On notebook paper:

• Title your paper Persuasive Technique

• Write about a time you convinced someone to do something or buy something or believe something? What was it? How did you convince them? Do you think you are good at convincing people?

What is persuasion?

Generally an appeal to emotion, not intellect.

An attempt to change your behavior

It attempts to

“guide your choice”

Persuasion• A type of speech or

writing, usually nonfiction, that tries to convince an audience to think and act in a certain way

Propaganda is … … form of communication … aimed at swaying or influencing your attitude … toward or away from some cause or position.

Influence of Propaganda

¨ If you watch 30 hours of TV per week, you will…– View roughly 37,822 commercials per

year

•That’s about 100 TV ads per day

¨ You will see another 100 to 300 ads per day through other mass media

If companies did not think you could be influenced,

they would not spend billions of $ on it!

Propaganda techniques will twist facts to sell readers on an idea—to convince them to agree with the writer.

Whose voice guides your choice?

Who uses propaganda?• Military• Media• Advertisers• Politicians

• You and I!!!

Rhetorical Fallacies

Arguments that sound good, but are not sound!

Rhetorical fallacies

• Distract the audience with irrelevant appeals instead of using sound reasoning.

• They can be divided into three categories: – Emotional fallacies unfairly appeal to the

audience’s emotions.– Ethical fallacies unreasonably advance the

writer’s own authority or character.– Logical fallacies depend upon faulty logic.

Common propaganda techniques• Ad hominem• Exaggeration• Stereotyping• Categorical

Claims

Ethical fallacies• Ad Hominem arguments attack a person’s

characterrather than that person’s reasoning.– Why should we think a candidate who recently

divorced will keep her campaign promises?

– Buy a car from me, because the Ford dealer down the street is an idiot and a liar.

Ad Hominem• Latin for “against the

man”• Name calling• This type of argument

focuses on the opponent’s personality, character, or other qualities instead of the opponent’s argument

Logical fallacies• Exaggerations occur when we overstate

or overemphasize a point.– The school test scores have improved

dramatically since the new principal came on board. Obviously her leadership has been a real benefit for our school.

– There must have been a hundred million birds in that tree!

• Stereotypes are general beliefs we use to categorize people, objects, and events erroneously.– I got bit by a large dog when I was little, so I stay

away from all dogs now; they are vicious.– Anyone who lives in that neighborhood is rich and

stuck-up.

Stereotyping

• Definition- Making an unfair, too broad statement about a person or a group of people.

• To believe unfairly that all people or things with a particular characteristic are the same

• Example- “Teenagers are lazy” “Rap and Hip- Hop Artists have low moral standards”

Exaggeration• A persuasive

technique where the facts, data, results, etc. are, appear better or greater than they actually are

• Overstating something

• Stretching the truth

Logical fallacies• Categorical Claim is based on the faulty

logic of relating two things solelybecause they are in the same category.– She writes a lot in her journal. A person who

writes a lot is certain to be a good writer. Therefore, she must be a good writer.

– Chihuahuas are good inside dogs. Rottweilers are dogs; therefore, Rottweilers would be good inside dogs, too.

Categorical Claim• Defining a group by

a set of common characteristics, often with malicious or offensive intent, ignoring that individuals are different.

• Example- “Anyone who watches professional wrestling is obviously uneducated and easily duped.”

More Propaganda Techniques• Bandwagon Technique• Testimonial• Loaded Word• Misuse of statistics• Name calling • Plain Folks• Snob Appeal • Transfer

Bandwagon

oEverybody is doing this. Join the crowd! You must JOIN in to FIT in!

oIf you want to fit in, you need to “jump on the bandwagon” and do it too.

Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002

Bandwagon Technique

Testimonial & Endorsements

•A famous person endorses an idea, a product, a candidate and implies the person uses it and so should we!

Testimonial• Testimonials are

quotations or endorsements which connect a famous or respectable person with a product or item.

Name-calling

• A negative word or feeling is attached to an idea, product, or person implying that we should not be interested.

Name calling example:

In a campaign speech to a logging company, the Congressman referred to his environmentally conscious opponent as a "tree hugger."

Plain-folks appeal

This idea, product, or person is associated with normal, everyday people and activities.

Plain Folks• Makes the leaders look like Plain folks (mom and pop

style).- a convincing method to

show they are just common people.

- Opposite of snob appeal                                                             

¨ TOP 10 COMMERICAL JINGLES/SLOGANS

1. You Deserve a Break Today (McDonald’s)2. Be All That You Can Be (U.S. Army)3. Pepsi-Cola Hits The Spot (Pepsi-Cola)4. Mmm Mmm Good! (Campbell Soup)5. Just do it (Nike) 6. Good to the last drop (Maxwell House) 7. M&Ms melt in your mouth, not in your hand

(M&M candies) 8. I Wish I Were An Oscar Mayer Wiener (Oscar

Mayer)7. It’s The Real Thing (Coca-Cola)

What do all these pictures have in common?

Information that is spread for the purpose of promoting some

cause.

Which statement can be considered as propaganda?A. Clowns are evil, scary creatures that enjoy making children

cry.B. Many clowns wear silly costumes, bright make-up, and

wigs.C. Circuses often hire clowns to perform in front of large

audiences.D. Some people attend a clown college to learn how to be a

clown.

What type of propaganda technique is used in the following

ad?

A. Bandwagon

B. Loaded Words

C. Testimonial

D. Name-Calling

E. Plain Folks

F. Snob Appeal

G. Misuse of Statistics

H. Transfer

What type of propaganda technique is used in the

following ad?A. BandwagonB. Loaded WordsC. TestimonialD. Name-CallingE. Plain FolksF. Snob AppealG. Misuse of StatisticsH. Transfer

D. Name Calling

What type of propaganda technique is used in the following ad?

A. Bandwagon

B. Loaded Words

C. Testimonial

D. Name-Calling

E. Plain Folks

F. Snob Appeal

G. Misuse of Statistics

H. Transfer

What type of propaganda technique is used in the following ad?

A. BandwagonB. Loaded WordsC. TestimonialD. Name-CallingE. Plain FolksF. Snob AppealG. Misuse of StatisticsH. Transfer

What type of propaganda is this?A. Bandwagon

B. Loaded Words

C. Testimonial

D. Name-Calling

E. Plain Folks

F. Snob Appeal

G. Misuse of Statistics

H. Transfer

What type of propaganda is this?A. Bandwagon

B. Loaded Words

C. Testimonial

D. Name-Calling

E. Plain Folks

F. Snob Appeal

G. Misuse of Statistics

H. Transfer

Choose the fallacy at work: “You can’t believe what Mr. Smith says because he is a liberal.”

A. Categorical ClaimB. Ad HominemC. ExaggerationD. Stereotyping

Select the name of the rhetorical device that attacks the arguer instead of addressing the argument

A. Categorical ClaimB. Ad HominemC. ExaggerationD. Stereotyping