Methods of Persuasion

1. Methods of Persuasion Thinking about Persuasion

2. Research has shown that a speaker’s initial credibility can have great impact on how the speaker’s ideas are received by listeners. speaker’s credibility will vary from topic to topic speaker’s credibility will vary from audience to audience. Thinking about Persuasion

3. Initial Credibility For each speaker, identify the topic in the right-hand column on which she or he would have the highest initial credibility for your class. Then explain how the speaker’s initial credibility might be affected if the speaker were discussing the topic in the right-hand column directly across from her or his name. Thinking about Persuasion

4. Speakers, Topics, and Initial Credibility Thinking about Persuasion

5. Kinds of Reasoning According to a study by the American Medical Association, men with bald spots have three times the risk of heart attack as men with a full head of hair. Strange as it may seem, it looks as if baldness is a cause of heart attacks. Causal Reasoning Weakness? Fallacy? Thinking about Persuasion

6. Kinds of Reasoning There can be no doubt that the use of cell phones by drivers is a major cause of motor vehicle accidents. In New York, five friends who had just graduated from high school died in a head-on collision with a truck when the car driver lost control while using her phone to send a text message. In Colorado, a 17-year-old was using his cell phone when he struck and killed a bicyclist. In Massachusetts, a man driving an SUV killed a 13-year-old boy playing by the road. When police caught up to the driver, he said he was distracted by his cell phone and thought he had hit a mailbox. Reasoning from Specifics Weaknesses? Fallacies? Thinking about Persuasion

7. Kinds of Reasoning (1) The United States Constitution guarantees all citizens the right to bear arms. (2) Gun control legislation infringes on the right of citizens to bear arms. (3) Therefore, gun control legislation is contrary to the Constitution. Reasoning from Principle Valid reasoning: judged by form of argument, not content. Thinking about Persuasion

8. Kinds of Reasoning All movie stars live in Hollywood. Gwyneth Paltrow is a movie star. Therefore, Gwyneth Paltrow lives in Hollywood. Reasoning from Principle Valid argument, but not sound. Based on false major premise. Thinking about Persuasion

9. Kinds of Reasoning To be elected a United States Senator a person must be at least 30 years of age. Hillary Clinton was elected a United States Senator. Therefore, Hillary Clinton is at least 30 years of age. Reasoning from Principle Valid argument, also sound. Based on true premises. Thinking about Persuasion

10. Kinds of Reasoning (1) The United States Constitution guarantees all citizens the right to bear arms. (2) Gun control legislation infringes on the right of citizens to bear arms. (3) Therefore, gun control legislation is contrary to the Constitution. Reasoning from Principle Valid reasoning: judged by form of argument, not content. Thinking about Persuasion

11. Kinds of Reasoning Almost every industrialized nation in the world except for the United States has a national curriculum and national tests to help ensure that schools throughout the country are meeting high standards of education. If such a system can work elsewhere, it can work in the United States as well. Analogical reasoning Are the factors that allow a national curriculum to work in other countries present in the U.S.? Thinking about Persuasion

12. Applying Persuasion to Everyday Life As the service manager for a local home improvement company, you have been pleased to see your company expand its size and scope, but you don’t want that growth to come at the expense of customer service. In particular, you’re worried about losing touch with one of the company’s key demographics—women, who make up 55 percent of your customer base. To prevent this from happening, you have developed a plan for a range of personalized services targeted at women, including one-on-one teaching of do-it-yourself skills and free in-home consultations. Thinking about Persuasion

13. Fallacies of Reasoning When you present your plan at a meeting of the company’s management team, you listen as one executive argues in opposition. Among his points are the following: If your plan is adopted, customers will expect more and more special services and eventually will demand free installation of flooring and carpeting; Because a majority of the management team opposes your plan, it must not be a good idea; One of your competitors tried a customer service plan specifically for women, but it did not succeed; therefore, your plan is doomed to failure. Slippery slope Bandwagon Invalid analogy Thinking about Persuasion

14. Fallacies Worksheet I don’t see any reason to wear a helmet when I ride a bike. Everyone bikes without a helmet. Bandwagon Thinking about Persuasion

15. Fallacies Worksheet It’s ridiculous to worry about protecting America’s national parks against pollution and overuse when innocent people are being endangered by terrorists. Red herring Thinking about Persuasion

16. Fallacies Worksheet There can be no doubt that the Great Depression was caused by Herbert Hoover. He became President in March 1929, and the stock market crashed just seven months later. False Cause Thinking about Persuasion

17. Fallacies Worksheet If we allow the school board to spend money remodeling the gymnasium, next they will want to build a new school and give all the teachers a huge raise. Taxes will soar so high that businesses will leave and then there will be no jobs for anyone in this town. Slippery slope Thinking about Persuasion

18. Fallacies Worksheet Raising a child is just like having a pet—you need to feed it, play with it, and everything will be fine. False analogy Thinking about Persuasion

19. Fallacies Worksheet I can’t support Representative Frey’s proposal for campaign finance reform. After all, he was kicked out of law school for cheating on an exam. Ad hominem Thinking about Persuasion

20. Fallacies Worksheet One nonsmoker, interviewed at a restaurant, said, “I can eat dinner just fine even though people around me are smoking.” Another, responding to a Los Angeles Times survey, said, “I don’t see what all the fuss is about. My wife has smoked for years and it has never bothered me.” We can see, then, that secondhand smoke does not cause a problem for most nonsmokers. Hasty generalization Thinking about Persuasion

21. Fallacies Worksheet Our school must either increase tuition or cut back on library services for students. Either-or Thinking about Persuasion

22. Isn’t persuasion interesting? Thinking about Persuasion