ALL COMMUNICATION IS PERSUASION

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 All communication is persuasion

Persuasion is defined as a symbolic process that communicators attempt to influence

others to change their behavior or attitude concerning a certain issue, by conveying a message in

a free-choice atmosphere (Moyer‐Gusé & Dale, 2017). Understanding the process of persuasion

empowers an individual to influence others more significantly. Persuasion enables a person to

become a finer consumer of information and to pick apart logical and illogical messages. An

individual with a solid understanding of persuasion, therefore, has a superior grasp of the

activities that happen around him or her in the world. This essay presents my discernment of the

process of persuasion and offers a deep reflection of the definition thereof. In this essay, I argue

that all communication is persuasion and support the argument with examples in mass

communication, public, group, and interpersonal forms of communication.

All communication between an individual and his audience are based on issues that

necessitate the need to be persuasive. Miller & Levine, (2014), notes that for a communicator to

establish a strategic interaction between himself and his audience, he should have something to

speak about. For instance, a communicator with an intention to change the behavior of an

audience from consuming genetically modified products to consuming organic foods must make

effective use of persuasion to achieve his objective. This form of communication becomes more

meaningful to the audience and prompts them to start or increase the recommended behavior

which then compliments the communicator’s goal.

Communication depends on persuasion for a communicator and his listener to relate and

maintain a relationship. In a free-choice atmosphere, persuasion plays a key role in keeping alive

public communications (Wyer & Shrum, 2015). For instance, a business idea proposal to
potential investors can only be communicated effectively if elements of persuasion are integrated

into the conversation. Firstly, the communicator persuades his audience to be attentive. In doing

so, he or she establishes a relationship that can be built upon. To maintain the established

rapport, the communicator employs persuasive elements in his choice of verbal and non-verbal

cues to influence the thoughts and behavior of the potential investors to his advantage.

Persuasion provides an avenue for strategic interactions between a communicator and his

audience. In interpersonal communication, the process of persuasion enables individuals to

establish credibility and authority that in turn facilitate the involved persons to influence each

other’s behavior or attitude concerning issues of concern. Persuasive communication between the

involved persons enhances receptivity and thus enables a seamless flow of information (Larson,

2012). For instance, a communicator may attempt to change a listener’s belief in core positions

such as the existence of a universally superior being. In this context, all communication between

him and the listener is based on the extent of the persuasiveness of the ideas that are presented.

Successful communication relies on persuasion for the communicative message to

influence another person’s behavior. The social judgment theory conforms to this assertion since

it implies that people’s perceptions of beliefs and behaviors have life on a continuum that

includes latitude to reject, latitude not to commit, and latitude to accept (Martin & Tesser, 2013).

In this light, a message that is communicated persuasively succeeds if it falls on the listener’s

latitude to accept. For instance, a young audience may respond more positively to a message

proposing a vigorous exercise such as a jogging activity in contrast to an older audience.

In conclusion, this essay has argued that all communication is persuasion. The

presentation has drawn its basis on the elements of all communication between one party and the
other that calls for persuasion in order for communicative messages to have the desired impact

on the listener. Proponents of the idea believe that persuasion is not necessitated for all

communication as clarity of the message influences an audience in equal measure. This

perspective is clouded because the receptiveness of a message by an audience depends on the

extent of persuasion for it to influence others to change belief or attitude concerning a certain

issue.
 References

Miller, M. D., & Levine, T. R. (2014). Persuasion. An integrated approach to communication

theory and research (pp. 259-273). Routledge.

Larson, C. (2012). Persuasion: Reception and responsibility. Nelson Education.

Moyer‐Gusé, E., & Dale, K. (2017). Narrative persuasion theories. The international

encyclopedia of media effects, 1-11.

Persuasion: An Overview. Saylordotorg.github.io. (2020). Retrieved 19 June 2020, from

https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_stand-up-speak-out-the-practice-and-ethics-of-public-

speaking/s20-01-persuasion-an-overview.html#:~:text=Studying%20persuasion%20is

%20important%20today,of%20the%20world%20around%20us.

Martin, L. L., & Tesser, A. (2013). The construction of social judgments. Psychology Press.

Wyer Jr, R. S., & Shrum, L. J. (2015). The role of comprehension processes in communication

and persuasion. Media Psychology, 18(2), 163-195.