"Oh good"

If I was asked to give one word describing Elder Holland it would easily be, blunt. No sugar frosting, no cherry on top, not the slightest been of gooey, cheesy, fluff that we so often want to hear in talks. He says it plain and simple. Because of that he is easily one of the most popular speakers in the Mormon world.

Marion G Romney said “I always know when I am speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost because I always learn something from what I've said" This is something I believe Elder Holland would agree with. He starts out simply, asking the audience to be respectful, something not often said across the pulpit. By doing this he is setting a serious tone and establishing his Ethos for the whole rest of the meeting, not just his talk. He then continues to a topic that we all know to be a serious one, reinforcing the tone he previously set.

Elder Holland mainly uses Logos throughout this entire talk, speaking of doctrine, telling stories and research studies all about the seriousness of human intimacy. But he doesn't only use logos. At one specific point he really hit me hard, pulling out the Pathos in his argument. He is talking about the seriousness of purity and how it is the worst sin other than murder. He then compares sexual transgression to the taking of a life and how in control we all are when it comes to taking care of other people's lives. We don't walk up to someone and put a gun to their head and pull the trigger hoping the gun won't go off and think;
"Oh good, I didn't go all the way"
To me, this is the point where his Ethos is the strongest. This, I believe, would be one of those "inspired one liners" that Neal A. Maxwell was talking about.

Through his use of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos Elder Holland is one of the most straight forward and powerful speakers out there, and that is definitely an example of that.