TODAY  Produce Show  NOTES: Propaganda techniques  Read and discuss: Frank Luntz’s “The 11 Words of 2011”  HOMEWORK:  “Postable” article  Come up with ideas with segment before end of semester! Festivus: A non-denominational holiday to be celebrated by those frustrated or jaded with the commercialism and pressure surrounding the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa season. Festivus is only 9 days away!

Logical Arguments  Logical arguments are statements made up of opinions which can be supported by REASONS and EVIDENCE.  Succeeds with… Reasons - statements that justify or support an action or belief. Evidence - language consisting of facts, opinions, statistics, examples, anecdotes, or quotations, etc., to support a reason.

Flawed Persuasive Techniques Testimonial  This technique uses the transfer method of persuasion. An authoritative source or celebrity will endorse a product, and the advertisers hope to make positive connections or transfers between you, the celebrity and the product. You buy because you want to be like the endorser.  [Example] Pro athletes that endorse Nike: If you buy/wear these shoes, you’ll be like them.

Flawed Persuasive Techniques Bandwagon  This is a technique that encourages people to act because everyone else is doing so. It plays on our fear of being left out. Example: “Everyone is dressing up on Classy Wednesday. If you don’t want to be the only one left out, you need to join in.”

Flawed Persuasive Techniques Card Stacking  Presenting only partial information which gives an inaccurate or slanted impression. Example: “Vote for Phil Davison for Stark County treasurer because he has several Master’s Degrees.” (Not said: He is nuts.)

Flawed Persuasive Techniques Loaded Language/Name Calling  Words that create a strong positive or negative attitude--toward a person, group, product or thing--through the effect of the words’ connotations. (Ex: pushy vs. confident) Example: “Do you really want some Socialist Muslim running our country?”

Flawed Persuasive Techniques Circular Reasoning  What may look like a reason is simply restating the speaker’s opinion. Example: “Our dress code should be abolished because dress codes should be abolished in the modern world.”

Flawed Persuasive Techniques Stereotypes Example: All tall people play basketball. A biased belief or attitude about an entire group of people, based on insufficient evidence.

Flawed Persuasive Techniques Faulty Reasoning  Begging the Question: Assumptions that imply the truth of a statement before it is proven. EXAMPLE: “You need to be wide awake during your exams, so be sure to drink lots of caffeine and you’ll get a good grade.”  Irrelevant Evidence: Impressive information that may have nothing to do with the argument being made. EXAMPLE: “The merchandise at Designer Mart is top quality; the products are shipped from all over the world.”

Flawed Persuasive Techniques Faulty Reasoning [cont.]  False Premise: An implied starting point for an argument or case which is an untrue, distorted, or unproven assumption. EXAMPLE: “The teachers at this school are the best in the county….The students’ standardized test scores are top notch.”