ENGF103 MODULE

HOW DO PEOPLE PROCESS PERSUASIVE MESSAGE

CENTRAL ROUTE

The logical argument that supports your needs.
Intense and time-consuming
Logos

PERIPHERAL ROUTE

Relies on simple cues, competence, credibility & character
(ethos) gut check about what the listener feels (pathos)

What determines whether we use the central/peripheral route is how important
we perceive the issue to be for us?
When we feel involved- central route.
When we feel the issue is less important we take the peripheral route.

EXAMPLE

Serious chronic illness that is expensive to treat.

You are likely to pay attention if you
are unhealthy and evaluate for
yourself any proposal to change your
health care benefits.

You quickly agree with whatever
someone you perceive as credible or
go along with a proposal that seems
more compassionate

THE RHETORICAL STRATEGY OF LOGOS- LOGICAL ARGUMENT

TWO TYPES OF REASONING

INDUCTIVE: General conclusion based on several pieces of specific evidence to
reach a general conclusion.
DEDUCTIVE: Based on the premises (Facts and Evidence) to form a general
conclusion.

EXAMPLE

INDUCTIVE (S- G) DEDUCTIVE (G-S)

Evidence: Major Premis (General Facts)
1.Jim's car is missing at slow speed. Cars need a tune-up when the engine
2.Jim's car is stalling at stoplights. misses consistently at slow speeds.
Minor Premis (Evidence)
Logical conclusion: Jim's car is missing at slow speeds.
Jim's car needs a tune up. Logical conclusion:
Jim's car needs a tune up.

FORMING ARGUMENTS

CLAIM SUPPORT WARRANT

Derive from thesis Evidence-based on Link claim & support
research

EXAMPLE Microsoft and Apple should consider providing their Operating System to
THESIS any students enrolled in college for free

CLAIM Microsoft and Apple should consider providing their Operating System to
any students enrolled in college for free.

SUPPORT i Benefits students > (prove based on research) reduce cost fee from
students' ledger balance.
ii. Benefits the companies > (prove based on research) builds larger
audience based on number of students.

WARRANT Therefore, both companies should consider providing their OS to college
students as it benefits both sides, the students and the companies.

TYPES AND TEST OF ARGUMENTS

ARGUING FROM SIGN

Supports a claim by providing evidence that events that signal the
claim have occurred.
Claim: You have had an allergic reaction.
Support: A. You have hives.

B. You have a slight fever.
Warrant: Hives and a slight fever are signs of an allergic reaction.

ARGUING FROM EXAMPLE

Argue from example when the support statements you use are examples
of the claim you are making.

Claim Juanita Martinez is electable.
Support: Juanita has won previous elections.

A. Juanita won the election for treasurer of her high school
junior class.
B. Juanita won the election for chairperson of her church
youth group.
C. Juanita won the election for president of her sorority.
Warrant: (Because Juanita Martinez was elected to previous offices,
she is electable for this office.)

ARGUING FROM ANALOGY

You argue from analogy when you support a claim with a single comparable example that is so
significantly similar to the subject of the claim as to be strong proof.

The general statement of a warrant for an argument from analogy is:
"What is true for situation A will also be true in situation B, which is similar to situation A" or
"What is true for situation A will be true in all similar situations."

Example: Claim: The complex universe system is created by someone of higher power
Support: The universe is a complex system like a watch. We wouldn't think that a
watch can come about by accident. Something so complicated must have
been created by someone.
Warrant: The universe is a lot more complicated, so it must have been created by a
being who is a lot more intelligent

.

ARGUING FROM CAUSATION

You argue from causation when you support a claim by citing events that have occurred
that result in the claim.
Reasoning from causation says that one or more of the events cited always (or almost
always) brings about, leads to, or creates or prevents a predictable effect or set of
effects.

Claim: Home sales will increase.
Support: Mortgage interest rates have dropped.
Warrant: (Lower interest rates generally lead to higher home sales.)

REASONING FALLACIES TO AVOID (Avoiding errors in reasoning)

HASTY FALSE CAUSE
GENERALIZATION

The generalization is either not The alleged cause fails to be related to,
supported with evidence or is supported or to produce, the effect.
with one weak example. An example of a false cause fallacy is
For example, someone who argued, "All when a speaker claims that school
Akitas are vicious dogs," whose sole piece violence is caused by a famous television
of evidence was, "My neighbor had an show.
Akita and it bit my best friend's sister," When one event follows another, there
would be guilty of a hasty may be no connection at all, or the first
generalization. event might be just one of many causes
It is hasty to generalize about the that contribute to the second.
temperament of a whole breed of dogs
based on a single action of one dog.

EITHER -OR STRAW MAN

The argument that there are only two When a speaker weakens the opposing
alternatives when, in fact, others exist. position by misrepresenting it in some
For example, when Robert argued that way and then attacks that weaker
"we'll either have to raise taxes or close (straw man) position.
the library," he committed an either-or Advocate: Self-driving cars are the
fallacy. He reduced a complex issue to natural extension of active safety and
one oversimplified solution when there obviously something we should do.
were many other possible solutions. Opponent: You just value new
technology over people's jobs. Switching
AD- HOMINEM to self-driving cars will endanger driving
jobs in the transportation industry.
Attacks or praises the person making Those jobs are important to the
the argument rather than addressing economy and the community.
the argument itself. Both positions are technically correct,
Example: "How can you argue your case but the opponent's argument has
for vegetarianism when you are nothing to do with the advocate's
enjoying that steak?" This clearly shows position. The opponent created a straw
how a person is attacked instead of man about the transportation industry
being addressed for or against his and claimed the advocate prefers new
argument. technology, which is not what the
advocate said.

THE RHETORICAL STRATEGY OF ETHOS- PERSONABLENESS

Conveying Good Character Conveying Competence & Credibility

Goodwill: Intention Explain your competence
Empathy: Relatability Establish common ground
Responsive: Acknowledging Use evidence from respected
sources
Use non-verbal elements of
delivery to enhance your
image

THE RHETORICAL STRATEGY OF PATHOS- EMOTION

Evoking negative emotions Evoking positive emotions

Motivated to listen to you to see if With positive emotions, our goal is to
you could give them a solution to help the audience sustain or develop the
their discomfort. feeling.

AUDIENCE ATTITUDE TOWARDS YOUR PERSUASIVE SPEECH

Attitude: A general or enduring positive or negative feeling about
some person, object, or issue.

Begin your persuasive speech preparation by understanding the
attitudes your audience is likely to have about your topic.
Given that initial attitude, you can develop a speech goal designed to
influence your audience’s attitudes in the way you would like
Three different attitude: In favour, No Opinion, Oppose

IN
FAVOUR

When your target audience is only mildly in favor of your proposal,
your task is to reinforce and strengthen their beliefs. An audience
whose attitude supports your topic will still benefit from a logical
explanation of the reasons for doing
Example: A poll suggest that audience agree that cycling can reduce
carbon emission. Based on the poll, you just need to reinforce their
idea on cycling.

OPPOSED

Seek incremental change, trying to move them only a small degree in your
direction, hoping for further movement later.
Example: You likely know that your audience would oppose the idea of waste
management. You need to convince your audience to accept the idea of waste
management.

NO
OPINION

When your target audience is neutral, you can be straightforward with
reasons to support your goal.
However you may want to consider if your audience are uninformed,
impartial, or apathetic

Uninformed: do not know enough about the topic. You will need to
provide the basic arguments and information that they require to become
informed with well supported good information
Impartial: has some information about your topic but do not understand
it. In this case, they are likely to listen objectively and accept sound
reasoning if you can demonstrate the superiority of your position to
others.
Apathetic : no opinion because not interested, unconcerned or
indifferent about your topic
To convince this audience, you will need to provide strong listener relevance
links and use evidence that is meaningful and interesting.

IDENTIFYING YOUR PROPOSITION

Proposition: a declarative sentence that clearly indicates the position you
will advocate.

A proposition of fact:

Statement designed to convince your audience.
Can be argued for as true.
Example: Mahatma Gandhi was the father of passive resistance

A proposition of value:

A statement designed to convince your audience that something is
good, bad, desirable, undesirable, fair, unfair, moral, immoral, sound,
unsound, beneficial, harmful, important, or unimportant.
You can convince your audience that something has more value than
something else, or you can convince your audience that something
meets valued standards.
Example: Mahatma Gandhi was a moral leader.

A proposition of policy:

A statement designed to convince your audience that a particular
rule, plan, or course of action should be taken.
Implore listeners using words such as “should/shouldn’t,” or
“must/must not.”
Example: Mahatma Gandhi should be given a special award for his
views on passive resistance.

FRAMEWORK FOR PERSUASIVE SPEECHES

Comparative advantages:

You show that the advantages of your alternative outweigh
the disadvantages

Criteria satisfaction:

An indirect organization that seeks audience agreement on criteria that
should be considered when evaluating a particular proposition and then
shows how the proposition satisfies those criteria.

Refutative

Helps you organize your main points to persuade by both challenging
the opposing arguments and bolstering your own.

Statement of reasons

Form of persuasive organization used for confirming propositions of
fact in which you present your best-supported reasons in a
meaningful order.

Problem solution

Explains the nature of a problem and proposes a solution. A problem-
solution pattern can be used with any persuasive speech, but it is
particularly useful when listeners may be unaware of the problem or how
they personally can work toward a solution.
To convince the audience that there is a problem, you will need to
explore the breadth and depth of the issue, as well as provide listener
relevance links.

Problem cause solution

Similar to problem-solution but differs from it by adding a main point
that reveals the causes of the problem and then proposes a solution
designed to alleviate those causes.
This pattern is particularly useful for addressing seemingly intractable
problems that have been dealt with unsuccessfully in the past as a
result of treating symptoms rather than underlying causes.

“COURAGE IS WHAT IT
TAKES TO STAND UP AND
SPEAK, AND TO SIT DOWN

AND LISTEN.”

Winston Churchill