How can you change someone’s mind? mimiandeunice.com www.glogster.com themerelyreal.wordpress.com How can you change someone’s mind? pixshark.com An exploration into persuasive argument.

Toulmin Model of Argumentation: State your claim: your thesis idea. The thing you want people to either do or believe. A claim should: Name the responsible party (who should do it or think it…) Be an opinion (carefully worded to sound like a fact…) Be affirmative and positive (no “not” or “never”) Be controversial – meaning that there must be different ways of understanding/believing the statement Have only one primary objective – not several goals

Toulmin Model, cont. After stating your claim, you must present EVIDENCE and GROUNDS that prove your claim: Kinds of evidence: Interviews, statistics, quotes from knowledgeable people, charts or graphs, surveys, books, online articles, documentaries, newspapers or magazines, and experiments You must then include a warrant (bridge) after EVERY piece of evidence: An explanation of why or how your data and grounds and reasoning (evidence) supports your claim – it’s the underlying assumption that connects your evidence to your claim (This evidence clearly proves this claim because _____________.) THEN give a counterclaim/counter argument: A claim that negates or disagrees with your thesis/claim This is an anticipation of what your opponent might say in response to your claim! Rebuttal: THEN you will offer more evidence that negates or disagrees with that counterclaim! Conclusion wrap it up with a bow on top.

Audience Matters! Audience: The WHO you are trying to persuade! Examples: Peers Parents Teenagers Elderly Principal Teachers Officers Boss Siblings The WHO shapes the persuasive argument techniques and the evidence we use!

Figurative Language – you must use at least one in your speech! Non-literal language used to create a powerful image in your listeners’ minds – they create a deeper level of understanding Simile: A comparison of two different things using “like” or “as” Often will compare something unfamiliar or abstract with something familiar and concrete Example: That teacher is as wise as a Greek philosopher Metaphor: A comparison of two different things without using “like” or “as” State that something that is unfamiliar or abstract can actually be understood as something very familiar or concrete Example: The fading sunset oozed down towards the horizon. Personification: Attributing human characteristics to a non-human object Describe something non-human doing something human-like. Example: The tired desk groaned beneath the heft of the girthy teacher. Imagery: Vivid words or phrases that appeal to one or more of the five senses Example: The girl ran her fingertips across the soft, silky satin fabric and smelled the sweet, floral herbaciousness of the potpourri.

Other persuasive techniques: You must use at least one at least twice! Repetition: Repeating a word or exact phrase several times It spotlights the word or phrase and focuses the audience’s attention on that word or phrase It will sounds like a chorus that you repeat throughout the speech Restatement: Repeating an idea or concept but using different words Useful with difficult or abstract material Parallelism: Repetition of a phrase or part of a sentence in the exact same format several times Should occur in the same part of the sentence (parallel structure.) Ex: “…and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

3 Primary Means of Persuasion: Ethos: the trustworthiness or credibility of the writer or speaker or source. “Believe me because I am an expert, and I know what I’m talking about. I’ll show you the way. Trust me. I know what’s what.” Pathos: appealing to the listener's emotions. Appeal to the audience's sympathies and imagination – make them feel how you need them to feel and picture the situation in a particular way. “Feel how I feel (or want you to feel) about it because it’s the best way.” Logos: the use of undeniable logic and reasoning. The audience will see the clarity of my claim, the logic of my reasons, and the effectiveness of my supporting evidence. Then s/he won’t be able to see it any differently. I use facts and statistics to back up my claim.