Persuasive Comm.

Power bases

1. Reward 2. Coercive 3. Legitimate 4. Referent 5. Expert

Credo for ethical communication

"We advocate truthfulness, accuracy, honesty, and reason as essential to the integrity of communication."

Attitude defined:

-A psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor. -An association between a given object and a given evaluation -A learned disposition to respond in a consistently favorable or unfavorable manner with respect to a given object

Powerless speech vs. Powerful Speech

-Communicator appears to be less than powerful or is not so confident -Perceived as less persuasive and credible -Perceived to be less competent, dynamic, and attractive than those who use powerful speech

Invention

-Concerned with what was said rather than how it is said -Closely associated to logos appeal -First step in rhetorical process is to find the persuasive argument

Forewarning about Persuasion

-Warning about exposure to a persuasive message -Individuals generate a large number of counter arguments, which strengthens opposition to advocated position -Forewarning someone greatly decreases the likelihood that the persuasive communication is successful

5 Characteristics

1. Affect 2. Tied to an object 3. Consistent 4. Related to behavior 5. Learned

Source factors communication

1. Introductions 2. Message 3. Channel

Aristotle's Five Canons of Rhetoric

1. Invention 2. Arrangement 3. Style 4. Memory 5. Delivery

Five Components of Persuasion

1. Persuasion is a symbolic process involving the transmission of a message 2. Persuasion involves two or more persons 3. Persuasion requires intent 4. Persuasion aims to reinforce or change beliefs/attitudes/behavior 5. Persuasion tries to shape responses

Guilt Appeals

2 key processes: Empathy Efficacy

Fear Appeal

A persuasive communication technique that tries to scare people into changing their attitudes by conjuring up negative consequences.

Reward

Ability to give rewards, verbal praise

Coercive

Ability to punish, detention

Empathy

Feel for the endangered cause/group, to trigger norm to help―and thus, guilt for not doing so

Logos

Logic/Reason (Structure of speech) Reasoned argumentation, analysis, and evidence

Perspective beliefs

Are "ought" or "Should" statements that express concepts of preferred end-states.

Descriptive beliefs

Are perceptions or hypotheses about the world that people carry around in their heads.

Rhetoric

Argumentation, language, and public address used to influence audiences. An ancient form of persuasion

Style

Artful expression of ideas Concerned with how something is said -Correctness -Evidence -Property -Ornateness

The Concept of attitude

Attitude is a psychological construct. Attitudes are never directly observed.

Door-in-the-Face

Begins with a large request and scales down to an appropriately modest request. -Persuader makes a large request that is almost certain to be denied. After being turned down, the persuader returns with a smaller request, the target request the communicator had in mind at the beginning.

Values vs. Beliefs

Beliefs are our thoughts, Values are our ideas we have.

Physical attractiveness

Changes attitudes -People are more likely to pay attention -Attractiveness becomes associated with the message being communicated -People like and identify with attractive communicators

Coercion vs. Persuasion

Coercion employs force while Persuasion deals with reasoning and verbal appeals.

Persuasion

Communicative behavior that has its purpose in changing, modification, or shaping of the responses (attitudes or behavior) of the receivers.

Ethos

Credibility/Trust (Personal branding)

Danger control vs. Fear control

Danger control averts threat with recommended action while Fear control does not respond to the threat at all, contains fear.

Based on the EPPM, which response to a fear arousing message is desired?

Danger control process

Memory

Degree to which a speaker remembers the speech. Methods to ensure the audience retains the primary teachings and persuasions of the speech.

Arrangement

Dictates how a speech or writing should be organized Concerned with oration and a written argument

Pathos

Emotion/Values (Stories, Inspirational Quotes) Speakers appeal to the audience's emotions

Language Intensity

Emotional Intensity Linguistic Specificity

Semantic Differential

Emotional connections to topic

Delivery

Essential to appealing to audience's emotions (Pathos). Critical in establishing a speaker's credibility (ethos).

Message Content

Evidence -Factual assertions -Quantitative information -Eyewitness statements -Testimonials -Opinions advanced by credible resources Changes attitudes Is especially persuasive when attributed to a highly credible source Can create confusion when there is too much of it

Thurstone Scale

Extremely favorable to Extremely unfavorable

Propaganda

Form of communication in which the leaders of a ruling group have near or total control over the transmission of information, typically relying on the mass media to reach target audience members using language and symbols in a deceptive and manipulative fashion.

Aristotle & Discourse

Four Parts: -Introduction -Clear statement -Argument -Conclusion Empirical Truth

Changing

Happens over time

Role of Narratives in communication

Harness stories in the service of persuasion -Easier to access from memory -More interesting than statistical evidence

Expert

Having superior knowledge, already know what you teach

Normative influences

Influenced because we associate ourselves with a group.

Types of credibility

Initial credibility Derived credibility Terminal credibility Dynamic

Charisma

Is "a certain quality of the individual personality by virtue of which he is set apart from ordinary men and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman, or at least exceptional powers and qualities."

Functional Theories

Knowledge Utilitarian Social Adjustive Social Identity Value Expressive Ego Defensive

Likability

Likable communicators can change attitudes -Make you feel good; put you in a good mood -Convey that they have your best interest at heart

The three standard measures of attitude

Likert, Thurstone, and Semantic Differential

Empirical Truth

Logic and scientific demonstration allow humans to arrive at truth

Emotional Appeals

Logic vs. Emotions

Ethics

Moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity

Protection Motivation

Motivated to protect ourselves from threat

Danger Control process

Occurs when people perceive they are capable of adverting threat by undertaking the recommended action. In danger control mode we turn our attention outward, appraise the external danger and adopt a strategy to cope or deal with it. -Protection Motivation -Adaptive Change

Two-sided messages

Offers arguments on behalf of persuader's position and opposition. -Advantage: Giving both sides enhances the speakers credibility, and gives a natural progression into an explanation of why the opposing arguments are wrong

Social attractiveness

People go along with attractive speakers because they identify with them.

Authority - Why do people follow authority figures?

People want to gain rewards/avoid punishments by following figures.

Referent

Perceived as caring, best interest of students. Linked to the relationship between two people.

Reinforcing

Persuade those who already support your ideas, political campaigns targeting specific parties, encouraging activism donations

Dual Approach

Persuasion as strong arguments and logic (Plato) Persuasion as style and flash (Sophists)

Response Efficacy

Refers to a person's beliefs as to whether the recommended action step will actually avoid the threat. (e.g., "I believe the Anthrax vaccine will protect me from a biological attack")

Legitimate

Position/role, teachers=in charge

One-sided messages

Present one side of the issue -Disadvantage: It may seem like the communicator has something to hide

Adaptive Change

Productive behavior

Self Efficacy

Refers to an individual's belief in his or her capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments. >Self-efficacy reflects confidence in the ability to exert control over one's own motivation, behavior, and social environment.

Supportive-plus-refutational message and refutational two-sided message are essentially the same

Resistance to persuasion

Efficacy

Response Efficacy Self Efficacy

Shaping

Shaping of attitudes through branding, messaging, content, perception, socialization

Persuasive Communication Effects

Shaping, Reinforcing, and Changing

Similarity

Similarity between source and receiver can facilitate persuasion. -Induces positive effects Effective when people must make a personal and emotional decision to the message.

Foot-in-the-Door

Starting off with a small request and moving to a larger request. -Small, initial request leads to second, larger request -Larger request is the one requester ultimately wants

Functional Theory

Suggests a persuasive message is most likely to change an individual's attitude when the message is directed at the underlying function the attitude serves.

Manipulation

The action of manipulating someone in a clever or unscrupulous way. Persuasive, sometimes using flattery

Coercion

The practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats.

Pitfalls in Attitude measurement

There is no perfect attitude scale Inaccuracies result from: -Respondent carelessness -Desire to say socially appropriate thing -Tendency to agree with items, regardless of content -Format questions -Wording questions The way questions are worded/asked can influence responses the researcher receives.

Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM)

Two parallel processes -Danger control -Fear control

Likert Scale

Used a lot in academics Highly favorable for surveys and easy to use Disadvantages - numbers are not equal to attitudes (grey area)

Inoculation Theory

Uses refutational two-sided messages to persuade receivers.

Fear Control process

When we face a serious threat but focus it inwardly. We concentrate on ways to contain our fear rather than developing a strategy to ward off any danger