Persuasion

What is persuasion?

• Communication that has as its purpose the changing, modification, or shaping of the responses (attitudes or behavior) of the receiver(s).

Persuasion versus Informing

• Persuasion involves arguing for a particular point of view.

• Persuasion involves trying to change someone’s thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviors.

Ethics and Persuasion

• Persuasion is ethically neutral (it is ‘amoral’).

• Knowledge of persuasion can be used as a defense.

• The source’s motives are considered when making judgments of ‘morality’.

Cialdini’s Persuasion Heuristics

• Reciprocation• Commitment and Consistency• Social Proof• Liking• Authority• Scarcity

Witte’s Extended Parallel Process Model

• Fear Appeals– use ‘gruesome’ content in the form of:

• vivid and/or personalistic language• gory pictures

• Components of the Model:• Threat (severity & susceptibility)• Efficacy (response- & self-efficacy)• Fear Control vs. Danger Control

EPPM continued

• First, we appraise threat. – if moderate to high, then fear is elicited– if low, then no motivation (dismissed)

• When we perceive threat, but no efficacy, we engage in fear control.

• When we perceive both threat and efficacy, we engage in danger control.

Summary of Fear Appeal Research

• Show sufficient threat– moderate to high fear appeals are most

effective

• Show sufficient efficacy– introducing an effective solution or course

of action strengthens a fear appeal

• The higher the source’s credibility, the more effective the use of fear appeals.

Typical Domains of Persuasion

• Questions of Fact– seek to persuade an audience to

accept the speaker’s view of the facts on a particular issue

– e.g., Was there a Philadelphia experiment? (Lorraine’s speech topic)

Domains, continued

• Questions of Value:– Require judgments based on one’s

beliefs about what is right, wrong, good, bad, moral, immoral, etc.

– Are usually organized topically• The first main point establishes

standards.• The second main point applies those

standards to the topic.

Domains, continued

• Questions of Policy– Deal with Specific Courses of Action– Two types

• Seeks to gain passive agreement• Seeks to motivate immediate action

– Must Address 3 Basic Issues:• need• plan• practicality

Patterns of Organization

• Problem-Solution• Problem-Cause-Solution• Comparative Advantages• Monroe’s Motivated Sequence

Monroe’s Motivated Sequence

• First, gain the audience’s attention.• Second, show the need for change.• Third, satisfy the need by

presenting a plan that will remedy that need.

• Fourth, visualize the benefits and practicality of the plan.

• Fifth, urge the audience to take action in support of the plan.

Common Problems Using MMS

• Failure to analyze the problem first• Failure to follow steps in order (do

not mix up or combine steps)

• Failure to balance coverage:– students tend to skimp on the satisfaction

and visualization steps

• Failure to be specific in the satisfaction step -- e.g, How much does it cost? Where can we find it? How long will it take? What’s the phone number to call?

Tips

• Be realistic in your persuasive goal• Know your target audience and

their predisposition toward the topic (whenever possible)– one-sided vs. two-sided messages– fear appeals

• Anticipate audience objections and answer them in your speech.

Tips, continued

• Convince the audience, do not try to coerce.

• Use evidence, logic, and argument to persuade, but also appeal to emotions.

• Every element in your presentation -- appearance, tone, gesture -- should reinforce your argument.