Running head: TED TALK ANALYSIS 1

Analysis of Ole Sheerens Ted Talk

Kaylie Scott

University of Kentucky

Author Note

This paper was completed for Elzaba Mathews CIS 111 class.
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Analysis of Ole Sheerens Ted Talk

Introduction

In September of 2015, Ole Sheeran gave a Ted Talk on how architecture can be used in a

way that buildings can create communities. He effectively persuades his audience to believe that

his idea of how buildings should be built using rhetoric devices, ethos and pathos. He could have

furthered this argument by using the third rhetoric device, logos. Throughout this analysis his use

of the two devices will be analyzed, as well as how he could have also incorporated the use of

logos in his speech.

Use of Ethos

To begin, Sheeran uses ethos to persuade his audience. Weida and Stolley (2013) have

defined ethos as the ethical appeal based on the character, credibility, or reliability of the

writer (Ethos section, para. 1). This means that people tend to believe others who seem credible

to them. This credibility can come from experience, title, or platform. First, Sheeran uses ethos

because of his platform. He gives his speech during a Ted Talk which is a well-known and

credible platform. Throughout the speech, he also establishes more credibility by listing and

giving examples of many of the architectural projects that he has accomplished and how he has

made them so that the buildings can be more than walls or skyscrapers. If he would have

introduced himself at the beginning and said why he was credible, it would have been easier to

believe what he was saying earlier in the speech, but eventually he tells the audience and then his

credibility increases and continues to do so until he lists his last project.

Use of Pathos

Sheeran also used the rhetoric device of pathos in his speech. Per Weida and Stolley

(2013), pathos is defined as the emotional appeal, appeals to an audience's needs, values, and
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emotional sensibilities (Pathos section, para. 1). Throughout the speech, Sheeran does a great

job of incorporating the use of pathos into it. He talks to the audiences emotions through the

sense of community. Most people do not want to work in a tiny cubical their whole lives and

would rather have the feeling of openness and togetherness during work. He talks about the way

that skyscrapers create hierarchy and even gives an example of how he diminished this with his

work (Sheeran, 2015). By doing this he strongly persuaded people that his way of architecture is

the best if companies want happiness and flow because of these communities that he builds.

Use of Logos

To better his speech, Sheeren could have incorporated the use of logos into it. Weida and

Stolley (2013) have also defined logos as the appeal to reason relies on logic or reason (Logos

section, para. 1). This simply means using numbers, such as statistics, to persuade an audience.

Throughout this speech there was not a prevalent use of logos. One way that he could have done

this would have been to give some direct statistics of how people in the buildings that he had

helped designed felt more like a community and happier than in their previous buildings. This

would take an extra step before the speech, because he would have had to administer the survey,

but it would have increased his ability to persuade the audience that the way he designs buildings

is the best way for people to connect with others and their surroundings.

Discussion

Overall Sheerans speech on architectural design and how it is used was an effective

speech because of his use of the rhetoric devices. Two of the three forms of rhetoric strategies

were used while trying to persuade the audience. The two forms, ethos and pathos, were

incorporated well, but could use little development to even further his argument. Sheeran could

have also used logos to even further his persuasion abilities and convince the audience that his
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way of architecture is the way that all architecture should be used to form communities. This

speech was a great example of how rhetoric devices can be used to persuade an audience.
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References

Sheeran, O. (2015, September). Why great architecture should tell a story. Retrieved from

https://www.ted.com/talks/ole_scheeren_why_great_architecture_should_tell_a_story

Weida, S., Stolley, K. (2013, March 11). Using rhetorical strategies for persuasion. In General

writing, establishing an argument. Retrieved from Purdue Online Writing Lab website:

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/04/