power of persuasion Flashcards
persuasion
• the art of swaying others’ feelings, beliefs, or actions.
• normally appeals to both the intellect and the emotions of readers
persuasion is intended to
• change the way a reader thinks about an idea
persuasive techniques
• methods used to influence others to adopt certain opinions or beliefs or to act in certain ways
Types of persuasive techniques:
• emotional appeals (pathos)
• appeal to logic (logos)
• ethical appeals (ethos)
• appeals by association
• bandwagon appeal
• appeal to values
• appeal to authority
• loaded language
• repetition
emotional appeals
• when you use language or images that are emotionally charged
• uses strong feelings
• you’re manipulating or being manipulated
logical appeal
• provides rational arguments to support your claims using facts, figures, and statistics.
• uses card stacking
• uses exaggeration
• uses scientific approach
fallacies
• common errors in reasoning that will undermine the logic of your argument.
• they can be either illegitimate arguments or irrelevant points
hasty generalizations
• making assumptions about a whole group or range of cases based on a sample that is inadequate
• stereotypes about people are a common example of a hasty generalization.
ethical appeal
• taps into people’s values or moral standards
• strategic use of sound reasoning, logic, claims, and evidence.
• help establish credibility and authority as a writer or speaker.
appeal to authority
• where you call an expert to provide credibility to a product
some people in authority can be
parents
teachers
doctors
lawyers
priests/pastors
appeal to authority
Sometimes the people who we think are authority figures are being manipulative
false authority
a type of informal fallacy or a persuasive technique in which it is assumed that the opinions of a recognized expert in one area should be heeded in another area.
authority fallacy
saying that a claim is true just because an authority figure made it.
appeals by association
Suggests that a person or people should believe or do something because everyone else does it
Several appeals by association are
• bandwagon appeal
• plain folks
• testimonial
• transfer
bandwagon appeal
taps into the people’s desire to belong or be a part of a group. any attempt to convince you that a product, service, or viewpoint is good because everyone is buying into it. It appeals to the desire to be part ot a group; fitting in.
“Plain folks” appeal
implies that ordinary people are on “our side” or that a candidate is like a regular person
testimonial
relies on endorsements from celebrities or satisfied customers
Transfer
• connects a product or a case with positive energy
loaded language
loaded words are designed to manipulate
name calling
using derogatory implications or innuendos to turn people
against someting
euphemisms
doublespeak - where something bad is sanitized and twisted to make it seem better
glittering generalities
use of slogans or simple phrases that sound good but give little or no information
persuasion in daily life
- TV ads
- speeches editorials
- petitions
- music
- reels
caution!!
• when used properly, persuasive techniques can add depth to writing that’s meant to persuade.
• persuasive techniques can, however, be misused to cloud factual information, disguise poor reasoning, or unfairly exploit people’s emotions in order to shape their opinions
