All of you have heard about the “I have a dream” speech.

How many of you would remember it if it was “I have a plan” speech”?

Probably, none of you.

Here’s what happened.

Martin Luther King is on stage, facing a crowd of 250 000 people. TV is there, all eyes are on him.

He’s reading a prepared speech. And he started losing his audience.

Fortunately, his friend shouted at him from behind: tell them about the dream, tell them about the dream!

The rest is history.

This a good reminder about the rhetoric tools we use to persuade others.

Logos (an argument by logic) is the easiest one to use and the hardest one to convince with.

The other 2 means of rhetoric are much more powerful:

*Ethos (an argument by character): the speaker uses his personality and reputation to establish credibility.

*Pathos (an argument by emotions): the speaker appeals to our sentiments.

👉So what are the takeaways?

Well, to avoid those conversations where your arguments are just hitting a wall (and I had many of these!), better we remember:

– Using logic alone is not enough to persuade and inspire.

– Have a plan, but communicate about the dream.