Chapter 7 Persuasion PDF

Chapter 7: Persuasion Jim West/Alamy Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or Learning objectives By the end of this lecture, students should be able to: Describe persuasion Explain the different paths that lead to persuasion Describe the fact...

Chapter 7: Persuasion Jim West/Alamy Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or Learning objectives By the end of this lecture, students should be able to: Describe persuasion Explain the different paths that lead to persuasion Describe the factors that make persuasion effective 1. the communicator (WHO says what) 2. the message (WHAT) 3. how the message is communicated (by WHAT method) 4. the audience (to WHOM) Persuasion Process by which a message induces change in beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors Can either be harmful or helpful Content & purpose of message illicit judgement as good or bad Good message- education Bad message- propaganda Persuasion is everywhere Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or What could you do to make yourself and your message persuasive? Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or What Paths Lead to Persuasion? Central Route Peripheral Route Occurs when Occurs when people interested people are influenced by focus on the incidental cues, such arguments and as a speaker’s respond with attractiveness favorable thoughts Focuses on cues that Strong, compelling trigger automatic arguments may acceptance without result in persuasion much thinking More durable and Superficial and more likely to temporary attitude influence behavior change  Central and Peripheral Routes to Persuasion The Hurdles of the Persuasion Process Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or What are the elements of Persuasion? 1. the communicator (WHO says what) 2. the message (WHAT) 3. how the message is communicated (by WHAT method) 4. the audience (to WHOM) What Are the Elements of Persuasion? 1. Who Says? The Communicator Credibility- perceived expertise & trustworthiness  Sleeper effect  Delayed impact of a message that occurs when an initially discounted message becomes effective, as we remember the message but forget the reason for discounting it Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or What Are the Elements of Persuasion? Who Says? The Communicator Credibility (Believability)  Persuasion is attached to a person’s credibility  Sleeper effect- Delayed persuasion.  Perceived expertise  Seeming smart and knowledgeable.  Speaking Style: Speak confidently and fluently  Perceived trustworthiness Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or What Are the Elements of Persuasion? Who Says? The Communicator  Perceived trustworthiness  Eye contact  Arguing against own self-interest  Speak quickly  Audience believes you are not trying to persuade them Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or What Are the Elements of Persuasion? Who Says? The Communicator Attractiveness and Liking- an appealing communicator is more persuasive  Physical attractiveness  Similarity Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or Persuasion? 2. What Is Said? The Message Content Reason versus Emotion Message can be logical and emotional.  Attitude formed through emotion, more likely to be persuaded by emotional appeals. Same with reason.  Effect of good feelings- charity events?  Effect of arousing fear- anti-smoking campaign Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or What Are the Elements of Persuasion? What Is Said? The Message Content Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon  Tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request  Low-ball technique  Tacticfor getting people to agree to something. People who agree to an initial request will often still comply when the requester ups the initial request Door-in-the-face-technique  People who have refused a big request later agree to a more reasonable request from same requester Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or ? Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or What Are the Elements of Persuasion? What Is Said? The Message Content Primacy versus recency  Primacy effect  Other things being equal, information presented first usually has the most influence. John is intelligent, industrious, impulsive, critical, stubborn, and envious. John is envious, stubborn, critical, impulsive, industrious, and intelligent.  Recency effect  Information presented last sometimes has the most influence- forgetting creates recency effect Time gap factor Back to back messaging the time Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill gap- required Education. Permission First is for reproduction or What Are the Elements of Persuasion? 3. How Is It Said? The Channel of Communication What is a channel of communication? Active experience- spoken  A persuasive speaker must deliver a message that clears 5 hurdles:  Attention, understanding, convincing, memorable, and compelling.  Passive reception- written, visual  Active experience strengthens attitudes  Repetition and rhyming of a statement serves to increase its fluency and believability Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or What Are the Elements of Persuasion? How Is It Said? The Channel of Communication Personal versus media influence Contact with people more persuasive than media  Media influence: The two-step flow  Process by which media influence often occurs through opinion leaders, who in turn influence others  Media influence in subtle ways- more indirect than direct Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or What Are the Elements of Persuasion? How Is It Said? The Channel of Communication Personal versus media influence  Comparing media  The more lifelike the medium, the more persuasive its message (live, video/audio- taped)  Easy to understand messages most persuasive when videotaped  Difficult messages more persuasive when written Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or What Are the Elements of Persuasion? 4. To Whom Is It Said? The Audience Two audience explanations: Age & thoughtfulness How old are they? Age  Life cycle explanation  Attitudes change as people grow older  Generational explanation  Attitudes do not change; older people largely hold onto the attitudes they adopted when they were young (formative years) Generational explanation mostly supported by research Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or What Are the Elements of Persuasion? To Whom Is It Said? The Audience  Crucial aspect of central route= responses a message evokes in one’s mind What are they thinking? Thoughtfulness  Forewarned is forearmed-If you care enough to counter-argue  Distraction disarms counter-arguing  Reading message while watching video  Words can promote candidate/product  Visual images keep us occupied so we don’t analyze the words  Uninvolved audiences use peripheral cues Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or What Are the Elements of Persuasion? To Whom Is It Said? The Audience What are they thinking?  Ways to stimulate people’s thinking  Use rhetorical questions  Present multiple speakers  Make people feel responsible  Repeat the message  Get people’s undistracted attention  Stimulating thinking makes strong messages more persuasive & (because of counter-arguing), weak messages less persuasive Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or How Can Persuasion Be Resisted? Strengthening Personal Commitment  Strong conviction- less susceptibility to others’ say  Challenging beliefs.  Developing counterarguments- great way to resist persuasion Real-Life Applications: Inoculation Programs Inoculating children against:  Peer pressure to smoke –teaching students to counterargue ads  The influence of advertising- discussing & challenging ads Copyright 2016 © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission required for reproduction or  Summing up: Process by which a message induces change in beliefs, attitudes, or behaviours Occurs when people focus on arguments and respond with favourable thoughts (Issues not requiring systematic engaging- Peripheral mostly occurs) Four ingredients of persuasion: the communicator, the message, the channel of communication & audience Credible communicators- more persuasive People make quick, less reflective judgement when in good mood Fear makes people vulnerable-more persuadable  Summing up: People likely to do small favour if asked big one first (door-in -face) People likely to agree to big favours if they agree to small ones first (foot-in-door) Variation to these two techniques- low-ball- lower price later increases Two sided message-more persuasive Face-to-face appeals- more effective Print media effective with complex messages; mass- media with minor unfamiliar ones Audience- age and thinking Attitude inoculation- way of resisting persuassion  END. Next week, Mrs Maseti will be joining you all.