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Importance of persuasion as communication skills
Importance of persuasion as communication skills
Social influence theory
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Recommended: Importance of persuasion as communication skills
Persuasion: Who, What, and to Whom
When people needs to say yes or needs to agree about something else, then persuasion is being used by the speaker while conveying their message. It is the goal of the speaker to make listener’s mind change and agree with him or her (Rhoads, 1997). We can try to understand this world we live in by using social psychology because it explains why people act or behave the way they do. Social psychology is an attempt to explain why people judge other, why they act with such persuasion and intent and why they help others (Feenstra, 2011). For persuading others, the speaker needs to have some traits and attitudes that will draw the crowd towards him or her. Among the traits a communicator needs to have are being likeable, sound and appear knowledgeable, shows authoritative manner but not to the point of being airy but rather just show that he or she knows what he is talking about and that he is an authority when it comes to the said subject. The audience’s perception of the speaker is also important because they need to hear and understand these words from someone that looks trustworthy enough. This is character and on this character, the speaker must be able to build a connection towards the audience in order to persuade them more effectively (Education, 2011).
The capability of a speaker to persuade audiences is called influencing their ideas and their possible judgment and this is more possible if the speaker is attractive to the eye of audience, as well know, appearance can sometimes be deceiving and more people are being attracted to good looking speakers than those that are not. It is normal for someone with good personal traits and looks to be a speaker because people seems to believe them eas...
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...and when the speaker was able to change the mind of his listeners, and then it is a skill. If you understand and is familiar with social psychology, then you would get to know the differences between people making it easier for you to frame your message in such a way that it can persuade your listener (Rhoads, 1997).
References
Changing Minds. (2011). Social Influence. Retrieved from Changing Minds.org: http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/social_influence.htm
Erupting Mind Education. (2011). How To Persuade Different Types Of People. Retrieved from Erupting Mind Education: http://eruptingmind.com/how-to-persuade-different-types-of-people/
Feenstra, J. (2011). Introduction to social psychology. Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Rhoads, K. (1997). Introduction to Influence. Retrieved from Working Psychology: http://www.workingpsychology.com/intro.html
...an is capable of persuading his audience into accepting his simplistic views of the world. He makes it easier to rationalize with his stance by his strategic use of sentence structure and word choice. When analyzing a past speech or interpreting a speech as it is given, upmost priority should be given to analytical tools for analyzing persuasive symbols and language. Whether the topic at hand is motivated by great emotions as it is here or not, the audience can easily be swayed in one direction surprisingly based only on universal comprehension.
Summary – It is quite difficult to avoid any persuasive acts while resisting them at the same time. Being prepared with knowledge of how easy it is to be manipulated, controlled, seduced, etc. allows us to open up to the use of rhetoric.
Kerbel, Matthew R. (1993). An Empirical Test of the Role of Persuasion in the Exercise of
In his essay “Rhetoric,” he states “to reason logically, to understand human character and goodness, and to understand the emotions”(182). The audience should always be one of the top concerns for the speaker. When a speaker is trying to convince their audience to accept a different perspective, they should keep in mind that not everyone will accept it. The audience should not feel like they are forced to accept something instead they should feel a sense of willingness for the different perspective that the speaker discussed. Furthermore, Aristotle concludes “persuasion is achieved by the speaker’s personal character”(181). In other words, the way a speaker portrays themselves during a speech will make an impact on the audience. The audience will be more convinced if the speaker has integrity because that will result in a built trust and respect between the two. If the speaker lies about something to the audience, not only is the interest lost but so is the willingness to believe anything that they
This discussion brings about an interesting view on similarity in relation to persuasion as expressed by O’Keefe (200), “The belief that greater similarity means greater effectiveness is an attractive one and is commonly reflected in recommendations that persuaders emphasize commonalities between themselves and the audience.” O’Keefe concludes
Persuasion is the concept of changing someone’s mind or supporting a certain value, belief, or behavior.
Authors and speakers alike use some type of persuasion on their intended audience. They often try to make you agree with their argument before considering other factors. Persuasive writing often has a copious amount of logical fallacies, defined by the Perdue Online Writing Lab as “errors in reasoning that will undermine the logic”, despite that they tend to have success with sympathetic audiences. Wendell Berry’s essay “The Whole Horse” is an example. Berry is likely to persuade his conservationist audience because of his use of emotive language.
Persuasion is a commonly used communication technique that allows us to socially influence a certain topic positively or negatively. Its purpose is to help affirm or nullify an idea, belief or attitude. Sometimes the exact topic is very detectable in communication such as during debates but other times it displayed a little more subtly. Persuasion is more than just verbally speaking. Non-verbal communication such as body language, tone and pitch of the voice can also add to the affirmation of the topic. The setting and location also help encourage the acceptance of what is being persuaded.
According to the text , Social Psychology, “social psychology is the scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another”(pg. 4) this is viewed in a variety of social topics incorporating group behaviors, attitudes, conformity, obedience to authority, stereotypes and peer pressure. Outside factors can have a positive or negative affect our view of ourselves and each other. These outside factors are used to persuade and influence group behavior. Persuasion is defined as “the process by which a message induces change in beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors” (Myers, 2010, pg. 230). The principles of this process of persuasion according to researchers, Robert Cialdini and Thomas Davidson, are attractiveness and likeability, reciprocity, social proof, consistency, authority, and scarcity (Davidson, 2008)(Myers, 2010, pg. 237). These principles of persuasion impact our self-perception, our attitudes and behaviors, and our culture.
As we worked our way through the semester we moved from the Change Project to the Public Argument. I was able to look back at how one essay was developed into multiple essays. The type of paper I was writing determined how I was able to persuade my audience. The audience of the papers changed throughout the semester making the way I developed my paper also changed. In one essay I used the sources to persuade the readers towards agreeing with me. In the other essay I used my own words and thoughts to grab the reader’s attention and have them agree with my point of view on the issue. While one essay was a more formal audience and another was more informal the both required persuasion and attention grabbers. One audience was grasped by the use of facts while the other was grasped by talking about experiences and explaining how the topic related to the audience. While the paper was different each paper required some type of persuasion.
Whether in business or casual communication, there are times when it is the goal of one or both parties to convince the other of a specific viewpoint. In such instances, one must be effective in presenting the view and why it should be valued over others. Robert Cialdini tells us that by following six principles attempts at persuasion can be made more effective (as cited by McLean, 2010). This paper will define the six principles and briefly discuss each of them. Then, an example will be provided, illustrating how they can be applied in context.
In closing, Persuasion is a powerful tool, both in trying to persuade others and being
Persuasion is an important aspect of communication, certainly a significant business activity. Regardless of whether this comes in the form of a sender influencing a party or the receiver itself is being influenced. Typically, this could come in the form of a salesman or, even a manager communicating with key stakeholders, such as potential investors.
persuasion on people you need to be familiar with the structure behind a persuasive message. It is important to identify which route is beingused (central or peripheral) and understand the effect of the communicator,the content of the message, the method of communication, and the reaction by the audience. Counterarguements in making a public commitment strengthen out resistance to persuasion.
The book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini illustrates the implementation of reciprocation, commitment and consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity. The book identifies these six principles as weapons of influence in aiding with persuasion. The following explains and applies each principle.