P E R S U A S I V E S P E A K I N G

CHAPTER 16

IMPORTANCE OF PERSUASION

• “The process of creating, reinforcing, or changing people’s beliefs or actions.”

• We are exposed to MANY messages

• Need skills of informative speaking + others

ETHICS & PERSUASION

• “Shading truth?”

• Trust & credibility

• More than just informing• Neutrality?

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSUASION

• Two or more points of view exist – necessary for persuasion

• Likely touching on sensitive matters

CHALLENGE OF PERSUASIVE SPEAKING

• Resistance to controversial matters

• Be realistic in what you can accomplish• Different audience types

• Measures of success?

HOW LISTENERS PROCESS PERSUASIVE MESSAGES

• Persuasion: with an audience, not to an audience

• Mental give-and-take• Intense when audience members are invested

TARGET AUDIENCES

• Some hostile, some indifferent, some in favor…

• Tailor your messages to your target audience

ELABORATION LIKELIHOOD MODEL (ELM)

• How high or low levels of elaboration shape the persuasiveness of messages• Central processing• Peripheral processing

PERSUASION IN MEDIA

ADVICE

• Be realistic with what you can accomplish

• Assess audience – on the fence or completely against you?

• Think of persuasion as a“mental dialogue”

• Consider target audience

STATEMENTS OF FACT

• Questions that can be answered absolutely

• Nonpartisan vs. partisan

STATEMENTS OF VALUE

• Demand value judgments – judgments based on a person’s beliefs about what is right or wrong, good or bad, moral or immoral, proper or improper, fair or unfair

• Beware – “I enjoy bicycle riding”

QUESTIONS OF POLICY

• Inevitably include questions of fact

• Emphasis on action (“You should…”)

• Passive agreement vs. immediate action

EXAMPLE

DISCUSSION

• Did the speaker feature persuasive claims in the speech? Were they effective?

• Did the speaker support stated claims with proper evidence?

• Did the speaker present one or multiple “calls to action?”

• Was the speaker’s performance effective? Why or why not?