I went to Gold’s Gym to find out more about getting a membership. The young man at the front desk was named Cameron, and he showed me around and informed me about the resources in the gym.
Audience: me.
Goal: To convince me to sign up for a membership.
Argument: Gold’s Gym has resources that will help me achieve my fitness goals.
How:
Pathos: Cameron was very courteous and had great social skills, which made it easier for me to listen to what he was saying and feel comfortable with the situation. However, at the front desk he told me to follow him, but continued talking as he was walking away, so I didn’t catch some of the things that he said (I found out later that we were waiting for a man named Carlos), which left me somewhat confused.
Ethos: Instead of just telling me that I could sign up for a membership with tanning, he first asked me if a like to tan. He could tell that I wasn’t accustomed to the gym environment or equipment, so he informed me of the function of the different machines and kept all of his explanations fairly simple and basic. After the tour, Cameron informed me that the man we were waiting for was going to be there soon, and then said “Let’s talk.” He was trying to gain a level of personal connection with me, and thus establish more credibility. The conversation was not geared around what he thought I wanted him to say, but for me that increased his credibility because it let me know that he wasn’t just trying to say what he I wanted to him to say.
Insufficient/inaccurate: Carlos, the man that was going to talk to me about prices and payments, was late. Cameron was excusing him by saying that it was his birthday yesterday, and he had partied too hard. In an attempt to stall, Cameron tried to go over prices with me.
Cameron told me, “My job is to stand at the front desk and act like I don’t know anything about the prices.” Well, he wasn’t acting, because he really didn’t know very much about the prices at all. He had a calculator and kept punching in numbers trying to tell me how I could make my membership cheaper, but said he was making it up.
All in all, I was not persuaded to get a membership to Gold’s Gym, although I am more likely now to get a membership than I was before walking in. The breaking factor in this encounter was Cameron’s reaction to the absence of Carlos.
Audience: me.
Goal: To convince me to sign up for a membership.
Argument: Gold’s Gym has resources that will help me achieve my fitness goals.
How:
Pathos: Cameron was very courteous and had great social skills, which made it easier for me to listen to what he was saying and feel comfortable with the situation. However, at the front desk he told me to follow him, but continued talking as he was walking away, so I didn’t catch some of the things that he said (I found out later that we were waiting for a man named Carlos), which left me somewhat confused.
Ethos: Instead of just telling me that I could sign up for a membership with tanning, he first asked me if a like to tan. He could tell that I wasn’t accustomed to the gym environment or equipment, so he informed me of the function of the different machines and kept all of his explanations fairly simple and basic. After the tour, Cameron informed me that the man we were waiting for was going to be there soon, and then said “Let’s talk.” He was trying to gain a level of personal connection with me, and thus establish more credibility. The conversation was not geared around what he thought I wanted him to say, but for me that increased his credibility because it let me know that he wasn’t just trying to say what he I wanted to him to say.
Insufficient/inaccurate: Carlos, the man that was going to talk to me about prices and payments, was late. Cameron was excusing him by saying that it was his birthday yesterday, and he had partied too hard. In an attempt to stall, Cameron tried to go over prices with me.
Cameron told me, “My job is to stand at the front desk and act like I don’t know anything about the prices.” Well, he wasn’t acting, because he really didn’t know very much about the prices at all. He had a calculator and kept punching in numbers trying to tell me how I could make my membership cheaper, but said he was making it up.
All in all, I was not persuaded to get a membership to Gold’s Gym, although I am more likely now to get a membership than I was before walking in. The breaking factor in this encounter was Cameron’s reaction to the absence of Carlos.
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