A positive ethos will take managers a long way towards influencing their audiences with their intended messages, whereas a negative ethos is one of the greatest barriers to effective communication. How a manager is perceived makes the difference in how well he or she is believed, how persuasive he or she is, and ultimately, how effectively he or she communicates.
Successful leadership communication depends on projecting a positive ethos.
One of the primary requirements to inspire confidence and induce others to listen is credibility. In their research on leadership, James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner found that credibility is the number one reason people follow someone (1993). To be effective, leaders must be credible to their followers. Credibility is essential to creating a positive ethos. Aristotle says, “persuasion is achieved by the speaker’s personal character when the speech is so spoken as to make us think him credible” (Roberts, 1954).