Using emotion to Persuade 17.3 389
Using Emotion to Persuade
17.3 employ effective techniques of using emotional appeal in a persuasive
speech.
Effective speakers know how to use emotion to make their point. Note these
three evocative moments in classic speeches:^22
• In his inaugural address, delivered with perfect timing, President John F.
Kennedy inspiringly intoned, “And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what
your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. My
fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what
together we can do for the freedom of man.”
• After being dismissed from his command duties by President Harry
Truman, a still popular General Douglas MacArthur ended his poignant
farewell speech to Congress by saying, “Old soldiers never die; they just
fade away. And like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military
career and just fade away.”
• When encouraging the British people to be valiant during World War II,
Prime Minister Winston Churchill resolutely declared, “We shall go on to
the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we
shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall
defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches,
we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and the
streets, we shall fight on the hills; we shall never surrender.”
Great moments in memorable speeches occur when both the minds and
hearts are engaged. Understanding how messages evoke emotions can help you
develop appropriate emotional appeals. emotional response theory suggests
that emotional responses can be classified along three dimensions: pleasure,
arousal, and dominance.^23
• From pleasure to displeasure. Pleasurable stimuli consist of such things as
images of smiling, healthy babies or daydreams about winning millions in a
sweepstakes. Stimuli that cause displeasure may be TV news stories of child
abuse or dreadful images of terrorism.
• From arousal to nonarousal. You become aroused emotionally by seeing a
snake in your driveway, or you may be lulled into a state of nonarousal by
a boring lecture.
• From dominance to powerlessness. When thinking about the destructive force
of nuclear weapons or the omnipotence of God, you may feel insignificant
and powerless. Or perhaps you feel a sense of power when you imagine
yourself conducting a symphony or winning an election.
These three dimensions—pleasure, arousal, and dominance—are believed
to form the bases of all emotional responses. Emotional response theory predicts
17.3