WHAT IS PERSUASION?

Persuasion

If any issue is both serious and debatable, people naturally align themselves in 3 ways:

1.) some strongly favor the idea pro view = proponent (for the idea)

2.) some strongly oppose the idea con view = opponents (con-contra: against the idea)

3.) some are uncertain or undecided neither for the idea nor against the idea

What differentiates the two lists?

List A List B

• Should women be expected to fight and die on the battlefield in

defense of their country?

• Should tighter regulations be imposed upon the general public

with regard to access to our national forests?

•Should our school be painted blue or brown?

•Which animal makes a better pet: dog or cat?

• Which fast-food industry giant makes the best burger?

What persuasion is and is not:

Persuasion IS: Persuasion IS NOT:

•mind-changing•convincing•getting a reader to admit that a certain view might make sense

•a matter of right or wrong•a matter of personal preference

The magic word in persuasion is REASONS.

If you want to sway or change a reader’s thinking, you need to give him/her good reasons.

In fact, the more good reasons you can offer a reader the more inclined the person is to make a change.

*Go back to the passage on page 10. Identify the reasons the author gives to sway the reader.

Complete “What Is Persuasion?”

The practice worksheet is for you to distinguish a serious, debatable topic from a matter of personal preference.

Read through each topic (question).

Then place a P for personal preference issue or D for serious and debatable issue on the line.

On a separate sheet of paper, put a D or P.

Commercials Persuasive Techniques Directions: Watch the short advertisement clips shown. Then:

Identify the commercial. Identify the purpose of each advertisement. Identify what they are trying to convince you to believe or to do. Identify how they are trying to convince/ persuade of this (bring specific examples).

Commercial #1: The purpose of this commercial is ___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

This advertisement is trying to convince the audience that/to ________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

They do this in the commercial by : or How is the commercial getting the audience’s attention? What kinds of things are shown that make the viewer want to buy their product? How does the commercial try to convince or persuade the audience? What kinds of things are shown or said to make the viewer want to buy their product? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

 

Commercial #2:

The purpose of this commercial is ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This advertisement is trying to convince the audience that/to ________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

They do this in the commercial by : ___________________________________________________________________________

__ ___________________________________________________________________________

__ ___________________________________________________________________________

__

Commercial #3:

The purpose of this commercial is ___________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

This advertisement is trying to convince the audience that/to ________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

They do this in the commercial by : _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________