BUSS2000 · Leading And Influencing In Business
Communication & Feedback
This chapter covers how to send and receive messages well: persuasive communication via Aristotle's three appeals (ethos, pathos, logos), the communication process (sender → message → channel → receiver → feedback, with noise), and the often-neglected receive side — active listening and the listening blocks that get in its way. It is examined by identifying and applying the three persuasion appeals to a message, and by analysing a communication breakdown in terms of listening blocks — distinguishing ethos from logos is a literal item from the unit's quizzes.
What this chapter covers
- 01Persuasive communication — Aristotle's three appeals
- 02Ethos (credibility / character of the speaker)
- 03Pathos (emotional appeal to the audience)
- 04Logos (logic and evidence of the argument)
- 05The communication process: sender → message → channel → receiver → feedback → noise
- 06Active listening — full concentration to understand, not to reply
- 07Listening blocks (Wood 2011) — self-focused distortions that pull you from the speaker
- 08Giving and receiving feedback constructively
Balance ethos, pathos and logos in a persuasive message
- +1Ethos (credibility): 'As the student who ran last year's recycling audit, I've seen the data first-hand.' Establishes the speaker's authority and character.
- +1Pathos (emotion): 'Every week we throw out enough cups to fill this room — imagine the campus our juniors inherit.' Moves the audience emotionally.
- +1Logos (logic/evidence): 'A three-bin system cut waste 42% at two comparable universities; payback is one year.' A reasoned argument backed by evidence.
- +2Explain the balance: the strongest persuaders combine all three; a pitch that is all logos (data with no credibility or emotional stake) rarely changes behaviour, because people are persuaded by who is speaking and why they should care, not just by facts.
Key terms
- Ethos
- The persuasive appeal based on the credibility and character of the speaker — why the audience should trust you. Built from demonstrated expertise, track record and integrity; it is about WHO is making the argument, not the argument itself.
- Pathos
- The persuasive appeal to the audience's emotions — making them care. Used well it creates urgency and connection; over-used or manipulative, it backfires, which is why it works best balanced with ethos and logos.
- Logos
- The persuasive appeal based on logic and evidence — the reasoning and data of the argument itself. Necessary but rarely sufficient: a message that is all logos, with no credibility or emotional stake, seldom changes behaviour.
- The communication process
- A model of communication as sender → message → channel → receiver → feedback, with noise able to distort the message at any point. It frames miscommunication as a breakdown somewhere in this chain rather than simply the receiver's fault.
- Active listening
- Listening with full concentration to understand the speaker, rather than merely hearing while preparing your reply or judging. It is treated in the unit as an influence skill, not a passive one — understanding before responding is what earns trust.
- Listening blocks (Wood 2011)
- Self-focused distortions — biases, judgements, rehearsing your response, filtering — that move you away from the speaker and undermine active listening. Naming the block you fall into is the first step to listening better.
Communication & Feedback FAQ
What is the difference between ethos and logos?
Ethos is about the speaker — their credibility, character and authority (why you should trust them). Logos is about the argument — its logic and evidence (why the claim itself holds up). The two are independent: a credible speaker can make a weak logical case, and a strong data case can come from someone with no credibility. Distinguishing them is a literal quiz item in the unit.
Why isn't a fact-heavy, all-logos message enough?
Because people are persuaded by who is speaking (ethos) and why they should care (pathos), not by evidence alone. A pitch that is all data, with no established credibility and no emotional stake, rarely changes behaviour. The strongest persuaders balance all three appeals so that credibility and emotion carry the logic across to the audience.
What are listening blocks and why do they matter?
Listening blocks (Wood 2011) are self-focused distortions — rehearsing your reply, judging, filtering, letting biases intrude — that pull your attention away from the speaker. They matter because active listening is an influence skill: when you understand before responding, people trust you and engage. Naming the block you tend toward is the first step to fixing it, and it makes for a strong reflective essay.
How is communication an influence skill rather than just talking?
Because influence flows in both directions: persuasion (ethos/pathos/logos) is how you send influence, and active listening is how you earn it — understanding others makes them more open to you. The unit deliberately pairs the send side (persuasion) with the receive side (listening) so you treat communication as the engine of leadership and influence, not a one-way broadcast.
Exam move
Lock in the ethos/pathos/logos trio and be able to define and distinguish each precisely, since the ethos-vs-logos distinction is a literal quiz item — then practise building short pitches that balance all three and explaining why all-logos fails. On the receive side, learn the communication process as a chain (so miscommunication is a breakdown you can locate) and the listening blocks as a checklist you can apply to your own habits. For the exam, prepare one reflective example where naming a listening block changed how you communicated. On the A4 sheet, note 'ethos/pathos/logos (balance)' and 'active listening / listening blocks (Wood 2011).'
