Chapter 16 Summary

There are a number of effective strategies you can use to develop and deliver a persuasive speech that require attention to the specific persuasion strategies as well as the conditions that determine their potential persuasive effectiveness. The first important aspect to consider is the ethos of the speaker, which can be established through identification or by bolstering credibility. Building arguments through what Aristotle calls logos requires both quality of argument and the quantity of arguments. Also consider the variety of evidence: using both narrative and statistical evidence makes your argument stronger.

In addition to ethos and logos, think about the effect of pathos, or emotional appeals. Appeals to emotions like hope or guilt can be persuasive. A common emotion involved in persuasion is fear, which makes a threat feel personal to listeners, but in order for fear appeals to work, the audience must feel vulnerable, there must be a clear recommendation to avoiding or lessoning the fear, and that recommendation must be perceived as effective. Listeners must also perceive that they can perform the recommended actions, and fear appeals are more persuasive when backed by a quality argument. Besides fear, appeals to anger can also motivate listeners, but it can also backfire: the anger activism model posits that when using anger to provoke constructive behavior change, the audience needs to agree with the persuasive message, the responding anger is moderate, and the audience members perceives routes for constructive action. The ethical case of using emotion in persuasive speaking is based upon the recognition that emotional appeals should not be used instead of logic and evidence.

Pay careful attention to how you frame or reframe your issue. One way to persuade an audience is the create cognitive dissonance by pointing out inconsistencies in attitude and behavior. Also consider the contrast effect, or door-in-the-face strategy, where a second option is presented after a much larger or more difficult first request. Arguments are also more effective when you effectively refute opposing arguments, called a two-sided persuasive message. The steps to refuting an opposing argument include stating the opposing argument, stating your reaction to the opposing argument, supporting your response with reasoning and evidence, and indicating what effect opposing arguments have had on the strength of your case.