Tools for Persuasion

P

Prosper Yao Tsikata, PhD

][Objectives

» By the end of the lesson, students will be able to :• apply the various forms of appeal in constructing their persuasive

speech.

• appreciate the central role of persuasion in democracy.

• use the various forms of argument in their persuasive speech.

][Persuasion

» …a deliberate attempt by the speaker to create, reinforce, or change the attitudes, beliefs, values, and/or behavior of the listener (Ford-Brown, 2014).• A deliberate attempt to persuade, not coercion.

• Attitudes.

• Beliefs.

• Values.

• Behaviors.

][End Goal of Persuasion

» Narrow listeners options

» Appeals (proofs) to a particular response—convince, stimulate, actuate.

» Proposition of fact, value, or policy.• All homeowners should be required to recycle.

• Plagiarism is unacceptable.

• Genetically altered vegetables are unhealthy.

][Traditional Appeals

» Appeal to pathos—Stir you audience’s sense of fear, sympathy, empathy, happiness, or anger.

» Appeal to Mythos—legends, folktales, music and poetry (narratives).

» Appeal to ethos—character, competency, charisma

Initial ethos, derived ethos, and terminal ethos.

» Appeal to logos—reason.

][Traditional Appeals

» logos—reasoning.Statement Cell phone use while driving is pervasive

Evidence

Evidence

As of October 2008, 266 million people in the United States subscribed to some form of wireless communication, including cell phones. This is up from 4.3 in 1990 (Insurance Information Institute, 2008).In 2006, a study reported that at any moment during the day, eight percent of drivers are on their cell phones (Siegel, 2010).

Conclusion Given the number of subscribers and the number of drivers using them, it would be difficult to drive anywhere and not meet someone using a cell phone.

][Modern Appeals

» Appeal to need—Maslow’s hierarchy of needs/Monroe’s motivated sequence

][Modern Appeals » Appeals to harmony—dissonance versus consonance.

» Appeal to gain—rational choice theory (RCT) or expectancy-outcome values theory.

» Appeal to commitment—central processing or peripheral processing (effectively audience analysis required).

][Parts Of An Argument

][Parts Of An Argument » Claim—the assertion you make.

• All public buildings should be smoke-free.

• Owning a gun is wrong.

• Too much fluoride in our drinking water can be dangerous.

][Parts Of An Argument » Evidence—the information that proves

your claim.• Facts.

• Testimonies.

• Definitions.

• Statistics.

][Parts Of An Argument » Warrants—assumptions that act as link between evidence and

claim (authoritative, motivational, and substantive).

][Different Types Of Argument

][Different Types Of Argument » Arguments by analogy—you conclude that something will

be accurate for one case if is true for another similar case.

][Different Types Of Argument » Argument by cause—demonstration of a relationship

between two events in which one cause the other.

• The increase in violence in our public schools is the effect of increased in the entertainment world (Effect-to-cause).

• Procrastinating on your assignments will cause you to get lower grades (cause-to-effect).

][Different Types Of Argument » Argument by authority—testimony from individuals

audience consider credible.