Persuasion Key Elements
Persuasive Appeals- methods used to convince
people to agree with a position- like using emotions,
logic, urgency, or ethics.
Claim-Stating your argument in a thesis.
Example: Dark chocolate is a healthy snack because
of its antioxidants.
Persuasive Elements
O counterargument: an argument opposed to
your thesis, or part of your thesis. It
expresses the view of a person who
disagrees with your position.
O propaganda: attempts to influence ideas or
opinions dishonestly using faulty reasoning
or other persuasive appeals
O author’s bias: an inability or unwillingness of
an author to look at all sides of an issue
Propaganda= Faulty Reasoning
O Faulty Reasoning- flawed thinking or thinking
that has errors in it that lead to incorrect
conclusions
O Either/Or Fallacy- saying there are only two
choices when there are actually more
Propaganda= Faulty Reasoning
O Transfer- connecting products to ideas
that make the audience feel good but that
don’t necessarily have much to do with
the product.
O Faulty Cause and Effect- believing
that
because one event came before another,
the first event caused the second event to
happen
Legitimate Persuasion or
Propaganda?
(depends on the logic)
O Bandwagon- talking about how many
other people use a product or act a
certain way, making the viewer want
to be part of the “in crowd” (can
either be legitimate persuasion or
propaganda depending on the logic)
O Repetition- repeating an idea or a
phrase over and over so that it sticks
in the viewer’s head
Persuasion or Propaganda?
O Testimonial- A famous or
important person says that
he/she uses a particular
product, so the viewers and
listeners should, too- regardless
of whether the product is good.
O Exaggeration- overstating a
point
Words Persuade
O Denotation- the literal or dictionary meaning of a
word
O Connotation- thoughts, feelings, and mental
pictures that a word brings to mind
O (positive/negative)
O Semantic Slanting- using words with very
positive or negative connotation to describe
something in order to convince an audience.
O Slang- highly informal language that is not
considered standard usage
Logos- Logical/Rational Appeal
Appeals to the head rather than the
heart. Facts, numbers, and hard
evidence can be very convincing.
Example: A Snickers
bar has 280 calories
and 30 grams of
sugar. That’s not very
healthy.
Ethos- Ethical Appeal
Making readers trust the writer and
believe that his/her position is the
“right thing to do.”
Examples- References to
family, beliefs, character,
people who the audience
looks up to; this also
includes proving oneself
as a credible person
Pathos- Emotional Appeal
Getting people to feel happy, sad, or
angry can help your argument.
Example: Your
donation might just
get this puppy off the
street and into a good
home.
Kairos- Appeal to Urgency
Try to convince your audience that
this issue is so important they must
act now.
Example: This is a
one-time offer. You
can’t get this price
after today.