The modes of persuasion, modes of appeal or rhetorical appeals (Greek: pisteis) are strategies of rhetoric that classify a speaker's or writer's appeal to their audience. These include ethos, pathos, and logos, all three of which appear in Aristotle's Rhetoric. Together with those three modes of persuasion, there is also a fourth term, kairos (Ancient Greek: καιρός), which is related to the “moment” that the speech is going to be held. This can greatly affect the speaker’s emotions, severely impacting his delivery. Another aspect defended by Aristotle is that a speaker must have wisdom, virtue, and goodwill so he can better persuade his audience, also known as ethos, pathos, and logos.

The four modes of persuasion are present in advertisements on social media, on television, in flyers, and even on billboards on the side of the road. This type of persuasion can be seen in a simple conversation with family members or friends. Those might present at least one of the aspects of persuasion: logos, with numbers; pathos, with emotional appeal; ethos, with the authority of an entity; and kairos, in the right time or with some relation with them. Another important application of persuasion can be seen in public speeches. Those can be through a process called framing and reframing. This process gets its name because speakers need to use the correct words during a speech so their audience correctly understands their message. If a speaker wants to use a specific word, slang, or metaphor, he/she needs to do a lot of research on his/her audience's background to understand the values and knowledge of their audience to persuade effectively.

In The Essential Guide to Rhetoric, William Keith and Christian Lundberg state that the three traditional forms of persuasion, ethos, pathos, and logos, combine to create the foundation of persuasive rhetorical communication. Ethos is the speaker's skill, personality, and delivery that establishes their credibility or moral appeal. Pathos uses the audience's identities, emotions, and values to create a sense of connection or shared emotion. Lastly, an appeal to reason and logic through the use of structure, logic, and evidence is known as logos. Instead of working alone, these arguments are frequently most effective when combined. Keith and Lundberg also stress the importance of rhetorical context and audience awareness when using these appeals. Knowing the values, beliefs, and expectations of an audience helps writers and speakers identify the best approaches. The authors also present the idea of the rhetorical situation, which consists of the audience, constraints, and exigencies (a problem or issue that needs attention). Understanding these elements allows rhetors to adjust their ethos, pathos, and logos appeals to better suit the audience's unique situation and concerns, which improves the communication's persuasive power.

Ethos (plural: ethea) is an appeal to the authority or credibility of the presenter. It is how well the presenter convinces the audience that the presenter is qualified to speak on the subject.

Aristotle acknowledged that the union between the speaker’s appearance, his reputation, and his ability to give the speech all add up to the meaning of Ethos.

This can be done by:

Pathos (plural: pathea) is an appeal to the audience's emotions. The terms sympathy, pathetic, and empathy are derived from it. It can be in the form of metaphor, simile, a passionate delivery, or even a simple claim that a matter is unjust. Pathos can be particularly powerful if used well, but most speeches do not solely rely on pathos. Pathos is most effective when the author or speaker demonstrates agreement with an underlying value of the reader or listener.

In addition, the speaker may use pathos and fear to sway the audience. Pathos may also include appeals to audience imagination and hopes, done when the speaker paints a scenario of positive future results of following the course of action proposed. It is also related to the mood or the tone of a speech and the skill that the speaker possesses in harnessing the emotional side of the audience. Aristotle connected this skill with virtues like courage, wisdom, and generosity as ways that the speaker or any other person can use to appeal to his/her or their audience's emotions.