1. Persuading Skeptical Audiences: Implications of Resistance to Persuasion Rohini Ahluwalia Stockton Research Fellow and Associate Professor (University of Kansas) Yaffe Center for Persuasive Communication 2003

2. Overview  Three segments and their resistance processes (based on level of resistance and response to communications)  Communication Implications (Message and Media) for these segments  How to identify these segments?

3. How Do They Differ? All Negatives Many Negatives Few Positives More Negatives Many Positives Mental Representation HostileAudiences Defensive Audiences Skeptical Audiences

4. Resistance to Persuasion Zone of Skepticism Zone of Defensiveness Zone of Hostility Resistance by Different Audiences Emotional Response Rational Response

5. Resistance Processes of the Hostile Audiences No Attitude Change Refutation: Source, Information Successful Unsuccessful Selective Avoidance Persuasion Attempt

6. Attitude Change Refutation: Information Successful Unsuccessful Selective Avoidance Message by Highly Trusted Source Persuading the Hostile Audiences

7. Resistance to Persuasion Zone of Skepticism Zone of Defense Zone of Hostility Resistance by Defensive Audiences Emotional Response Rational Response

8. Resistance Processes of the Defensive Audiences No Attitude Change Refutation: Source, Information Successful Unsuccessful Minimization: Isolation & Re-weighting Belief Change Persuasion Attempt

9. Persuading Defensive Audiences: Under the Radar No Attitude Change Refutation: Source, Information Successful Unsuccessful Minimization: Isolation & Re-weighting Belief Change Attitude Change Persuasion Attempt

10. Resistance to Persuasion Zone of Skepticism Zone of Defense Zone of Hostility Resistance by Skeptical Audiences Emotional Response Rational Response

11. Resistance Processes of the Skeptical Audiences No Attitude Change Refutation: Information, Source Successful Unsuccessful Persuasion Attempt Attitude Change

12. Communication Strategies CriteriaHostileDefensiveSkeptical Message Source High level of relatedness to audience critical Relatedness to audience and independence from target important Expertise Important Message Strength & Style Extremely strong appeal Moderate (weaker) appeals Ask questions Dispersed arguments Strong appeals (facts and figures) Provide assertions Concentrated arguments Message Characteristics

13. Resistance Persuasion Attempt Persuading Resistant Audiences: Message Content Implications Refute the Negative Aspects Lower “Information Value” of Negative Aspects Enhance Salience of Positive Aspects

14. Communication Strategies CriteriaHostileDefensiveSkeptical Increasing Salience of Positives Not directly applicable Useful, but not critical Potential to be highly effective Refutation of Negatives Critical Provision of counterexamples Actions Important Message Content Reducing Information Value of Negatives Not likely to be very effective Useful, but not critical Potential to be highly effective

15. Communication Strategies CriteriaHostileDefensiveSkeptical Intrusive Media (e.g., TV, radio) Mass media ineffective Effective Directed Media (e.g., pamphlets, web sites) Mass media ineffective Less EffectiveEffective Media Implications Sponsored Media Mass media ineffective Important for increased access Non-traditional media Not necessary Message Context Direct appeal Embedded messages Non-threatening context More direct messages Provide interviews and explanations

16.  Identifying segments  Segmenting on the basis of  geographical location (country, region)  demographics (e.g., age, education)  The issue of accessibility Who Are These Audiences?