persuasive essay topics

persuasive essay topics

Exploring the Power of Persuasion: Key Concepts and Techniques

1. Introduction to Persuasion

The reason it is important to stress persuasion as a particular type of communication is because it is communicational in nature, not the message that makes the difference but the way it is presented. There is no question that outward aspects, what we call cues of communication, are of paramount importance in determining how a message will be received. There is no doubt in my mind that the person who discovers the means of communicating effectively will be the person who will close the gap. The emphasis in this book is on a communication approach to persuasion and attitude change. It is important to stress a communication approach because as strange as it may appear, the academic researchers have only recently come to the realization that persuasion is a type of communication, and as such may be studied in the same more or less understandable way as other communication. Prior to this time persuasion is conceptually part of the study of attitudes and is concerned with the conditions under which attitudes are formed and developed. However, the establishment of the organizing concept of attitude change research within the field of social psychology has virtually eliminated research concerned with persuasion as a form of communication from major theoretical concern. We can only hope for progress toward scientific understanding of how words and messages may effect changes in the thoughts and actions of individuals. But as of today we are still uninformed. The study of advertising, which is largely the study of messages designed to induce consumers to endow what they own, has helped us to understand how individuals may be made to interpret a message or to read it in various ways thus ensures that communication and not the stimulus message is always the biologist in determining the single margins of the communication process. Furthermore with some limitations of permit all excellent in the mature ideas of modern propaganda will be used loftily, at that time of the modern children, without the intended qualities of Kirk, Adorno and Lasse, and even blood has rebelled. Hence FCR functioning has been eminently responsible for this practical step with which has always faith in mankind and in free information. In all case the principal of communicational research and the method of studying them remain the same. Only by asking the right question is at all to arrive at an appropriate scientific description of persuasion and cannot be put on the same footing of the many studies on the outcome of the process. Only by understanding the process can we contribute to the understanding of the effects, if any, that the act shows characteristic which superimpose it over other form of communication, it is a cognitive and affective process. Its development is modulated by the situational context as well as by the communicational context, and its effectiveness depends strongly on the self-efficacy of the two conversational partners: the speaker and the persuasion target.

2. Understanding the Psychology of Persuasion

Although the binding codes of a decision take place within highly complex areas such as message and medium effects, as understood by others, reinforce a sense of confidence is also important to a broader understanding of the process. Failing to realize and respect that which is most important is the major misunderstanding about the dynamics of the persuasion process.

Such a general unsteadiness leads to such easily made thoughtless decisions about modes of communication distribution and communication appeal. The decision trap is subtle but overpowering. Pinned in by the lack of detailed, outcome-oriented knowledge, persuasion professionals rely on assumptions and hunches for guidance on decisions directly associated with the most basic goals of their craft.

This is a disturbing and critical weakness because persuasion professionals confront the world in terms of outcome variables. Their packages, platforms, and campaign mix are designed to achieve specific effects such as product purchase, candidate votes, or modification in behavior. Yet the results of research focused on these feast or famine variables are not as plentiful as one might expect. Perhaps more importantly, when they do occur, they are often limited and inadequate. Their lack of detail and depth leaves persuasion professionals unsteady while making decisions about packaging, placement, and advertising content.

Social science research on marketing has been remarkably shallow. Professionals and activists have been swamped by the flooding amount of available data about mass communication. The tide of mass communication research speaks about specifics of message receivers in only trickles. As a result of this general emphasis, innumerable investigations have either limited their inquiries to message variables or have explored audience-related factors disproportionately.

Among the findings of social psychology’s massive study of the principles of influence are the six key principles most frequently used by influence professionals. For decades, social psychology has provided real insights that the world of commerce has either minimized or unrealized completely. Nonetheless, the knowledge is there, and its great worth reveals itself when this hidden world becomes not so hidden. For those who care to look, unparalleled depth of expertise awaits in the essential psychological processes operative in the lives of each of the potential clients and customers with whom a persuasion professional must communicate.

Researchers in social psychology have identified multiple principles of influence, yet practitioners remain largely unaware of these principles. This oversight in our understanding has led to a large body of research that is virtually unknown outside of the field. Consequently, these research insights, which highlight the basic psychological processes that guide people’s actions in response to the actions of others, have gone largely overlooked.

3. Effective Persuasion Techniques

Harmony is the number one foundation to every purchasing decision. People do business with those they know, like, and trust. A customer who is not 100% comfortable with their salesperson will not buy. Good salespeople are honest, ethical, and ensure that their customers have all the pertinent information which will affect their purchasing decisions. This enables the consumer to process the “claim” of the product, service, or idea and ensure that it is within their “capability” to purchase it; which in turn minimizes buyer’s remorse, delivered promise, and increases the relationships with the buyer. And it begins with establishing a bond and being nice to one another. According to Gordon G. Wyle, successful salespersons have been found to be more considerate than average in dealing with others, including the customer.

Persuasion tactics are used to achieve a desired attitude or behavior in others, and there are many ways to go about achieving this. Effective persuasion tactics take into account the characteristics of the person or group that is the target or the source of influence attempts. A successful persuasive appeal will be accepted by the audience. In sales, or even just day-to-day life, we depend on at least three persuasive tactics. First, we must know our audience. What makes them tick? Why do our friends always want to eat at a certain place? Because after eating there once, it met their expectations. An effective salesperson depends on this same scientific application – rapport building and relationship selling. They begin with a common bond. As mentioned in previous chapters, perceptions are in the mind of the beholder and are the awareness of objects through our five senses. It is literally not what you say but how it is perceived by the listener. If they do not understand you, it will not persuade them to buy.

4. Ethical Considerations in Persuasion

Ethical standards are shaping American society with increasing vigor. We should indicate a few ethical considerations that are most likely to confront those engaged in persuasive undertakings. Certainly one of the most relevant concepts concerns the issue of manipulation. We must always be wary of those who attempt to alter another’s behavior by distorting information, withholding pertinent facts, or checking the ability of the recipient to resist the persuasive efforts. We must also be concerned about so-called subtle coercion, where seemingly innocent persuasive efforts lead to significant violations of an individual’s free will. The total communicative episode from planning to the display of persuasive effects is the environment where responsibility to communicate resides. Social, economic, legal, and psychological conditions all play a role in determining the nature and extent of these responsibilities.

Persuasion in the communication process models persuasion as an element of the broader communication process. Persuasion is viewed as a process involving audiences engaged in modified decision making. Persuasion is a goal directly aimed at reinforcing, altering, or modifying attitudes, behavior, and knowledge. Persuasion employs an assortment of media and a wide variety of persuasive appeals. Key elements in the communication process are messages, identification of audiences, and sources. Ethical issues are sensitized by the acknowledged intent of persuasion, ethical concerns related to source strategies, and the ethical implications of persuasive appeals and issues.

5. The Impact of Persuasion in Various Spheres

For example, lawyers and diplomats require expertise in persuasion. Businesses spend billions of dollars annually on advertising. Schools and universities dedicate substantial time and energy to increasing students’ critical abilities with respect to advertisements and politics. Parents wish to ensure that their children can accurately perceive liars and be resistant to deceit. Educators and trainers attempt to motivate students. Public relations and marketing professionals seek to enhance credibility in the eyes of their publics. Salespeople set out to adjust beliefs and attitudes in hopes of gaining customers. Ministers seek to convey spiritual messages with clarity and convincingness. Each of these people, as well as a vast number of others, depends at some point on the power of persuasive communication to help define, create, or increase a desired outcome.

Although current researchers often take an interdisciplinary approach to studying persuasion, persuasion itself is not limited to the sphere of rhetoric. Indeed, an almost bewildering array of disciplines and subdisciplines – various fields of psychology, communication, political science, social psychology, anthropology, and cultural studies, among others – frequently employ the concept of persuasion or engage in the study of some facet of its role in daily life, all in an effort to explore how people interact and influence one another. In everyday life, people frequently invest large amounts of time, money, and effort to learn what it takes to be persuasive.