Where do we find persuasion?

• Adver3sements
• Marke3ng - Viral (Buzz) marke3ng
• Social Media
• Science
• Arts
• Interpersonal seCngs
• Literature
• Architecture & city planning
• Traffic engineering etc
 Why study persuasion?:
Benefits of Studying Persuasion

• Instrumental func3on
• Knowledge and awareness func3on
• The defensive func3on
• The debunking func3on
 Some cri3cisms

• Does learning about persuasion foster

manipula3on?
• Are persuasion findings too inconsistent
and confusing?
 Persuasion vs. Propaganda

• Propaganda has a strong ideological bent

• Propaganda is ins3tu3onal in nature
• Propaganda involves mass persuasion
• Propaganda tends to rely on ethically
suspect methods of influence
 The Ethics of Persuasion
• Is persuasion in general unethical?
• What determines ethical or not is oQen mo3ve.
• Persuasion research is to understand the
process of persuasion and not morality of
persuasion.
• What is ethical varies depending on culture,
one’s views on ethics, and 3me ! You will have
to use your own conscience to be the judge
 TARES test for PR Professionals
• T: Is the claim truthful?
• A: Is the claim authen*c?
• R: Does the adver3sement treat the receiver
with respect?
• E: Is there equity between the adver3ser/
public rela3ons specialist and the consumer?
• S: Is the adver3sement socially responsible?
 What is persuasion?

An example of a defini3on
“Human communica3on designed to
influence others by modifying their
beliefs, values , or aCtudes.” (Simons,
1976, p. 21)
 What is persuasion?
An example of a defini3on
“Persuasion involves one or more persons
who are engaged in the ac3vity of crea3ng,
reinforcing, modifying, or ex3nguishing
beliefs, aCtudes, inten3ons, mo3va3ons,
and/or behaviors with constraints of a given
communica3on context.” (Gass and Seiter,
2007)
 What is persuasion?
• Muffin no3ces a grubby-looking weirdo in one
of the front seats of the bus she is boarding.
She opts for a seat toward the rear of the bus.
Did the man “persuade” her to sit elsewhere?
 What is persuasion?
• Benny Bigot is the principal speaker at a park
rally to recruit more members to the American
Nazi party. Many of the people who hear
Benny are so turned off by his speech that
they are more an3-Nazi than they were before
they adended the really. Did Benny
“persuade” them?
 What is persuasion?
• During a drama3c pause in his lecture for his
3-hour night class, Professor Hohum hears a
student’s stomach growling. The professor
then decides it would be a good 3me for the
class to take a break. Did the student
“persuade” professor Hohum?
 What is persuasion?
• Babbs is standing at a street corner, watching
passersby. The first three people she sees are
wearing sweatshirts with poli3cal and/or
social slogans emblazoned across the front.
The fourth person to pass by is wearing a plain
white T-shirt . Are the first three people
“persuading” Babbs? Is the fourth?
 What is persuasion?
• Sheldon makes a new year’s resolu3on to go
on a diet. To remind himself not to snack, he
s3cks a picture of a male model with “six
pack” abs on his refrigerator. Later, when he
has an ice cream craving, he sees the picture
and decides to have an apple instead. Did
Sheldon “persuade” himself?
 What is persuasion?
• Bubba is at the supermarket, pondering which
of two brands of beer to purchase. AQer
studying both brands aden3vely, he opts for
an imported brand. Unbeknownst to him,
another shopper observed his delibera3ons.
That shopper then walks over to the display
and selects the same brand. Did “persuasion”
take place?
Pure vs. Borderline Case of Persuasioin
 Components of Persuasion

• Inten3onality
• Effects
• Free will and conscious awareness
• Symbolic ac3on
• Interpersonal vs. intrapersonal
Enhanced Model of Persuasion
 Context of Persuasion

• Number of communicators
• Synchronous/Asynchronous
• Ra3o of Verbal/nonverbal
• Media3on
• Goals of Par3cipants
• Socio-cultural factors
Gass & Seiter Model of Persuasion
 So, what isn’t persuasion?

Communica3on vs. Behavior