Persuasive Appeals

Techniques for Persuading An Audience
What is a Persuasive Appeal?


An argument that a
speaker/writer directs
toward a certain
belief/feeling or attitude
that his/her audience
holds
Allows speaker/writer to
tailor his/her argument in
the best possible way
according to audience’s
needs/desires
Three Types of Persuasive
Appeals:

BASED ON
ARISTOTLE:
 Appeal to ETHOS

Appeal to PATHOS

Appeal to LOGOS
EMOTIONAL APPEAL




-use emotions to persuade
-attempt to persuade by making reader/listener feel guilt,
love, security, greed, pity, humor, etc.
-shown through vivid, emotional language, and sensory
details
-are dangerous when used as the main support for an
argument, they may be masking weak arguments
LOGICAL APPEAL



-normally considered most
effective appeal
-based on logic, facts, and
evidence, which is usually
considered to be most
important to
readers/listeners
-shown through details,
statistics, expert testimony
of a credible source, facts,
definitions, or witness
statements
RHETORICAL DEVICES

4 MAIN TYPES

LET’S LOOK
CLOSER 

PARALLELISM
 REPETITION
 ANALOGY
 LOADED
LANGUAGE
PARALLELISM



When a writer repeats the same grammatical unit-the
same word, phrase, sentence structure, or even
paragraph structure to add rhythm or .
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and
live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these
truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia,
the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave
owners will be able to sit down together at the table of
brotherhood.
REPETITION

Expressing different ideas using the same
words or images
 Reinforces concepts and helps to tie the
speech together and unify it
 One hundred years later the negro is still
not free. One hundred years later the life
of the negro is sadly crippled by the
manacles of segregation. One hundred
years later…
ANALOGY

Drawing a comparison between unlike
things
 Establishes interest and a relationship that
did not previously exist
 America has given the Negro people a bad
check; a check which has come back
marked “insufficient funds.”
LOADED LANGUAGE

Pathos
 Emotionally charged language-appealing
to the reader’s emotions in order to evoke
a sense of action and make them feel a
certain way
 King describes a future America where all
people are treated equally. Blacks boys and
black girls are the same as white boys and
white girls.
Persuasive Appeals Gone Bad=
Propaganda Techniques

Sometimes writers use
propaganda techniques
to intentionally
mislead their audience
in order to sell an idea
or project.
 A logical fallacy is an
invalid/illogical
argument
Types of propaganda
Techniques/Logical Fallacies
Name Calling
Bandwagon
Testimonial
Repetition
Sweeping Generalization (Stereotyping)
Glittering Generalities
Plain Folks
Snob Appeal
Sex Appeal
Facts and Figures
Magic Ingredients
Magic Words
Humor
Fear
Logical Fallacy/propaganda
Technique #1= Name Calling

Name calling=
attacking a person
instead of an issue
 Used frequently in
political campaigns
 Gives a bad name to
an opponent or
product (often without
any proof)
Logical Fallacy/propaganda
Technique #2= Bandwagon


A bandwagon appeal tries
to persuade the reader to
think, do, or buy
something because it is
popular or because
“everyone” is doing it.
Examples: Four out of five
people use Colgate
Toothpaste. Over 2 Billion
Served at McDonalds...."
Logical Fallacy/propaganda
Technique #3= Testimonial

A testimonial
attempts to persuade
the reader by using a
famous person to
endorse a product or
idea
 Also known as
celebrity/famous
propaganda
Logical Fallacy/propaganda
Technique #4= Repetition


Repetition attempts to
persuade the reader by
repeating a message over
and over again.
Repetition CAN be an
effective persuasive
technique when combined
with other elements of a
solid argument, but
relying ONLY on
repeating an idea is never
very convincing
Logical Fallacy/propaganda Technique
#5= Stereotyping

Stereotyping makes
an oversimplified
statement about a
group based on limited
information.
 Attacks or make
assumptions about one
group of people
Logical Fallacy/propaganda Technique
#6= Glittering Generalities

Glittering generalities use
vague, sweeping
statements (often slogans
or simple catch phrases)
 Typically used in politics;
they appeal to honor,
glory, love of country,
desire for peace, freedom,
and family values
 They sound great, but you
don’t always know what
they mean
Logical Fallacy/propaganda Technique
#7= Plain Folks
Uses images of people "just like you.”
 Appeals to ordinary people because of the
use of dress, speech, or action
 Often used in politics and advertising to
show the “leader” is simple, just like you

Logical Fallacy/propaganda Technique
#8= Snob Appeal

Snob appeal plays on our desire for fancy
things and the "good life."
 Examples include jewelry, expensive cars,
perfumes, designer clothing and accessories
are often marketed using snob appeal.
Logical Fallacy/propaganda Technique
#9= Sex Appeal

Sex appeal uses sex to sell a product or
idea.
 Examples include beer commercials, car
ads, or rock videos (to name a few.)
Logical Fallacy/propaganda Technique
#10= Facts and Figures

Uses statistics and factual information is
used to prove why the product is the best
 Logical approach to advertising and
persuasion