Persuasion

Course Outcome: Analyze persuasive strategies and arguments.

The simplest way to explain why we study persuasion is to ask the question “How do I get someone to do something or think the way I do about something?” Persuasion is about modifying or reinforcing attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. In everyday life, we are bombarded with persuasive messages on the internet, TV, radio, billboards, etc… While our discussion is going to be more focused on crafting persuasive messages for a public speaking situation, we will venture off into some examples from advertising also. Effective persuasion is HARD. Strong persuasive arguments require credible research and evidence, strong, well thought out conclusions from research, and just the right mix of emotion to appeal to the audience/listener. In this unit, we will discuss these 3 elements and how to create a solid, well organized argument. Where might you use this? If you are a nurse, you may have an opinion for patient treatment that you need to present to a group of doctors. In a situation like this one, you would need to establish your personal credibility and have strong, credible evidence and conclusions to support your position.

Unit Outcomes:

• Define persuasion
• Identify the types of persuasive speeches
• Explain how to organize persuasive speeches using Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
• Explain effective persuasive strategies such as ethos, logos, and pathos