Chapter 14 Persuasive Presentations What is Persuasion Persuasion

Chapter 14: Persuasive Presentations

What is Persuasion? • Persuasion is communication intended to influence choice. – To persuade is to limit the options that are perceived as acceptable. – Persuasion is not coercion. • Receivers weigh the logic and evidence and make their own decisions.

Types of Persuasive Presentations • Presentation to convince – You want your audience to agree with your way of thinking; you aren’t asking your audience to do anything other than agree with you. • Presentation to actuate – You want your audience to go one step past agreement to take a particular action

Four Main Factors of Persuasion • Logos – Evidence and logic of the message • Ethos – Credibility of the persuader • Pathos – Psychological needs of listeners • Opinions – Those held by key people in the audience

Evidence & Logic • Evidence is defined as factual statements and opinions originating, not from the speaker, but from another source. – Evidence is the basis for the logical arguments a speaker develops. • Logic (Greek word logos or reason) is the study of orderly thinking – the sequence and connection of thoughts and ideas as they relate to one another.

Fallacious Reasoning • Ad hominem- attacking the person rather than the argument • Ad populum- arguing that because everyone knows an idea is right, it cant be wrong • Ad ignoratam- arguing that because no one can prove that a particular belief is false, it must be true • Begging the question- asserting that something is because it is • Hasty generalization- basing a general conclusion on too few examples or on isolated examples • Post hoc- claiming a causal relationship simply because one event followed another event • Slippery Slope- asserting that taking a particular step automatically will lead to a second undesirable step.

Speaker Credibility • A credible person is someone whom others view as believable—someone in whom they can place their confidence. – Trustworthiness – Competency – Dynamism – Objectivity – Organizational Rank – Credibility

Psychological Needs of Listeners • Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs – Physiological Needs • Food, shelter, clothing, water, sleep, sexual attraction – Safety Needs • Job, financial security, law & order – Social Needs • Love, companionship, friendship – Esteem Needs • Pride, recognition from others, status & prestige – Self-actualization Needs • Becoming the best person one can

Persuasive Presentations: Preparation Steps • • Step 1: Analyze your audience and their needs Step 2: Write your exact purpose as a position statement Step 3: Determine your initial credibility Step 4: Research your topic and choose your presentation method Step 5: Decide how to organize your presentation Step 6: Prepare and Outline or Storyboard Step 7: Review your presentation to ensure it is ethical Step 8: Practice your presentation to gain confidence