating, the images, video, and other elements of your presentation. This will often begin with a rough outline and evolve through several drafts before being finalized.
Memory (memoria)—While not every communication is a speech that will need to be memorized, it’s always important to know the major points and facts of your communication by heart. This will be necessary to converse and answer questions.
Delivery (actio)—This is the process of actually presenting the communication. This may be where a teacher delivers a course in the classroom or a supervisor sends an e-mail to field staff. If an educator is delivering a presentation, they must keep in mind elements such as their speaking voice, physical energy, and interaction with other presenters and the audience. If the communication is written or otherwise recorded, much of that is out of the hands of the person communicating. It can be even more important in these cases to keep in mind the channel of communication and how context will affect the audience’s interpretation.
When it comes to educating, persuading, and motivating, learn from the masters. Whatever form you use to communicate, let Aristotle’s three modes of persuasion guide the content and Cicero’s five canons of rhetoric help you put it together.
Rommie L. Duckworth, LP, is a dedicated emergency responder and award-winning educator with more than 25 years working in career and volunteer fire departments, hospital healthcare systems, and public and private emergency medical services. He is currently a career fire captain and paramedic EMS coordinator. The founder and executive director of the New England Center for Rescue and Emergency Medicine, Rom is an emergency services advocate, author, and frequent speaker at conferences around the world. Contact him via RescueDigest.com.
