This chapter is about developing credibility. The fist example talks about the car The Nano and how the car was built to please the people. The promises they make are illogical and unrealistic making them sound less credible. They try too hard to make impossible promises just to make money.
Something that caught my eye in this chapter was the section about humor to establish credibility, or logos. The example the text used was Al Gore’s film An Inconvenient Truth. He opens it with a serious tone and says, ”I’m Al Gore, I used to be the next president of the United States.” This shows that he knows his flaws and is able to admit that he is not as successful as he would have liked. It also gives him a more honest and likable feature giving him more logos. Admitting to your audience that you know you are not a genius on ever subject but you are very knowledgeable in your narrowed subject provides a more credible source.
Oprah did this in a speech about her school in Africa. She admitted that it was not a completely perfect plan, but everything has its flaws. She used her mistake to talk about how she learned. This is something an audience likes to hear because it is easier to connect with someone who has learned from mistakes and real life events, instead of someone who thinks they are perfect and always right.
Another way some people establish their credibility is through emotion. An example of this is Terry Temest Williams. She is a member of “Clan of One Breasted Women.” She gets her listeners for her fight against the radiation poisonings through emotional sympathy. This can get people’s attention and gain credibility through connecting with an audience through their hearts.
A real life example that these tools could be used would be writing an essay for college papers. When writing different papers for different subjects and audiences, the tone changes. Using the different techniques to gain credibility can be an important decision to make. For example, it might not be appropriate to use humor in a formal paper with a professor who is strict. It also might not work to use emotions with a lighthearted simple subject. Know what tool to use for each scenario can be important.
