Speech CH13

Logos

logical and organized arguments and the credible evidence to support the arguments within a speech; arguments based on logic

Persuasion

A symbolic process in which communicators try to convince other people to change their attitudes or behavior regarding an issue through the transmission of a message, in an atmosphere of free choice

Proposition

The central idea statement in a persuasive speech; a statement made advancing a judgment or opinion

Two-tailed arguments

a persuasive technique in which a speaker brings up a counterargument to their own topic and then directly refutes the claim

Cognitive dissonance

a psychological phenomenon where people confronted with conflicting information or viewpoints reach a state of dissonance (generally the disagreement between conflicting thoughts and/or actions), which can be very uncomfortable, and results in actions to get rid of the dissonance and maintain consonance

Mental dialogue

an imagined conver- sation the speaker has with a given audience in which the speaker tries to anticipate what questions, concerns, or issues the audience may have to the subject under discussion

Selective exposure

the decision to expose ourselves to messages that we already agree with, rather than those that confront or challenge us

Ethos

the influence of speaker credentials and character in a speech; arguments based on credibility

Target audience

the members of an audience the speaker most wants to persuade and who are likely to be receptive to persuasive messages

Pathos

the use of emotions such as anger, joy, hate, desire for community, and love to persuade the audience of the rightness of a proposition; arguments based on emotion