16: Methods of Persuasion 16
Methods of Persuasion: Methods of Persuasion Building credibility Using evidence Reasoning Appealing to emotions
Credibility: Credibility The audience's perception of whether a speaker is qualified to speak on a given topic.
Ethos: Ethos The name used by Aristotle for what modern students of communication refer to as credibility.
Factors of Credibility : Factors of Credibility Competence Character
Competence: Competence How an audience regards a speaker’s intelligence, expertise, and knowledge of the subject.
Character: Character How an audience regards a speaker’s sincerity, trustworthiness, and concern for the well-being of the audience.
Types of Credibility: Types of Credibility Initial Derived Terminal
Initial Credibility: Initial Credibility The credibility of a speaker before she or he starts to speak.
Derived Credibility: Derived Credibility The credibility of a speaker produced by everything she or he says and does during the speech.
Terminal Credibility: Terminal Credibility The credibility of a speaker at the end of the speech.
Tips for Enhancing Credibility: Tips for Enhancing Credibility Explain your competence Establish common ground with your audience Deliver your speeches fluently, expressively, and with conviction
Logos: Logos The name used by Aristotle for the logical appeal of a speaker. The two major elements of logos are evidence and reasoning.
Evidence: Evidence Supporting materials used to prove or disprove something.
Tips for Using Evidence: Tips for Using Evidence Use specific evidence Use novel evidence Use evidence from credible sources Make clear the point of your evidence
Reasoning: Reasoning The process of drawing a conclusion on the basis of evidence.
Four Types of Reasoning: Four Types of Reasoning Reasoning from specific instances Reasoning from principle Causal reasoning Analogical reasoning
Reasoning from Specific Instances: Reasoning from Specific Instances Reasoning that moves from particular facts to a general conclusion.
Guidelines for Reasoning from Specific Instances: Guidelines for Reasoning from Specific Instances Avoid hasty generalizations If your evidence does not justify a sweeping conclusion, qualify your argument Reinforce your argument with statistics or testimony
Reasoning from Principle: Reasoning from Principle Reasoning that moves from a general principle to a specific conclusion.
Guidelines for Reasoning from Principle: Guidelines for Reasoning from Principle Make sure listeners will accept your general principle Provide evidence to support your minor premise
Causal Reasoning: Causal Reasoning Reasoning that seeks to establish the relationship between causes and effects.
Guidelines for Causal Reasoning: Guidelines for Causal Reasoning Avoid the fallacy of false cause Do not assume that events have only a single cause
Analogical Reasoning: Analogical Reasoning Reasoning in which a speaker compares two similar cases and infers that what is true for the first case is also true for the second.
Guidelines for Analogical Reasoning: Guidelines for Analogical Reasoning Above all, make sure the two cases being compared are essentially alike
Fallacy: Fallacy An error in reasoning.
Fallacies: Fallacies Hasty generalization False cause Invalid analogy Red herring
Fallacies: Fallacies Ad hominem Either-or Bandwagon Slippery slope
Hasty Generalization: Hasty Generalization A fallacy in which a speaker jumps to a general conclusion on the basis of insufficient evidence.
Hasty Generalization: Hasty Generalization “Last year alone three members of our state legislature were convicted of corruption. We can conclude, then, that all of our state's politicians are corrupt.”
False Cause: False Cause A fallacy in which a speaker mistakenly assumes that because one event follows another, the first event is the cause of the second.
False Cause: False Cause “I'm sure the stock market will rise this year. It usually goes up when the American League wins the World Series.”
Invalid Analogy: Invalid Analogy An analogy in which the two cases being compared are not essentially alike.
Invalid Analogy: Invalid Analogy “Of course Lisheng can prepare great Italian food; his Chinese cooking is fabulous.”
Red Herring: Red Herring A fallacy that introduces an irrelevant issue to divert attention from the subject under discussion.
Red Herring : Red Herring “Why should we worry about endangered animal species when thousands of people are killed in automobile accidents each year?”
Ad Hominem: Ad Hominem A fallacy that attacks the person rather than dealing with the real issue in dispute.
Ad Hominem : Ad Hominem “The governor has a number of interesting economic proposals, but let’s not forget that she comes from a very wealthy family.”
Either-Or: Either-Or A fallacy that forces listeners to choose between two alternatives when more than two alternatives exist.
Either-Or: Either-Or “The government must either raise taxes or reduce services for the poor.”
Bandwagon: Bandwagon A fallacy that assumes that because something is popular, it is therefore good, correct, or desirable.
Bandwagon : Bandwagon “The President must be correct in his approach to domestic policy; after all, polls show that 60 percent of the people support him.”
Slippery Slope: Slippery Slope A fallacy that assumes that taking a first step will lead to subsequent steps that cannot be prevented.
Slippery Slope : Slippery Slope “Passing federal laws to control the amount of violence on television is the first step in a process that will result in absolute government control of the media and total censorship over all forms of artistic expression.”
Emotional Appeals: Emotional Appeals Appeals that are intended to make listeners feel sad, angry, guilty, afraid, happy, proud, sympathetic, reverent, or the like.
Pathos: Pathos The name used by Aristotle for what modern students of communication refer to as emotional appeal.
Tips for Generating Emotional Appeal: Tips for Generating Emotional Appeal Use emotional language Develop vivid examples Speak with sincerity and conviction
Using Emotional Appeal Ethically: Using Emotional Appeal Ethically Make sure emotional appeal is appropriate to the speech topic Do not substitute emotional appeal for evidence and reasoning