Download Common Persuasive Techniques

Persuasion Is All Around You!
Intro to Persuasive Techniques and
Persuasive Writing
“Can You Hear Me Now?”
What is Persuasion?
A means of convincing people:
 to buy a certain product
 to believe something or act in a certain way
 to agree with a point of view
 THINK ABOUT. . .In what ways do people use
persuasion on a daily basis? Write down as many
examples (written or spoken) as you can think of
 The primary form of persuasion we experience on
a daily basis is ADVERTISING!
Persuasion Activity #1
Opinion Statement #1:
All public schools should require students to wear uniforms.
Opinion Statement #2:
Schools should require all students to submit to mandatory drug testing
in order to be able to participate in interscholastic sports programs.
For each statement, write down whether you agree or
disagree with the opinion presented. Then, write down
3 reasons why you agree or disagree. Be prepared to
share.
Common Persuasive (propaganda)
Techniques
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Sweeping Generalization – making an oversimplified statement
about a group based on limited information.
Slogan – Using a catchy phrase or statement to gain the audience’s
attention
Repetition – persuading the audience by repeating the message (single
words or phrases) multiple times.
Bandwagon – persuading the audience to do, think, or buy something
because it is popular or “everyone” is doing it.
Testimonial – persuading the audience by using a famous or wellknown person to endorse a product or idea.
Emotional Appeal – persuading the audience by using words that
appeal to their emotions instead of logic or reason.
Parallelism: similar grammatical structures expressing related
ideas
Common Persuasive (propaganda)
Techniques Continued
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Expert Opinion – persuading the audience by using the ideas /
opinions of experts in a particular field.
Name Calling – an attack on a person or group of people
instead of attacking the issue at hand.
Red Herring – an attempt to distract the audience with details
not relevant to the argument / issue at hand.
Circular Argument – an argument that states a conclusion as
part of the proof of the argument.
Appeal to numbers, facts, statistics – persuading the
audience by showing data that proves something to be true or
valid.
Rhetorical Questions: questions that are intended to
have obvious answers; asked for effect
Persuasive Writing: Types of Appeals
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Good writers and good speakers use different types of appeals to
convey their opinions and beliefs and to convince their audience to
change their beliefs of behaviors.
• THREE TYPES OF APPEALS IN PERSUASIVE WRITING AND
SPEAKING:
• LOGOS: Appeal to logic; the use of strategies / ideas that
appeal to the audience’s sense of logic, reason, and
common sense.
• ETHOS: Appeal to ethics; the use of strategies / ideas that
appeal to the audience’s sense of ethics, credibility,
reliability.
• PATHOS: Appeal to emotion; the use of strategies / ideas
that appeal to the audience’s needs, values, and emotional
sensibilities.
Slogan: “Can you hear me now?”
A catchy phrase or statement often used to
sell a service or a product
Repetition:
The name of a product is repeated many times
HEAD ON Apply
directly to the
forehead
HEAD ON Apply
directly to the
forehead
HEAD ON Apply
directly to the
forehead
Bandwagon
A statement suggesting that everyone is
using a specific product, so you should
too
Testimonial
A well-known person supports a product
or service
Emotional Appeal
A person is made to have strong feelings
about a situation or product
Expert opinion
Experts approve this product, so you
should use it
“Four out of five dentists recommend
sugarless gum for their patients who
chew gum”
Audience Awareness
Effective Persuaders know how to:
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target their audiences
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use appropriate persuasive techniques
Who’s the audience?
Audience?
Audience?
Purpose?
Persuasive
technique?
Audience?
Purpose?
Persuasive
technique?
Audience?
Purpose?
Audience?
Purpose?
Persuasive
technique?
Audience?
Persuasive
technique?
Persuasion Activity Part 2: Use Persuasive
Techniques / Appeals
◦ WITH YOUR PARTNER ANALYZE THE FOLLOWING : (15 points)
◦ 1. Examine the reasons you gave for either agreeing or
disagreeing with each opinion statement. Answer the following
questions about your reasons.
◦ 2. What persuasive technique or type of appeal is each reason?
(label on your notebook paper)
◦ 3. What audience would most likely be impacted or swayed by
your reasons?
◦ 4. Would your reasons be compelling enough to change
someone’s mind? Why or why not?
◦ 5. What are some other current issues / topics that you feel
strongly about? List at least 3.
Persuasion Activity #2: Analyze Advertising
Find an advertisement online or in a magazine.
◦ PRINT AD
◦ VIDEO
◦ COMMERCIAL
◦ WITH YOUR PARTNER ANALYZE THE FOLLOWING :
◦ 1. What product / service is this ad trying to convince the
audience to buy?
◦ 2. Who is the intended audience?
◦ 3. What persuasive / propaganda techniques are used in the ad
(find as many as you can – there may be more than 1!)
◦ 4. Does this ad use persuasion / propaganda effectively? Why or
why not?
◦ PRESENT YOUR EXAMPLE & ANALYSIS TO THE CLASS.