Persuasion Is All Around You Persuasion Is All Around You! Intro to Persuasive Techniques and Persuasive Writing “Can You Hear Me Now?”

What is Persuasion? A means of convincing people: to buy a certain product to believe something or act in a certain way to agree with a point of view THINK ABOUT. . .In what ways do people use persuasion on a daily basis? Write down as many examples (written or spoken) as you can think of The primary form of persuasion we experience on a daily basis is ADVERTISING!

Persuasion Activity #1 Opinion Statement #1: Opinion Statement #2: All public schools should require students to wear uniforms. Opinion Statement #2: Schools should require all students to submit to mandatory drug testing in order to be able to participate in interscholastic sports programs. For each statement, write down whether you agree or disagree with the opinion presented. Then, write down 3 reasons why you agree or disagree. Be prepared to share.

Common Persuasive (propaganda) Techniques Sweeping Generalization – making an oversimplified statement about a group based on limited information. Slogan – Using a catchy phrase or statement to gain the audience’s attention Repetition – persuading the audience by repeating the message (single words or phrases) multiple times. Bandwagon – persuading the audience to do, think, or buy something because it is popular or “everyone” is doing it. Testimonial – persuading the audience by using a famous or well- known person to endorse a product or idea. Emotional Appeal – persuading the audience by using words that appeal to their emotions instead of logic or reason. Parallelism: similar grammatical structures expressing related ideas

Common Persuasive (propaganda) Techniques Continued Expert Opinion – persuading the audience by using the ideas / opinions of experts in a particular field. Name Calling – an attack on a person or group of people instead of attacking the issue at hand. Red Herring – an attempt to distract the audience with details not relevant to the argument / issue at hand. Circular Argument – an argument that states a conclusion as part of the proof of the argument. Appeal to numbers, facts, statistics – persuading the audience by showing data that proves something to be true or valid. Rhetorical Questions: questions that are intended to have obvious answers; asked for effect

Persuasive Writing: Types of Appeals Good writers and good speakers use different types of appeals to convey their opinions and beliefs and to convince their audience to change their beliefs of behaviors. THREE TYPES OF APPEALS IN PERSUASIVE WRITING AND SPEAKING: LOGOS: Appeal to logic; the use of strategies / ideas that appeal to the audience’s sense of logic, reason, and common sense. ETHOS: Appeal to ethics; the use of strategies / ideas that appeal to the audience’s sense of ethics, credibility, reliability. PATHOS: Appeal to emotion; the use of strategies / ideas that appeal to the audience’s needs, values, and emotional sensibilities.

Slogan: “Can you hear me now?” A catchy phrase or statement often used to sell a service or a product

Repetition: The name of a product is repeated many times HEAD ON Apply directly to the forehead HEAD ON Apply directly to the forehead HEAD ON Apply directly to the forehead

Bandwagon A statement suggesting that everyone is using a specific product, so you should too

Testimonial A well-known person supports a product or service

Emotional Appeal A person is made to have strong feelings about a situation or product

Expert opinion Experts approve this product, so you should use it “Four out of five dentists recommend sugarless gum for their patients who chew gum”

Audience Awareness Effective Persuaders know how to: target their audiences use appropriate persuasive techniques

Who’s the audience?

Audience?

Audience? Purpose? Persuasive technique?

Audience? Purpose? Persuasive technique?

Audience? Purpose?

Audience? Purpose? Persuasive technique?

Audience? Persuasive technique?

Persuasion Activity Part 2: Use Persuasive Techniques / Appeals WITH YOUR PARTNER ANALYZE THE FOLLOWING : (15 points) 1. Examine the reasons you gave for either agreeing or disagreeing with each opinion statement. Answer the following questions about your reasons. 2. What persuasive technique or type of appeal is each reason? (label on your notebook paper) 3. What audience would most likely be impacted or swayed by your reasons? 4. Would your reasons be compelling enough to change someone’s mind? Why or why not? 5. What are some other current issues / topics that you feel strongly about? List at least 3.

Persuasion Activity #2: Analyze Advertising Find an advertisement online or in a magazine. PRINT AD VIDEO COMMERCIAL WITH YOUR PARTNER ANALYZE THE FOLLOWING : 1. What product / service is this ad trying to convince the audience to buy? 2. Who is the intended audience? 3. What persuasive / propaganda techniques are used in the ad (find as many as you can – there may be more than 1!) 4. Does this ad use persuasion / propaganda effectively? Why or why not? PRESENT YOUR EXAMPLE & ANALYSIS TO THE CLASS.