Persuasion

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Persuasion
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What is persuasion?

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

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Persuasion versus Informing

• Persuasion involves arguing for a particular
  point of view.
• Persuasion involves trying to change someones
  thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviors.

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Ethics and Persuasion

• Persuasion is ethically neutral (it is amoral).
• Knowledge of persuasion can be used as a defense.
• The sources motives are considered when making
  judgments of morality.

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Cialdinis Persuasion Heuristics

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

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Wittes 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

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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.

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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 sources credibility, the more
  effective the use of fear appeals.

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Typical Domains of Persuasion

• Questions of Fact
• seek to persuade an audience to accept the
  speakers view of the facts on a particular issue
• e.g., Was there a Philadelphia experiment?
  (Lorraines speech topic)

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Domains, continued

• Questions of Value
• Require judgments based on ones 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.

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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

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Patterns of Organization

• Problem-Solution
• Problem-Cause-Solution
• Comparative Advantages
• Monroes Motivated Sequence

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Monroes Motivated Sequence

• First, gain the audiences 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.

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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? Whats the phone
  number to call?

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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.

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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.