Persuasive Appeals

1
Persuasive Appeals

• Techniques for Persuading An Audience

2
What is a Persuasive Appeal?

• An argument that a speaker/writer directs toward
  a certain belief/feeling/attitude that his/her
  audience holds
• Allows speaker/writer to tailor his/her argument
  in the best possible way according to his/her
  audiences needs/desires

3
Three Types of Persuasive Appeals

• Appeal to ETHOS
• Appeal to PATHOS
• Appeal to LOGOS

4
Appeals to ETHOS

• -Based on the authority/credibility of the writer
• -Writer must convince the audience of his/her
  good character, good sense, and good motives
• -Created through known experience, expertise,
  credentials/certificiation, polished presentation
  of material

5
Appeals to Pathos

• -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 sometimes dangerouswhen used as the main
  support for an argument, they may be masking weak
  arguments

6
Appeals to Logos

• -normally considered most effective appeal
• -based on the 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, witness statements

7
Persuasive Appeals Gone Bad Logical
Fallacies/Propaganda Techniques

• Sometimes writers use propaganda techniques to
  intentionally mislead their audience, OR logical
  fallacies because they use faulty reasoning when
  forming their argument. Either way, these are NOT
  effective ways to support an argument.

8
8 Types of propaganda Techniques/Logical Fallacies
Name Calling Bandwagon/Appeal to
numbers Red-herring Strictly emotional
appeal Testimonial Repetition Sweeping
Generalization (stereotyping) Circular Argument
9
Logical Fallacy/propaganda Technique 1 Name
Calling

• Name calling attacking a person instead of an
  issue
• Used frequently in political campaigns

10
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.

11
Logical Fallacy/propaganda Technique 3 Red
Herring

• A red herring is an attempt to distract the
  reader with details not relevant to the argument.
• ExampleThe lawyer of a young man accused of
  assaulting his girlfriend described the case as a
  "very minor matter". The lawyer stated that
  ninety people died in Iraq today, most of them
  kids," making his clients actions a very minor
  matter."

12
Logical Fallacy/propaganda Technique 4
Emotional Appeal

• An emotional appeal tries to persuade the reader
  by using words that appeal only to the readers
  emotions instead of to logic or reason.
• As previously mentioned, emotional appeals are
  not always bad, they just should not be the SOLE
  basis of an argument

13
Logical Fallacy/propaganda Technique 5
Testimonial

• A testimonial attempts to persuade the reader by
  using a famous person to endorse a product or
  idea

14
Logical Fallacy/propaganda Technique 6
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

15
Logical Fallacy/propaganda Technique 7 Sweeping
Generalization

• A sweeping generalization (stereotyping) makes an
  oversimplified statement about a group based on
  limited information.

16
Logical Fallacy/propaganda Technique 8 Circular
Argument

• A circular argument states a conclusion as part
  of the proof of the argument
• Also sometimes called begging the question

17
Lets Review!!!! What type of PERSUASIVE APPEAL
is used in the example below?

• All parents should consider taking their children
  fishing because
• Fishing is an activity at which all kids can
  succeed at some level.
• Fishing encourages problem-solving and
  decision-making.
• Fishing links kids and the natural world in a
  way that can generate caring, responsibility and
  action.

18
What type of PERSUASIVE APPEAL is used in the
example below?

• Celebrating Halloween is a barbaric practice.
  Anyone who has seen a child after a post
  Trick-or-Treating candy binge would attest to the
  horrifying, damaging effects that this holiday
  has on young ones.