Methods of Persuasion
Building credibility
Using evidence
Reasoning
Appealing to emotions
Credibility
audience’s perception of whether a speaker is qualified to speak on a given topic
Ethos
name used by Aristotle for what modern students of communication refer to as credibility
Factors of Credibility
Competence
how an audience regards a speaker’s intelligence, expertise, and knowledge of the subject
Factors of Credibility
Character
how an audience regards a speaker’s sincerity, trustworthiness, and concern for the well-being of the audience
Types of Credibility
Initial
credibility of a speaker before she or he starts to speak
Types of Credibility
Derived
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Types of Credibility
Terminal
credibility of a speaker at the end of the speech
Tips for enhancing credibility
explain your competence
establish common ground with your audience
deliver your speeches fluently, expressively, and with conviction
Logos
logical appeal of a speaker. the two major elements of logos are evidence and reasoning
Evidence
supporting materials used to prove or disprove something
Reasoning
the process of drawing a conclusion on the basis of evidence
Tips for using evidence
use specific evidence
use novel evidence
use evidence from credible sources
make clear the point of your evidence
Four Types of Reasoning
Reasoning from specific instances
Reasoning that moves from particular facts to a general conclusion
Four Types of Reasoning
reasoning from principle
Reasoning that moves from a general principle to a specific conclusion
Four Types of Reasoning
causal reasoning
Reasoning that seeks to establish the relationship between causes and effects
Four Types of Reasoning
analogical reasoning
Reasoning in which a speaker compares two similar cases and infers that what is true for the first case is also true for the second.
Guidelines for Reasoning from specific instances
Avoid hasty generalizations
if your evidence does not justify a sweeping conclusion, qualify your argument
reinforce your argument with statistics or testimony
Guidelines for Reasoning from principle
make sure listeners will accept your general principle
provide evidence to support your minor premise
Guidelines for Causal Reasoning
avoid the fallacy of false cause
do not assume that events have only a single cause
Guidelines for Analogical reasoning
above all, make sure the two cases being compared are essentially alike
Fallacy
an error in reasoning
Hasty generalization
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False cause
mistakenly assumes that because one even follows another, the first even is the cause of the second
Invalid analogy
which the two cases being compared are not essentially alike
Red herring
introduces an irrelevant issue to divert attention from the subject under discussion
Ad hominem
attacks the person rather than dealing with the real issue in dispute
Either-Or
forces listeners to choose between two alternatives when more than who alternatives exist
Bandwagon
assumes that because something is popular, it is therefore good, correct, or desirable
Slippery Slope
assumes that taking a first step will lead to subsequent steps that cannot be prevented
Emotional Appeals
appeals that are intended to make listeners feel sad, angry, guilty, afraid, happy, proud, sympathetic, reverent, or the like