348 16.2 Understanding PrinciPles of PersUasive sPeaking
How Persuasion Works
16.2 Explain classic and contemporary theories of how persuasion occurs.
Now that you know what persuasion is and how attitudes, beliefs, and values
influence your behavior, you might still have questions about how persuasion
actually works. Knowing how and why listeners change their minds and their
behavior can help you to construct more effective persuasive messages.
Besides enabling you to persuade others, understanding how persuasion works
can also help you to analyze why you are sometimes persuaded to think or behave
in certain ways. Being conscious of why you respond to specific persuasive mes-
sages can help you to be a better, more discriminating listener to persuasive pitches.
Many theories and considerable research describe how persuasion works.
We’ll discuss two approaches here: first, a classic approach identified by Aristotle
and, second, a more contemporary theory that builds on the classic approach.Aristotle’s Traditional Approach: Using Ethos,
Logos, and Pathos to Persuade
Aristotle, a Greek philosopher and rhetorician who lived and wrote in the fourth
century b.c.e., is the source of many ideas about communication in general and
persuasion in particular. As we noted in Chapter 5, he defined rhetoric as the
process of discovering in any particular case the available means of persuasion.
When the goal is to persuade, the communicator selects symbols (words and
nonverbal messages, including images and music) to change attitudes, beliefs,
values, or behavior. Aristotle identified three general methods (or, using his lan-
guage, “available means”) to persuade: ethos, logos, and pathos.^2
Ethos To use ethos to persuade, an effective communicator presents informa-
tion that is credible. Aristotle believed that to be credible, a public speaker should
be ethical, possess good character, have common sense, and be concerned for the
well-being of the audience. The more credible and ethical a speaker is perceived to
be, the greater the chances are that a listener will believe in, trust, and positively16.2
Quick check
Goals of Persuasion
Persuasion attempts to change or reinforce the following:
• Attitudes: likes and dislikes
• Beliefs: Perceptions of what is true or false
• Values: What we hold as right and wrong, good or bad
• Behavior: What we do or don’t do