Persuasion Homework Solutions

Persuasion The Speech that Made Barack Obama President Persuasion is 1. Bring your audience to believe as you do 2. Influence your audience to take action Where or when do you use persuasion in your life? Where does persuasion take place?  You wish to convince your parents that you should be able to attend a local concert.  You want to convince your teacher that more time is needed to complete a class project.  You wish to show your friends that drinking and driving do not add up to an intelligent way to have a good time. Science of Persuasion What is Persuasion? • Presenting the "Argument“ • The goal of argument is to win acceptance of one's ideas. • Modern argumentation theory has roots in Greek and Roman thinking (Aristotle). • We judge evidence, investigate carefully, state ideas accurately, and listen critically A persuasive speech is a presentation that aims to change others by prompting them to think, feel, or act differently. • Change people’s attitudes • Change the strength towards or against people, policies, or ideas • Change how people act Characteristics of Persuasive Speech • Persuasive speaking is “interactive.” An engagement between a speaker and a listener • Persuasion is NOT the same as coercion, or force. Not force them to do; be artistic • Persuasive impact is usually gradual, or incremental. Characteristics of Persuasive Speech • Awaken a belief on the part of your listeners that what you are proposing is a good idea. • Show the audience that you have a well-thought-out plan of action available. • Be able to convince your audience that your plan of action is realistic and the right thing to do. • Be able to “push the right buttons,” or know your audience. Characteristics of Persuasive Speech Three basic strategies used in persuasion: 1. Appeal to reason 2. Appeal to audience emotion 3. Appeal to audience needs Characteristics of Persuasive Speech Speakers should also consider the following: What goal are you trying to achieve? What values, attitudes, and beliefs will you encounter in the audience? What attitudes and beliefs are you trying to alter? What action (e.g., read the newspaper every day) or non-action (do not smoke) should the audience take? What type of reasoning will you use? • What other appeals might you use? • How will you convince the audience you know what you are talking about? • How will you begin and end the speech with strong arguments? • • • • Persuasion to change  People might change their behavior if the proposition asks for a small change rather than a large change in their lives (e.g., trying one vegetarian meal rather than becoming total vegetarians).  People may consider changing their behavior if the change will benefit them more than it will cost them. Consider the costs in terms of money, time commitment, energy, and skill.  People will change their behavior if the change meets their needs.  People will agree if change is approached gradually. Start with arguments the audience will find most acceptable and move to more difficult arguments. Analyze your audience Once you determine what kind of audience you have on your issue you need to figure out how to persuade them. • Supportive audience: you start with their support EX: president, no school • Uncommitted audience: neutral EX: jury, extending life expectancy • Indifferent audience: have to get them to pay attention EX: a student who wants to drop out and you have to convince them its important, Sarah getting a new cell phone • Opposed audience: against you before you start EX: giving a speech about cell phones to the principal, more homework Julian Treasure – How to speak so that people want to listen Julian Treasure – 5 Ways to listen better Who is Aristotle? • Aristotle - (384-322 BCE) Greek philosopher and scientist • Most notable product of the educational program devised by Plato. • Philosophized about existence & challenged Plato’s thinking • Wrote on an amazing range of subjects, from logic, philosophy, and ethics to physics, biology, psychology, politics, and rhetoric.  Logic was designed for science “for the purpose of attaining the truth” What is rhetoric? • Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. • The goal of persuasion is to change others’ point of view or to move others to take action. Rhetorical Chart Author’s Purpose Logos Ethos Pathos The core of the rhetorical chart is purpose — What does the author/speaker/cartoonist/filmmaker/advertiser want the reader/listener/viewer to: Feel? Think? Do? Ethos, Pathos, Logos ETHOS, PATHOS, and LOGOS • Ethos: the source's credibility, the speaker's/author's authority • Pathos: the emotional or motivational appeals; vivid language, emotional language and numerous sensory details. • Logos: the logic used to support a claim (induction and deduction); can also be the facts and statistics used to help support the argument. Ethos: ETHICS (Creditability) “The perceived personal character of the speaker” Listeners think or perceive that: • you have integrity, credibility • you can be trusted • you have goodwill toward them • you know what you’re talking about • you are committed to the topic (show enthusiasm and be dynamic) Ethos: ETHICS (Creditability) • Greek for ‘character’ • To make the audience decide right or wrong about what is being presented to it • Political issues, national beliefs, religious issues, etc… • Demonstrates author's reliability, competence, and respect for the audience's ideas and values through reliable and appropriate use of support and general accuracy • Convince your audience that you are fair, honest, and well informed. • They will then trust your values and intentions. • Citing your sources will help this area. Ethos: ETHICS (Creditability) • Honesty: Your audience is looking for you to have a strong sense of right and wrong. If you have a good reputation with this, people are more likely to listen to you. • Competency: Capable of getting the job done. • Energy: Through nonverbals like eye contact and gestures, and a strong voice and inflections, a speaker will come across as charismatic. Types of Credibility 1. Initial credibility = expertise and trustworthiness listeners recognize BEFORE a presentation (based on positions, achievements, experiences) 2. Derived credibility = expertise and trustworthiness listeners recognize as a result of how speakers communicate during a presentation 3. Terminal credibility = credible speakers have at the end of a presentation (cumulative expertise, goodwill, and trustworthiness listeners recognize in a speaker) How to build your creditability? • Does the audience respect you? • Does the audience believe you are of good character? • Does the audience believe you are generally trustworthy? • Does the audience believe you are an authority on this speech topic? • Keep in mind that it isn’t enough for you to know that you are a credible source. (This isn’t about your confidence, experience, or expertise.) Your audience must know this. Ethos is your level of credibility as perceived by your audience. • What other credibility does the author build into the argument? Does the author supplement his/her authority with someone else’s as well? How to build your creditability? 1. State your qualification 2. Show that you care about listeners 3. Appeal to listeners’ emotions 4. Reason carefully 5. Use effective and ethical supporting materials 6. Use verbal and nonverbal communication to show that you care about the topic How to build your creditability? 7. Respond to questions with open-mindedness and fairness 8. Dress up to show you’re serious 9. Be prepared and organized 10. Do your research and use it in your speech 11. Eye contact 12. Relate to your audience (in your speech) Examples of Ethos "If, in my low moments, in word, deed or attitude, through some error of temper, taste, or tone, I have caused anyone discomfort, created pain, or revived someone's fears, that was not my truest self. If there were occasions when my grape turned into a raisin and my joy bell lost its resonance, please forgive me. Charge it to my head and not to my heart. My head--so limited in its finitude; my heart, which is boundless in its love for the human family. I am not a perfect servant. I am a public servant doing my best against the odds.“ (Jesse Jackson, Democratic National Convention Keynote Address, 1984) Pathos: EMOTION • • • • Greek for ‘suffering’ or ‘experience’ To make the audience feel something about what is presented to it Children, animals, illness, memories, etc… “Tugs at your heart strings” o Evokes an emotional response o Appeals to the heart, Emotions, Sympathy, Passions, Sentimentality • Uses imagery, figurative language, • Carefully constructed sentences Pathos: EMOTION • “Emotional reasons to believe in something” • Listeners need to not only understand your ideas but also feel something about them. • How?: o Personalize the issue problem, topic o Appeal to listeners’ needs and values o Bring material alive Pathos: EMOTION A carefully reasoned argument will be strengthened by an emotional appeal, especially love, anger, disgust, fear, compassion, and patriotism. “Feeling” the speech EX: If you loved me you would do this. EX: Persuading lower gas prices might want some anger in the current prices or the frustration in nothing being done about it. EX: Ads that try to get you to sponsor a child. How to appeal to emotion? • Do your words evoke feelings of … love? … sympathy? … fear? • Do your visuals evoke feelings of compassion? … envy? • Does your characterization of the competition evoke feelings of hate? contempt? • • Emotional connection can be created in many ways by a speaker: • Stories • Anecdotes • Analogies • Similes • Metaphors • All used to link an aspect of our primary message with a triggered emotional response from the audience. How to appeal to emotion? Questions for considering a speaker’s pathos: • Does the topic matter to the audience? • Does the speaker include anecdotes? • Does the speaker appeal to your emotions, memories, fears, etc.? • Is the emotional appeal effective or overwhelming? • Is the speech overloaded with facts and figures? Example of Pathos Hillary Clinton used a moment of brilliantly staged emotion to win the New Hampshire Democratic primary . . .. As she answered questions in a diner on the morning before the election, Mrs. Clinton's voice began to waver and crack when she said: 'It's not easy. . . . This is very personal for me.' Logos: LOGIC • Greek for ‘word’ • To make the audience think about what is presented to it • Statistics, facts, authorities, etc… • Very straightforward, and not “fluff”. It has a very scientific, factual approach. • • EFFECT: Evokes a cognitive, rationale response Involves facts or o o o o o o o Research Quoted authorities Cause and Effect information Analogies or comparisons Common sense information Shared values Precedents How can you appeal to Logic? • Does your message make sense? • Is your message based on facts, statistics, and evidence? • Will your call-to-action lead to the desired outcome that you promise? Logos: LOGIC “Rational or logical proofs” Support your reasons with proof:  Facts - can be proven.  Expert opinions or quotations  Definitions - statement of meaning of word or phrase  Examples - powerful illustrations  Anecdote - incident, often based on writer's personal experiences  Present opposition - and give reasons and evidence to prove the opposition wrong Logos: LOGIC • Logical proofs = arguments, reasoning, and evidence to support claims • Evidence = examples, testimony, statistics, analogies, visual aids, and etc. Logos: LOGIC Examples: • Useful in clarifying, reinforcing, or personalizing ideas. • Involve case studies or anecdotal examples: slices of life to prove the point. • Ethically, you should help your audience gauge the credibility of your sources, the representativeness of examples and samples, etc. • Using examples without other types of support material can come across as weak evidence. Logos: LOGIC Statistics      Offer scientific support Combining them with examples can be powerful Using too many statistics can be deadly You should qualify the sample, translate the statistics that you use so the audience can understand fairly Relevant visual display of statistics can be a powerful aid in making an argument Logos: LOGIC Testimony    Can also provide dramatic support material Testimony can give emotional life to the issues you're focusing on You should quote or paraphrase accurately and fairly, identify and qualify the source's credentials Example of Logos Rational choice theory in political science has made much of the fact that it is seemingly irrational to vote in a largescale election. This is because the probability that your single vote will determine the outcome is generally very close to zero, while the act of voting entails some small but real costs. Even in a close election like Florida in 2000, an individual’s vote would really “count” only if the margin of victory was exactly one vote. Logos: LOGIC – Inductive Reasoning Inductive reasoning Reason which begins with specifics and moves toward a generalization is inductive. Example: Several clubs have reported difficulty completing their business during lunch period. This proves that lunch periods should be longer. Example: You have never had problems with your Honda and it’s 15 years old. Your neighbor has a Honda and has not had a problem for the first 50,000 miles. Thus, you reason that Hondas are reliable and good cars. Inductive examples  You have never had problems with your Honda and it’s 15 years old. Your neighbor has a Honda and has not had a problem for the first 50,000 miles. Thus, you reason that Hondas are reliable and good cars.  If he did his homework (specific), then the whole class has done their homework (general).  My cat is easy to take care of (specific), therefore all cats must be easy to take care of (general). Logos: LOGIC – Deductive Reasoning Deductive reasoning Reason which starts with a general observation and moves to specifics is deductive. A=B, B=C, THEN C=A Example: 1. All students (A) go to school (B). 2. You (C) are a student (A). 3. Therefore, you (C) go to school (B). Deductive examples  When people hurry, inefficiency and poor communication are the results. Under current conditions clubs must hurry at lunch time meetings. Therefore, lunch period should be lengthened to allow for better club meetings.  You need to pass OC. to graduate. You need to do your informative and persuasive speech to pass OC. Therefore, you must do your persuasive and informative speech to graduate.  If the class is going on a fieldtrip (general), then Tom must be going too (specific).  The law says you must wear a helmet when riding a bike (general). Therefore, Jimmy must be wearing a helmet when he rides a bike (specific). Should persuasive writing have more than one appeal? Yes! The more appeals used, the more likely the reader will connect with it. Ethos, Pathos, or Logos? "I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future." Democratic Presidential Candidate Acceptance Speech by Barack Obama. August 28th, 2008. Ethos, Pathos, or Logos? "I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed." I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Jr. August 28th, 1963 Ethos, Pathos, or Logos? "However, although private final demand, output, and employment have indeed been growing for more than a year, the pace of that growth recently appears somewhat less vigorous than we expected. Notably, since stabilizing in mid-2009, real household spending in the United States has grown in the range of 1 to 2 percent at annual rates, a relatively modest pace. Households' caution is understandable. Importantly, the painfully slow recovery in the labor market has restrained growth in labor income, raised uncertainty about job security and prospects, and damped confidence. Also, although consumer credit shows some signs of thawing, responses to our Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices suggest that lending standards to households generally remain tight." The Economic Outlook and Monetary Policy by Ben Bernanke. August 27th, 2010 Logic isn’t always right. Sometimes persuasion is used that is faulty with the hope that the listener will not catch the illogic. Faulty Logic As a consumer you must watch for faulty logic. Faulty Logic 1. Causal : making a connection because one event follows another. 2. Bandwagon: suggesting that because everyone believes something or does something, it must be valid, accurate, or effective. EX: Everybody knows that taxes are too high. 3. Either-or: oversimplifying an issue as offering only 2 choices. EX: solution is either getting portables or raising money 4. Hasty Generalization: reaching a conclusion without adequate supporting evidence. EX: One person fails the math test & that means the test was too hard. Faulty Logic 5. Personal Attack: name-calling 6. Red Herring: irrelevant facts or information used to distract from the issue. EX: in a speech to address ID problems, the speaker talks about the danger of guns EX: “She’s just a republican.” 7. Appeal to Misplaced Authority: using someone without the appropriate credentials or expertise to endorse an idea or product. EX: Mrs. Miller endorsing football 8. Non Sequitur: an idea or logic that doesn’t follow the previous idea or conclusion. EX: arguing that students should give blood because it is final exam week Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Whether your purpose is to affect attitude or behavior, you must provide motivation, an incentive for your audience to believe or act in a certain way. What motivates you to: • Why do you come to school? • Why do you say no to drugs? • Why do you exercise everyday? • Why do you refuse to take notes in class? • Why do you listen to what your parents tell you to do? Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Sometimes the motivation is fear. Sometimes it’s the possibility of a reward. In many instances, you do something because the behavior satisfies a need or desire. Whatever the case may be, you wouldn’t have changed without it. Thus, when trying to persuade people you need to appeal to what motivates them. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 1.Physiological Need 2.Safety Need 3.Love/Belonging Need 4.Esteem Need 5.Self-Actualization Need 1. Physiological Need • Those things that keep a person alive. • Examples: food, water, shelter, sleep 2. Safety Need • Involve one’s well-being or sense of security. • Safety might need to be felt in physical, family, health, money, etc. • Examples: It’s hard to fall asleep until you know the front door is locked. 3. Belongingness Need • Involve wanting to have friends or to be loved by others • Example: Everyone needs human contact. Everyone needs to feel accepted by others. 4. Self-esteem Need • Refers to the feelings people have about themselves. • People need to like themselves. • Humans have a need to be respected, to self-respect and to respect others. 5. Self-Actualization Need • The final level of need, means realizing your full potential. • It is the instinctual need of humans to make the most of their unique abilities. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Physiological Need Safety Need Love/Belonging Need Esteem Need Self-Actualization Need Monroe’s Motivational Sequence For the Persuasive Speech Monroe’s Motivated Sequence A five-step process 1.Attention 2.Need 3.Satisfaction 4.Visualization 5.Action Step 1 -- Attention • Get the attention of the audience • Relate to the audience • Show the importance of your topic • Use a startling opening • Arouse curiosity • Stories, visual aids Example – Attention Step • Imagine feeling tired, lethargic, and depressed every day • Now imagine waking each day feeling strong and happy • You can feel this way by eating properly and reducing fast food and junk food from your life Step 2 -- Need • Establish a need for change--state it clearly • Illustrate with supporting materials • Relate it to values / vital concerns of audience • Prime audience to listen to your solution Example – Need Step • You need to eat correctly to save your life • You are at risk of • High blood pressure • Diabetes • Obesity • Shortened life Step 3 -- Satisfaction • Offer a solution to the issue • Offer a plan for success • Provide details Example – Satisfaction Step • You can join WeightWatchers • You can exercise daily • It will reduce your desire for junk food Step 4 -- Visualization • Intensify desire by visualizing benefits • Use vivid language and imagery • Show what audience will get from it • Demonstrate how they will profit Example – Visualization Step • Visualize a new you…able to keep up with the children • Visualize you being able to play your favorite sport • Visualize being stronger by dropping the fast food and junk food Step 5 – Action • Encourage a specific call to action • Explain what they need to do and how to do it • Stirring appeal that reinforces commitment to act Example – Action Step • Encourage your audience to join a diet organization • Challenge your audience to go oneweek without eating any junk or fast food