1. Understanding Persuasive Messages © Stockbyte / SuperStock

2. Persuasive Speech ► A speech whose goal is to influence the attitudes, beliefs, values, or behavior of audience members 2 MAI Landov

3. Chapter Sections ► The nature of persuasion ► How people process persuasive messages ► The rhetorical strategy of logos ► The rhetorical strategy of ethos ► The rhetorical strategy of pathos 3

4. Chapter Section One The Nature of Persuasion 4

5. Definition of Persuasion ► The Greeks and Romans define persuasion as logical and well- supported arguments developed through rhetorical appeals to: ●logos (logic), ●Ethos (ethics), and ●Pathos (emotions). 5

6. Chapter Section Two How People Process Persuasive Messages 6

7. Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) ► ELM suggests that people process information in one of two ways: ●The central route - The decision is based on whether to agree argument on appeals to logic and reasoning (logos). ●The peripheral route – The decision is made based on ethos or pathos. 7

8. Elaboration Likelihood Model ► What determines if we use the central or peripheral route is how important we perceive the issue to be for us? ●ELM suggests that, when we form attitudes as a result of central processing, we are less likely to change our minds than when our attitudes have been formed based on peripheral cues. 8

9. Types of Persuasive Appeals ► Logos (logic) ► Ethos (credibility, competence, character) ► Pathos (emotions) 9

10. Chapter Section Three The Rhetorical Strategy of Logos 10

11. Two Types of Reasoning ► Inductive reasoning ► Deductive reasoning 11

12. Inductive Reasoning ► Arriving at a general conclusion based on several pieces of specific evidence ●Your argument reasons from specifics (pieces of evidence) to reach a general conclusion. ●When you reason inductively, how much your audience agrees with your conclusion depends on the number, quality, and typicality of each piece of evidence you offer. 12

13. Deductive Reasoning ► Arguing that if something is true for everything that belongs to a certain class (major premise), and ► A specific instance is part of that class (minor premise), then ► We must conclude that what is true for all members of the class must be true in the specific instance (logical conclusion). 13

14. Forming Arguments ► Claim - the conclusion the speaker wants the audience to believe ► Support - the reason or evidence the speaker offers as the grounds for accepting the conclusion ► Warrant - the logical statement that connects the support to the claim (1) (1) P. Ryan, J. Hensarling, & S. Garrett, personal communication, April 28, 2010 14

15. Types and Tests Of Arguments ► Arguing from sign ► Arguing from example ► Arguing from analogy ► Arguing from causation ► Combining arguments in a speech 15

16. Arguing from Sign ► Supporting a claim by providing evidence that the events that signal the claim have occurred ► You can make sure that your argument is valid by answering the following questions: ●Do the signs cited always or usually indicate the conclusion drawn? ●Are a sufficient number of signs present? ●Are contradictory signs in evidence? 16

17. Arguing from Example ► Supporting a claim with statements containing examples of the claim you are making ► Test the validity of your argument with the following questions: ●Are enough examples cited? ●Are the examples typical? ●Are negative examples accounted for? 17

18. Arguing from Analogy ► Supporting a claim with a single comparable example that is significantly similar to the subject of the claim as to be strong proof ► Test the validity with the following questions: ●Are the subjects being compared, similar in every important way? ●Are any of the ways in which the subjects are dissimilar, important to the outcome? 18

19. Arguing from Causation ► Supporting a claim by citing events that have occurred that result in the claim ► Validity testing questions: ●Are the events alone sufficient to cause the stated effect? ●Did other events accompanying the cited events, actually cause the effect? ●Is the relationship between the causal events and the effect consistent? 19

20. Combining Arguments In a Speech ► You will probably want to use a variety of types of arguments to make your speech persuasive. ► The combination of argument types should be based on the nature of the argument and what you believe different members of the audience will respond to. 20

21. Reasoning Fallacies ► Hasty generalization – weak evidence ► False cause – weak support between cause and effect ► Either-or – only allows for two alternatives ► Straw man – attacking weaker position of opposing side ► Ad hominem - attacks or praises the person making the argument rather than addressing the argument itself 21

22. Evaluating Evidence to Support Reasons ► Does the evidence come from a well- respected source? ► Is the evidence recent and, if not, is it still valid? ► Does the evidence really support the reason? ► Will this evidence be persuasive for this audience? 22

23. Chapter Section Four The Rhetorical Strategy of Ethos (competence, credibility and good character) 23

24. Conveying Good Character ► Goodwill – your ability to convince the audience that you understand, empathize, and are responsive to them ► Empathy – the ability to see the world through the eyes of someone else 24

25. Conveying Competence And Credibility ► Explain your competence. ► Establish common ground. ► Use evidence from respected sources. ► Use nonverbal elements of delivery to enhance your image. ► Use vocal expression to enhance your credibility. 25

26. Chapter Section Five The Rhetorical Strategy of Pathos 26

27. Evoking Negative Emotions ► Negative emotions are disquieting, so when people experience them, they look for ways to resolve them. 27 Chuck Savage Corbis

28. Types of Negative Emotions ► Fear – perception that we have no control over a situation that threatens us ► Guilt – when we personally violate a moral, ethical, or religious code that we hold dear ► Shame – comes after a violation of a moral code ► Anger – evoked when we are faced with an unfair obstacle or are demeaned ► Sadness – evoked when we face failure, loss or separation 28

29. Evoking Positive Emotions ► Happiness and joy ► Pride ► Relief ► Hope ► Compassion 29

30. Guidelines for Appealing to Emotions ► Tell vivid stories. ► Use startling statistics. ► Incorporate listener relevance links. ► Choose striking presentational aids. 30

31. Guidelines for Appealing To Emotions (cont.) ► Use descriptive and provocative language. ► Use nonverbal elements of delivery to reinforce your emotional appeal. ► Use gestures and facial expressions that highlight the emotions you are conveying. 31