Beyond the Boundaries of Fantasia: An ancient imagining of the future of leadership

Step Two: Why do we remember Cicero as a persuasive leader? (1:00)

Part two of the unit explores the ancient Roman orator Cicero and introduces the concept of rhetoric (the art of persuasion). Aristotle (whose work Cicero developed his theories from) believed that rhetoric included the ability to see “all available means of persuasion” and to choose the best mode at any given moment. Therefore, an effective use of rhetoric as a leader might include an appeal to ethics (ethos), logic (logos), and/or emotion (pathos) in a speech to listeners. Part of an ethical appeal to listeners is communicating that the speaker is an ethical person, and the speaker might aim to project a strong moral character, fairness, and authority on the issue at hand. An emotional appeal might include an anecdote or personal story. A logical appeal might include a step-by-step comparison of two choices to illustrate which is more reasonable, while avoiding logical fallacies (here is a list of them).

Listening for Leadership

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