Great Expectations--Words From The Prophet

Brigham Young University has the wonderful opportunity to hold firesides and devotional in the Marriot Center on a regular basis. The speakers usually include highly esteemed professors or General Authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In most cases, the firesides are broadcasted across the world to other young adults. The words they speak are ones that can become of a great benefit to those who earnestly listen and take to heart. On January 11, 2009, President Thomas S. Monson gave a CES Fireside Message. By exercising multiple effective strategies of ethos, he influenced many people to continue to be strong and diligent through their course of life.

Building trust is the main strategy an author exercises when creating ethos. President Thomas S. Monson uses statements like "My dear young friends" and "my young brothers and sisters." These statements draw a connection between President Monson and those who hear his voice. Such words build trust between the speaker and the listener because people tend to trust those who are family, friends, and those who are of importance to them. In addition, the use of "young" demonstrates an authoritative voice since it implies he is older and therefore wiser from more years of experience.

President Thomas S. Monson continues to build this established trust throughout his speech by using the words "we" and "our" in order to establish the idea that the audience shares similar experiences with himself. By using a first-person point of view, "an intimate, personal, and friendly relationship [is created] between writer and readers." (W & R, p. 61) For example, President Monson states, "Greater than our period of academic preparation is the matter of spiritual preparation. We must acquire for ourselves a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which testimony will be an anchor to our soul...We must first have a desire to know for ourselves. We must study. We must pray. We must do the will of the father. And then we will know the truth." (p. 4, par. 5 & 12) His statement demonstrates that he too must do these things. Therefore, this allows readers to trust him more because he is discussing a topic that is of great personal importance.

Not only that, but President Monson's topic is one that shows his interests in others. This is shown when he applies a second-person point of view. He states, "Oh, my young brothers and sisters, make room for the Lord in your homes and in your hearts, and He will be your companion. He will be by your side. He will teach you the way of truth...You can go forward in this race of life and achieve your own great expectations." This technique grabs the readers attention and convinces the audience of his concern for them through his repetitive use of "you" and "your." With both a first- and second-person point of view, President Thomas S. Monson gives a very "balanced presentation." (W & R, p. 62)

Not only does President Monson use point of view to effectively use ethos, but he also builds credibility through "voice merging. Voice merging occurs when a writer quotes, paraphrases, or alludes to an authoritative voice." (W & R, p. 60) He quotes or paraphrases scriptures from the book of Ecclesiastes, First Peter, the book of Abraham, John, D & C, Hebrews, and Second Timothy. Additionally, he quotes influential figures such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Charles Dickens, Dr. Glenn Doman, Henry Ford, Joseph Smith, Stephen L Richards, John Dryden, Christopher Columbus, and the Apostle Paul.

President Thomas S. Monson's persuasion about his care for the young adults and his knowledge through personal experience allowed speech became such an influential and convincing message. This is because he successfully built trust with the audience through his choice of words and quotes and developed strong ethos and credibility for himself.