Lecture 4-8

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GE2248 Understanding
Persuasion in Everyday Life
Lecture 4 to 8
Strategic Persuasion: Strategies to Ethos, Logos and
Pathos
Persuasion Techniques
Effective Persuasion Strategy
曉之以理
Persevere
with reasons
(logos)
動之以情
誘之以利 Move with
Pulled by
ethos
affections
attractions (pathos)
脅之以力
Pushed by
relationships
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Strategies to Logos
Logos
▫ The appeal to logic
▫ A way of belief through logical constructions.
▫ Use logic and reason to show that one idea is more legitimate than
another. It attempts to persuade a reader to adopt a certain point of
view or to take a particular action.
 Is it rational to accept it? Is it true? What are the supporting reasons?
 “Smoking is harmful” based on the evidence that, "When burned,
cigarettes create more than 7,000 chemicals. At least 69 of these
chemicals are known to cause cancer, and many are toxic according to
the American Lung Association.”
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Strategy to Logos
Part 1: How do you make
up your points (your
arguments)
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Strategies to Logos
▫ As a persuader, you need to find evidences to back up your claims.
When you do this, you are appealing to your audience with logic or
logos.
Evidence
Evidences
▫ Facts: A powerful means of convincing. it
is a representation of the truth and is not
Evidences debatable
▫ Statistics: Arguments employing amounts
and numbers are concrete and therefore
Arguments
support claims because they use logic and
Arguments Arguments facts. Be sure your statistics come from
good sources
▫ Quotes: If it is from leading experts or
Argument is a collection of 2 or
authorities in their fields will support your
more statements. One of them position—this is a logical appeal and is a
(i.e. conclusion) is claimed to be good way to back up your claims
proved or justified by other(s) Your
(i.e. premise(s)) proposal ▫ Examples: Generalizability is important.
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Strategies to Logos
▫ Research your topic. A persuasive essay must provide specific and
convincing evidence. Often it is necessary to go beyond your own
knowledge and experience
 using credible supporting material like expert testimony, definitions,

statistics, and literal or historical analogies.
 presenting factual, objective information that serves as reasons to support
the argument;
 presenting a sufficient number of relevant examples to support a
proposition;
 deriving conclusions from known information
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Strategies to Logos
We use reasoning to make sense of the world around us and draw
conclusions
 Deductive reasoning 演繹法 (top-down thinking) starts with a

general statement or hypothesis and examines the possibilities to reach a
specific, logical conclusion Involves premises, leading to a conclusion.
 It is highly structured and based on the logical progression from premises
to conclusion
▫ Premise 1: All apples are fruit.
▫ Premise 2: All fruits grow on trees.
▫ Conclusion: Therefore, all apples grow on trees.
 If the premises are true and the argument is valid, the conclusion must also
be true, which gives deductive reasoning a high degree of certainty.
▫ If A=B (premises 1) and B=C (premise 2), then A=C (conclusion)
▫ E.g., “All humans are mortal. Peter is a human. Therefore Peter must die someday.”
▫ E.g., “Students must have 144 credits to graduate this summer. Because Peter only has 138
credits, he will not be graduating this summer.”
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Strategies to Logos
 It requires careful construction of premises, as any flaw in the initial
statements will lead to a flawed conclusion
 One might deny the initial premises, and therefore deny the conclusion.
But anyone who accepts the premises must accept the conclusion.
The reliability of deductive reasoning

 Attentions need to be given to the truthfulness of the premises and the
logic between premises and conclusion.
 E.g., “All cats are cute. Kitty is a cat. Kitty is cute.”
 E.g., “When it rains, it is cloudy. Today is a cloudy day. Today is raining.”
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Strategies to Logos
 Inductive reasoning 歸納法 (bottom-up thinking) involves drawing
general conclusions from specific instances or observations. It is often
used in persuasive contexts to build a case from examples, statistics, or
experiences that the audience can relate to
 It can be more accessible and relatable to a lay audience as it often
starts with the familiar or observable
 It's based on probability rather than certainty, which means the
conclusions drawn using inductive reasoning are open to revision if
new information comes to light
 It is not concerned with validity or conclusiveness, but with the soundness

of those inferences for which the evidence is not conclusive.
▫ E.g., All the high-performing and successful employees in the marketing
department have bachelor degrees. Therefore, you must have a bachelor
degree to become a manager.
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Strategies to Logos
Citing examples/ specific scenarios (should be sufficient, typical, and
representative to warrant a strong argument) that build to a conclusion
 The strength of an inductive argument in persuasion largely depends on the quality
and representativeness of the examples used
 An example of strong induction (an argument in which the truth of the

premise would make the truth of the conclusion probable but not definite)
 All observed bananas are yellow.
 Therefore, all bananas are yellow.
▫ An example of weak induction (an argument in which the link between the
premise and the conclusion is weak, and the conclusion is not even
necessarily probable)
 I always paint pictures with brushes.
 Therefore, all pictures are painted with brushes.
Risk of Overgeneralization: There is a risk of overgeneralizing from specific cases, which can
lead to hasty conclusions. Persuaders must be cautious not to extend their generalizations
beyond what their evidence can support.
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What do you think?
The feminist argument that pornography is harmful has no merit and

should be banned [1]. I read “Playboy” magazine, and I don’t see
how it could be harmful [2]. Feminists criticize me for looking at
porn, but obviously they look at it too, so they couldn’t criticize it
[3]. Feminists have no sense and apply differently by using a double
standard [4]. Scientific studies so far have not proved that
pornography is harmful [5]. Pornography industry consists of two
groups of people, including the men who read it and the women who
pose in it [6]. To be harmful, pornography would have to harm either
group [7]. The fact is neither group has made the complaints [8]. If
pornography is really harmful to them, they would object it [9].
Therefore pornography must not be harmful [10].
https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/fallacies/sample-arguments-with-fallacies/fallacy-adjunct/ 12
What do you think?
Feminists do not like pornography and ask people to stop is actually

non-sense [11]. Imagine, a person doesn’t like loud music and won’t
have it in his house [12], but does it make sense if he goes around
saying it’s harmful and trying to prevent other from listening to it
[13]? Seeking common ground while keeping the differences is
important in keeping a harmony society [14]. If feminists insist,
instead, on banning porn, men will have no freedom and no pleasure
left [15], and large numbers of women will be jobless and will have
to work as prostitutes to support themselves [16]. In light of these
consequences, feminists shouldn’t be surprised if their protests are
met with violence [17]. Truly, the feminist argument is baseless [18].
https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/fallacies/sample-arguments-with-fallacies/fallacy-adjunct/ 13
What do you think?
• Persuaders usually have many “points” in mind and they always
believe that their points are good. In fact, it is not uncommon to find
problems (i.e. fallacies ) in their words
• Fallacies are flaws within the logic or reasoning of an argument,

which may come from
▫ Innocent mistakes
▫ Bad intentions
▫ Formal fallacies: Logical problems in the reasoning; The reason

is true, but it does not lead to the conclusion being drawn
▫ Informal fallacies: the contents of an argument‘s stated premises
假設 / 前提 fail to adequately support its proposed conclusion.
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What do you think?
• It’s important to note that the presence of a fallacy in an argument
doesn’t mean that it can’t be persuasive. In fact, many people are
persuaded by fallacious arguments because they do not identify the
fallacy within the argument, especially when
▫ the issue is complex or
▫ the argument is offered by a charming person
▫ Fallacies are often the last effort of uninformed or ill-prepared speakers

who find that they have nothing better to say. Being aware of the forms
of reasoning and fallacies makes us more critical consumers of
persuasive messages
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What do you think?
• To identify the fallacious argument, you must exercise your mind like
an athlete exercises his body
• Active listening and careful comprehension are needed
Challenging them
when receiving Avoiding them
when giving
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Fallacious Arguments
“Those who oppose abortion have no respect for women's rights, and see women as baby-
making machines, which is of course wrong. Women must be able to choose.”
“People who oppose gun control are potential terrorists. We cannot allow terrorists to decide
our laws. All guns should be banned.”
Mother: I think you have been playing too many of those video games lately.
Son: Oh, so you think I should just throw away my $4000 video game collection and sit up
in my room taking practice IQ tests all day?
What’s wrong?
• Oppose abortion = See women as baby-making machines?
• Oppose gun control = Terrorists?
• Criticism on playing too many video games = want you to throw away them and ask for
studying?
• Strawman Fallacy ( 偷換概念 ) is changing, distorting or exaggerating someone’s

position to make it easier to refute. https://www.logicalfallacies.org/strawman.html 17
“There are so many students in a school. If a student wants to leave a
memory in your teachers, he/she may either the smartest or the
naughtiest one.”
“ The teacher remembers John and as I know, John is not a smart boy.”
“Then, John must be a naughty boy.”
What’s wrong?
 Incorrectly thinking that a choice can be made based on only
one of two options. In fact, alternative possibilities exist
 The False Dichotomy
http://www.lsat-center.com/prep-guide/reasoning-skills/ 18
“No one has been able to disprove the existence of God. Therefore, God
exists.”
“Of course, ghosts exist. How can you know there aren’t?”
“You have stolen my watch! You don’t have any evidence to prove you
don’t.”
What’s wrong?
• This argument is fallacious because the non-existence of God is
perfectly consistent with no one having been able to prove God’s non-
existence
• Burden of Proof Fallacy occurs when someone who is making a
claim, puts the burden of proof on another party to disprove what they
http://www.lsat-center.com/prep-guide/reasoning-skills/
are claiming. https://www.logicalfallacies.org/burden-of-proof.html 19
“If today you allow your kid to reject your request, tomorrow your kid will not follow the
rules in school, and the next year your kid may even violate the law and commit a
crime. Therefore, you should restrict your kid strictly and must get her obey all your
instructions.”
Mother: We can’t let her get another dog!

Father: We can handle two dogs in the house. She loves animals.
Mother: Two dogs? She’ll ask for three or four next. This isn’t going to stop!
What’s wrong?
 Slippery Slope Fallacy takes the argument in one direction with a series of
steps leading to a much more extreme outcome
 It assumes that if we take one step, nothing will stop us from taking a series
of steps
 The slippery slope device only becomes a fallacy when there's no evidence to
suggest that chain reaction would actually occur
 This fallacy is usually combined with an appeal to fear. The more horrible the
event or chain of events described, the better the chance that this fallacy will
work on uncritical minds. http://www.lsat-center.com/prep-guide/reasoning-skills/ 20
“Ten minutes after walking into the building, I began to feel sick to my
stomach. There must have been something in the air in that building that
caused my sickness.”
“In the examination day, I entered to CityU by using the middle door of the
main entrance in 3/F. By then, I got failed in that examination. See, the door
was really be cursed.”
What’s wrong?
• False cause fallacy
▫ People tend to associate something with something else because of
mere proximity of time
▫ The underlying assumption behind “After this, therefore, because of
this” is that no other factor is being considered as the real cause.
▫ The speaker needs more evidences than just “this occurred after that”.
Father: Please quit smoking. It is a bad habit, and it will bring you all kinds of
health problems.
Son: Don’t tell me not to smoke. You do it too.
“My parents always remind me to study well to secure a place at a good

university and also get a better opportunity in my career. It is ridiculous because
they did not study well when they were young. How can they make such a
request on me.”
What’s wrong?
• Tu Quoque - “ You too”
• Dismissing someone’s viewpoint on an issue because he himself is
inconsistent in that very thing.
“Your medical advice isn’t worthy of consideration because you aren’t a doctor”
“Bill claims that this was an accident, but we know Bill to be a liar, so can’t take
his word for it.”
What’s wrong?
▫ The medical advice can still be good even it is not given by a doctor
▫ Even though Bill may be a liar, his character does not automatically make
anything he says untrue
• Ad Hominem Attack 人身攻擊

▫ Attack the person making an argument instead of the argument itself
▫ Caution: Only doubt/question whether someone else is telling
the truth is NOT an Ad Hominem
http://www.lsat-center.com/prep-guide/reasoning-skills/ https://www.logicalfallacies.org/ad-hominem.html 23
“Dog are afraid of heights, therefore dogs don’t fly.”
“Ostrich cannot fly, therefore they are not birds.”
What’s wrong?
• Though it may be true that dogs are afraid of heights, that is not the
reason why they do not fly.
• It is true that ostrich cannot fly, but they are in fact birds
• Bad Reason Fallacy

▫ The reason A given for argument B is bad, therefore conclusion B
is not valid
https://www.logicalfallacies.org/bad-reason-fallacy.html 24
“All plumbers are rich. I just went to the international plumbers convention and
studied 3000 plumbers there. They all made over one hundred thousand a
year.”
“We've polled over 400,000 Buddhist asked them whether the best religion in
the world is Buddhism. We have over 99% agreement, which proves our point
about which religion is best.”
What’s wrong?
• Hasty Generalizations
▫ Is the sample representative? Any biased?
▫ Is the sample large enough to support a conclusion?.
Plaintiff: Judge, I am not lying. I am a religious person, and religious
people don’t lie.
Judge: How do I know you are a religious person?
Plaintiff: Because I never lie
“David Beckham is a handsome man because he has a good-looking

face.”
What’s wrong?
▫ Tautology
 utilizes circular reasoning, which means that the conclusion is also
its own premise.
 In simple words, it simply repeats the first statement but using
different words to the same thinghttps://answersdrive.com/is-a-tautology-a-fallacy-1370239
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“I think the government should lower taxes. The government is spending too much
money on welfare programs. The people on welfare are ruining our economy by
making us give our hard-earned money to them, when most of them could go out and
get a job and earn it themselves. When people are on welfare, it lowers productivity
and hurts the economy.”
Scenario: Women march for their rights on the streets. The Prime Minster stands up in
parliament and argues these women should be grateful they live in a country where
they can protest peacefully.
What’s wrong?
The Prime Minister is accused of creating a red herring. Instead of engaging with the
concerns women were expressing on the streets, he told them they should be grateful that
they are able to protest at all. “Don’t complain because you should be grateful” is a classic
red herring. It dismisses people’s point of view and their legitimate concerns by bringing up
other tangential but less relevant points that are designed to muddy the waters.
• Red Herring Fallacy- refers to a distraction designed to confuse people from the issue at
hand. It usually introduces an irrelevant point into an argument to prove his/her side, but
it really doesn’t
“All parts of the vehicle are light, therefore the vehicle as whole is light
too.”
“Most products in Walmart are sold with very low profit margin. It is
believed that the profitability of Walmart is very low too.”
What’s wrong?
• Fallacy of Composition - Assuming that what is true of the part is
true for the whole. Persuaders must be cautious in making
inferences.
▫ (1) Every song on the album lasts less than an hour.
Therefore:
(2) The album lasts less than an hour.
▫ Obviously, an album consisting of many short tracks may itself be very long.
A person wants to persuade someone about his ways of cooking by arguing “My
mother and her mother before cooked fish this way. It is certainly the right way to
make it.”
Gay marriage is a bad idea because it has no historical precedent.
What’s wrong?
• X has always been done = Therefore X is right?
• Y has no historical support = Y is not good?
Appeal to Tradition
• Claim something to be well-established and proven. Say that it is traditional,
and that to change it would be sacrilegious or very wrong in some way.
• Tradition, once established, where people do it without thinking and defend it
simply because it now is a part of the woodwork. Familiarity breeds both
ignorance of the true value of something and a reluctance to give up the 'tried
and true'. 29
http://www.changingminds.org/disciplines/argument/fallacies/appeal_tradition.htm
It is so common for a seller to exaggerate the product value. The seller has done
nothing wrong and it is actually the buyer’s responsibility to be smart in
purchase.
No teacher in university will punish students just because of a 5 minutes late in

attending a lecture. Prof. Chan, you are so mean and unreasonable to set the
“no late arrival” policy and you should disable this policy.
What’s wrong?
• Many people do X = X is right?
• If other people do something, then it is a reasonable thing to do.
Appeal to Common Practice

• This is often used as an excuse. When we are uncertain about something, we
turn to other people and assume they know what they are doing.
• Adoption of common practice happens when people are uncertain what to do.
When the right thing is unclear, it is generally safer to copy others. 30
http://www.changingminds.org/disciplines/argument/fallacies/common_practice.htm/
“I shop at Natural Happy Sunshine Store (NHSS), which is much better
than your grocery store because at NHSS everything is natural
including the decorations and the shopping bags there.”
“Use this 100% natural herbal supplement, not that vitamin

supplements. The man-made vitamins are not natural and are bad for
you.”
What’s wrong?
• Appeal to nature. The belief or suggestion that “natural” is always
better than “unnatural.” Many people adopt this as a default belief. It
is the belief that is what is natural must be good (or any other
positive, evaluative judgment) and that which is unnatural must be
bad (or any other negative, evaluative judgment).
▫ E.g. Cocaine is all natural; therefore, it is good for you.
Strategy to Logos
Part 2: How do you
arrange your points
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Strategies to Logos
A strategic persuasion content includes
Message Structure
Evidences
• Figure out what evidence and
Evidences
argument you will include and in
what order you will present the
Arguments evidence.
Arguments Arguments
• Remember to consider your
purpose, your audience, and you
topic.
Thesis /
Conclusions
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Message Structure: Approach
• Direct Approach
▫ What: The main idea (such as a recommendation, conclusion, or
request) comes in the "top" of the persuasion, followed by the
evidence.
▫ When: This approach is used when your audience will be neutral
or positive, and the high persuader credibility
▫ Strengths: produces a more forceful persuasion
 You sound sure of yourself when you state your conclusions
confidently at the outset
 The main idea is clear and outstanding, which makes the rest of the
report easier to follow
https://faculty.winthrop.edu/kosterj/WRIT465/management/directapproach.htm 34
• For example, in an article advocating for renewable energy (Direct
Approach)
▫ Title: "Why We Must Shift to Renewable Energy Now"

▫ Introduction: "Climate change is threatening our planet, and
the shift to renewable energy sources is not only
necessary, it is urgent. Over the course of this article, we
will explore the benefits of renewable energy, the
challenges of the transition, and why it's critical that we
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overcome these challenges as swiftly as possible…"
▫ The argument (the necessity and urgency of shifting to

renewable energy) is presented upfront, and the rest of the
article provides supporting information.
• Indirect Approach
▫ What: the evidence is presented first, leading therefore to the
main idea
▫ When: This approach is best if your audience may be displeased
about or may resist what you have to say
 At times, especially if you are a junior member of an organization or if
you are an outsider, writing with an extremely confident stance may be
regarded as arrogant. In such cases, or if your audience will be
skeptical or hostile, you may want to use the indirect approach
▫ Strengths: By deferring the conclusions and recommendations,
the persuader appears to weight the evidence objectively without
prejudging the facts, and allow the audiences to drawing their
own conclusions when they have access to all the facts
https://faculty.winthrop.edu/kosterj/WRIT465/management/directapproach.htm 36
• For example, in an article on the same topic of advocating for
renewable energy (Indirect Approach)
▫ Title: "The Future of Energy: Exploring Our Options"

▫ Introduction: "Energy consumption is a critical issue that affects all
aspects of our lives. How we generate and use energy impacts our
economy, our environment, and our future. In this article, we will explore
the different energy sources currently available to us, their advantages
and disadvantages, and what they mean for our future."
▫ The article might then discuss various forms of energy (fossil fuels,
nuclear power, renewable energy), presenting evidence along the way.
The conclusion—the necessity and urgency of shifting to renewable
energy—will be presented after the reader has been given all this
context.
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How does persuasion purpose relate to the approach?
• Reinforce (Positive attitude)  Direct Approach
• Change (Negative attitude)  Indirect Approach
• Create (Neutral)  Direct Approach

▫ Most people are in a hurry and want the main point up front. If
there's no reason for them to respond negatively, there's no
reason to delay that main point.
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Message Structure: Organization
Topical organization
• Describe a set of coherent arguments around the

purpose statement
• Works best for explaining complex issues
▫ A speaker gives a persuasive speech encouraging the

audience to complete an internship before graduating
 The speech is organized by reasons why students should do
internships (e.g. gain valuable experience; understand the real
workplace; practice what you have learn in the college)
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Problem-Solution pattern
• Describe a pressing problem, and then solve it by

presenting a convincing solution
• Particularly useful when dealing with an uninterested
audience or one that’s uninformed about the problem
▫ Focus on the existing problems and possible solutions

that fix the problems
 1st - Identify the problem(s)/ pain(s) worth solving
 2nd - Present the solution(s) that can fix the problem(s) or
cater the pain(s)
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You want to convince the event organizer to hire more emergency first
aiders in the Marathon
Problem: Solution:
• More and more runners get hurt in • Emergency first aiders can provide
the Marathon and some runners immediate, lifesaving and medical
suffer from serious injuries which care before the arrival of further
may cause to death medical help.
• The media and public put much • Sufficient numbers of first aiders are
concern on the event safety crucial to ensure the runners’ safety
management, and the injury
numbers will affect the event
company’s reputation
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• You want to convince the your friend not to download music illegally
Problem: Solution:
• Decline in Album Sales • Stop downloading the music illegally
• Lost Profits for the Artist
• Get virus on the computer
• Liable for legal penalties
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• Remarks to the Problem-Solution pattern:
• It is a must to show a need  show how the audiences are

involved in the problem
• If you can not find any way in which we are connected, then you
have not narrowed the topic effectively and have not adapted to
the audience in a meaningful way.
• OR, the persuasion topic itself does not suit this pattern
• E.g. To persuade the audience that stocks will continue to rise
• E.g. To persuade the audience that T.V. violence causes real world
violence
• Then, you should consider other patterns
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Two-Sided Pattern
▫ Used when the disagreements are obvious or more than
one solution are anticipated.
• Considers the pros of the best solution and refutes the cons of that
solution.
• Vertical comparison
• Discuss the pros ad cons within the proposed idea and address the
pros outweigh the cons
• Horizontal comparison
• Discuss different possible “solutions” but address your proposed idea
is the best among the alternatives.
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Vertical comparison
 E.g. You want to persuade your Department Head to compensate
the staff who always work overtime
Pros Cons
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Horizontal comparison
 E.g. Your Department Head agrees to offer the overtime
compensation to the staff and you recommend the compensation
should be in-terms of cash allowances instead of the
compensatory time for gap hours
Pros of Compensatory time for Gap
Pros of Cash Allowances
Hours
Cons of Compensatory time for Gap

Cons of Cash Allowances
Hours
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• Remarks to the Two-Sided pattern
• The speakers need to consider the pros and cons of each of the
alternative solutions, but they need to make it clear to the
audiences which solution they favor
• Arguments that
• Favor your solution should be addressed/repeated
• Against your solution should be refuted/ diversified
• Support the alternative proposals that you do not favor should be

explained
• Discount the attractiveness of the alternative proposal that you do
not favor should be highlighted
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Strategies to Pathos
• Logos  Rational persuasion (employs logical
arguments and believable evidence)
• Pathos  Emotional persuasion (awaken emotions in

audiences)
To tap into audience’s emotions can evoke feelings of

connectedness and evoke the motivation to act and
prescribe to the speaker’s thoughts and positions.
http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/pathos-definition/
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Persuaders need to
▫ Understand which emotions exists  Determine what
emotion(s) you want to arouse
 Aristotle‘s 14 emotions are: anger and mildness 溫和 , love and enmity
敵意 , fear and confidence, shame and shamelessness 無恥 , pity and
indignation 憤慨 , envy 忌妒 and emulation 競賽 , kindness and
unkindness
▫ Understand how and under which circumstances it can be

elicited  Identify the ways of delivery
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• Put in practice
Persuasion Goal: Leather and Fur Clothes Should Be Banned
Pity
1. The emotion you want to arouse:___________
2. Ways of delivery
Fur animals are born and die on the farm, sometimes never even leaving their
cages. These cages are small enough to prevent active movement during the day;
such conditions harm animals not only physically, but psychologically as well—in
particular, they suffer from stress and nervousness.
Imagine how many animals are being tortured through inappropriate living
conditions every day; this is not to mention that they are being cruelly killed
through electrocution or neck-breaking—just to prevent any damage to their skins
and fur. Even worse that some of animals are alive when factory workers hang
them up for skinning. Once again, to prevent any possible damage to furs, animals
are being strangled in their cages till to the end of their lives
https://academichelp.net/samples/academics/essays/persuasive/fur-farming.html 51
• Put in practice
Persuasion Goal: Leather and Fur Clothes Should Be Banned
Shame
1. The emotion you want to arouse:___________
2. Ways of delivery
In prehistory, wearing clothes from furs and skins was a natural act; there were no
textiles, no cotton plants, no other manufactured types of fabric; generally
speaking, there was no technology allowing people to wear something except
animal skins. However, with the advancement of technological progress and the
invention of synthetic fibers, the real need for furs and leather has decreased.
Vivisection ( 活體解剖 ) was sometimes used to save human lives. Nutrients can
be gained by eating meat. But fur? Fur seemed a no-brainer. Why should animals
die to produce a ridiculous-looking coat?
https://academichelp.net/samples/academics/essays/persuasive/fur-farming.html 52
Ways of delivery: There are a variety of emotional pathways
• #1 Tell stories
▫ Stories are often the quickest path to the greatest emotional
connection with your audience. Carefully crafted stories allow you to
evoke any of a wide range of emotions.
▫ Example: You’re writing a paper supporting gun control laws.
 You can make use of logos by citing hard data that indicates how gun control laws
can prevent tragic violence against innocent people—statistics that show lower rates
of gun violence in states or nations with stricter gun control laws would be one
effective kind of evidence to use. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5beiAaOd844
 But such hard data, while it has its strengths, does not dramatize the human side of
your issue the way that a particular story of a tragedy might.
 In the beginning of a paper like this, you’ll need to quickly garner the attention of
your readers while also making them aware of the gravity of your topic. You could do
so by describing a gun violence tragedy that might have been prevented by stricter
gun control laws
53
In a bustling city bristling with life, there once lived a kind-hearted boy named Liam. Liam's world revolved
around his loving parents, who showered him with affection and nurtured his dreams.
One sunny afternoon, as Liam and his parents were enjoying a day out in the city park, an unstable man
with a gun approached them. In a flash of chaos and terror, a single moment of unchecked madness, the
unimaginable happened. The man, empowered by the unregulated weapon in his hand, ended the lives of
Liam's parents right before his eyes.
Liam's world crumbled in an instant. His joyful laughter replaced with silent tears, his dreams shattered. The
once lively boy was now a silent shadow, trying to navigate a world without his parents.
Liam's tragic story echoed through the city. It was a chilling reminder of the deadly consequences of
unrestricted access to firearms. This wasn't about politics or rights; it was about lives forever altered, about
a young boy forced to grow up without the warmth of his parents.
Driven by his heartbreaking experience, Liam, now a young man, began advocating for stricter gun control
laws. His message was simple yet powerful: "We must prevent such tragedies. No child should have to lose
their parents to unchecked violence. No parent should fear for their child's safety."
Liam's poignant story touched the hearts of thousands and stirred a movement in the city. People began to
understand that supporting gun control laws wasn't about limiting freedoms, but about safeguarding lives,
protecting families, and preventing tragedies like Liam's.
The story of Liam is a plea to us all. It's a call to make the right choice, to support gun control laws, and to
create a safer environment for our children to grow up in. Because every child, like Liam, deserves a life
filled with laughter and dreams, not marred by violence and loss.
https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/moods/sad/?
_us=adwords&_usx=11304661669_&utm_source=google&utm_medium=paidsearch&utm_campaign=11304661669&utm_term=&gclid=CjwKCAjwyY6pBhA9EiwAMzmfwXK6ZrktyF-
54
• #2 Use rich analogies and metaphors ( 比喻說法 )
▫ Analogies and metaphors of speech not only make your speech more
interesting, but often allow you to make an emotional connection by
tapping into emotions already felt by your audience.
▫ Example: If you speak about gang violence, you might plainly state that “We
have a problem in our city…” On the other hand, you might say “We have
a cancer in our city…” The latter analogy draws on your audience’s pre-
existing feelings about cancer, and makes them want to eradicate the cause!
The job interview is a rope ladder dropped from

The job interview is very challenging
heaven.
Her hair is a flowing golden river streaming
Her hair is very smooth and slick
down her shoulders.
In capitalism, money is important but In capitalism, money is the life blood of society
charity is even more important but charity is the soul.
http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/pathos-examples-speaking/ 55
• #3 Use Vivid, Sensory Words to paint pictures
▫ Studies show that “tangible” words that evoked sensory or perceptual
experiences are processed by the brain significantly faster than other
kinds of words, hence connect to your audiences more deeply.
▫ Sensory words are descriptive—they describe how we experience
the world: how we smell, see, hear, feel or taste something.
Without sensory words:

I walked on the beach.
With sensory words:

The sun was up and shining brightly on the warm sand. I took off my shoes
and felt the soft sand between my toes. The seagulls floated lazily across
the ocean sky. The waves soothed my soul as they rhythmically crashed
against the shore. I could taste the salt of the breeze on my tongue
Life in another corner of the world
In the dimming light of dusk, amidst a sprawling sea of refuse, a little girl
named Lila makes her way through mountains of garbage that have
become her playground, her home. Her small, delicate feet tread the
unforgiving ground, a mosaic of discarded dreams and broken objects, each
step a soft crunch against a bed of crumpled papers and plastic wrappers.
She is a wisp of a child, her fragile form draped in tattered clothes that hang
loosely over her waif-like frame, the fabric stained with the grime of a
thousand forgotten days.
Life in another
corner of the
world
58
• #4: Connect through Visuals
▫ A concrete visual element opens many more emotional pathways
than abstract words alone.
Photographer: Amdad Hossain

Title: Sleep Fatigue
Do the traded wildlife products make you happier?
60
illegally traded wildlife
products
An elephant foot is of no
real use to anyone but
the animal itself. These
elephant feet were
attempted to be
smuggled from Africa to
the US, but were seized
by the American Border
Patrol and are currently
stored at the National
Wildlife Repository
Denver, Colorado, USA
一隻大象腳除了對大象
自己有用外，不會對任何
人有真正的用處。這些大
象腳遭人企圖從非洲走
私到美國，但被美國邊界
巡邏隊捕獲，目前存放在
美國科羅拉多州的丹佛
國家野生動物園。
© Britta Jaschinski. Open Single Image Winner, Magnum
and LensCulture Photography Awards 2017
• #5: Model the Emotion with Your Delivery Techniques
▫ The emotional effectiveness of stories, humor, visuals, and other
“content” tools often depends greatly on your delivery. Great delivery
magnifies emotions; poor delivery nullifies them.
▫ Match Your Vocal Delivery to the Emotion

 Vocal delivery is one clear clue to how you feel about what you are saying.
Your tone, volume, pace, and other vocal qualities should mirror your
emotions.
▫ Match Your Gestures to the Emotion

 Your body is another clue for the audience to gauge your emotions. If you
are telling a story about love or joy, your body shouldn’t look like a
mannequin. If you are revealing your own disappointment in a story, your
shoulders should probably droop, and you shouldn’t be smiling.
Points to remember
▫ Eliminate Physical Barriers to Connect with Your Audience

 Get out from behind the lectern. Move closer to the audience.
 The closer you are to your audience, the more personal your presentation
feels for them. The more personal it feels, the greater your chance for
emotional connection.
▫ Eliminate Competing Emotions in the Environment

 There usually are a myriad of competing elements in and around the room
which are evoking emotions in your audience. If the annoyance is strong, it
may prevent you from evoking competing emotions with your presentation.
 The solution is to take charge and eliminate or minimize these causes
whenever you can so that your audience can focus on you.
Points to remember
▫ The goal of pathos is to connect with the audience and share

emotions with them.
 To share an emotion, you’ve got to feel it too.
 Pathos is not about tugging emotional strings as if you were a puppeteer.
You get zero marks for that. Actually, you get negative marks for that,
because your ethos gets destroyed when the audience realizes you are
toying with them.
 Be honest. Share your presentation in a way that your audience will feel as
passionately as you feel.
• Pathos strategies seem simple but actually it is not!
• Emotional appeals are difficult because they require honed

delivery skills and the ability to use words powerfully and
dramatically.
• If you utilize pathos well, your audience will feel the same
emotions that you do.
▫ They will no longer be passive listeners.
▫ They will be motivated to act.
▫ They will be less likely to find fault in your logical arguments
65
66
Ethos
Alongside logos and pathos, the persuader must also deploy good
ethos to maximize influent
Ethos
• Persuading the audience by using the
character/credibility of the speaker
• Recap from Lecture 2 Audience Analysis:
Audiences’ attitudes toward the persuader
are very important
Important note: Not just about who

you are, but
who you are in the audience’s eyes
67
Trust
• Trusting involves risk
▫ To trust other people is to open yourself up to them hurting, harming, or
disappointing you but also to them helping you and being there for you.
▫ It means giving up the safety of your comfort zone and taking the risk
that the other person will betray you and even cause you much harm.
▫ Gain trust from others is not easy
68
Trust
• Recall your memory…
• What makes you trust another person?
• How do you determine whether a person is creditable?
69
Ethos
• Halo Effect & Horn Effect
▫ Research on the phenomenon of the halo effect was pioneered by
American psychologist Edward L. Thorndike (1920)
 Experiments: Commanding officers were asked to rate their subordinates on intelligence,
physique, leadership, and character, without having spoken to the subordinates.
 The service members who were found to be taller and more attractive were also rated as
more intelligent and as better soldiers.
 Thorndike (1920) determined from this experiment that people generalize from one
outstanding trait to form a favourable view of a person’s whole personality.
 Note that the halo effect can be positive or negative  A “reverse halo effect” is known
as the horn effect
 The halo effect is a snap judgement based on a positive attribute
 The horn effect is the opposite: a snap judgement based on a negative attribute or
characteristic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpjeMaOirvg
70
Ethos
• Halo Effect & Horn Effect
▫ When people think a person is a good person—or has many positive
qualities—just because the person is attractive. The attribute
attractiveness does not necessarily have to be a determinant of other
attributes or the goodness of the person. The same concept applies to
the horn effect
▫ However, people tend to use mental shortcuts to alleviate the cognitive

load involved in making judgments.
▫ The existence of the halo effect and the horn effect often give rise to
long-term biases and distortions to the way a person is assessed.
71
Ethos
The halo effect and the horn effect are around us
▫ Personal Attractiveness: Researchers have demonstrated that the
level of attractiveness of a person can generate a halo effect in a wide
range of scenarios
 Physical appearance is often a major part of the halo effect. People who are considered
attractive tend to be rated higher on other positive traits as well. Hernandez-Julian and
Peters (2017) identified a connection between student attractiveness and academic
performance. Parrett (2015) found that attractive servers earned significantly more than
unattractive servers. Attractiveness even has multiple effects in the legal system.
 Similarity-attraction effect: People like and are attracted to others who are similar,
rather than dissimilar. The commonality can be in the areas of opinions, goals, personality
traits, background, lifestyle, etc.
▫ First Impressions: No matter what the person does, our feelings will be
filtered by our initial impressions
 First impressions last forever, which is supported by a lot of modern-day research in the
social sciences. First impressions were established as more important than subsequent
impressions in forming an overall impression of someone.
72
Ethos
▫ Educational Background: People generally assume someone would be
an excellent employee or hard worker because they graduated from a
well-known university.
 Graduating from a prestigious university is an impressive accomplishment. It takes a lot of
hard work, in combination with advanced academic skills. When meeting someone with
such a high pedigree, most of us will interpret their subsequent behaviour favourably. Odd
tendencies will be seen as the eccentric characteristics of those who are super intelligent.
Nearly everything they do will be filtered through the knowledge of where they graduated.
▫ Recommendation From A Trusted Source: If a friend or trusted

colleague recommends someone to you, then you’re more inclined to
overall feel positively about the recommended person.
 Hiring a new employee is always a gamble. Many resumes look good, and everyone is on
their best behavior during an interview. After a while, all letters of recommendation begin
to sound the same.
73
Ethos
▫ Reputation Of A Brand: If a trusted brand releases a new product line,
you will automatically assume the new product is great, regardless of
whether it truly is.
 Consumers that trust a particular brand will conclude that if one of its products is reliable
and be of high quality, then other products from that brand will also be reliable and of high
quality. That seems very logical, but may not always be the case.
 Companies understand the halo effect quite well and will expend a tremendous amount of
effort protecting their image and reputation..
▫ Use of Celebrity: Celebrities are hired by brands to promote their

products because the positive feelings people have for the celebrities
can rub-off onto the product being sold.
 Large corporations recognize the value of that public persona and will often hire a
celebrity to endorse their product or be their spokesperson. If the celebrity has an image
of being honest and trustworthy, then a company can boost sales many times over by
hiring them to be in their commercials.
74
Power of Ethos
Have you ever seen these?
75
Power of Ethos
Do you know him?
76
Power of Ethos
Do you know these?
Tsang Tsou Choi was a Hong Kong citizen known for his calligraphy graffiti. The
graffiti has been spotted at many places on the streets of Hong Kong, ranging from
lampposts, utility boxes, pillars, to building walls. He was arrested for his graffiti several
times, but the police usually just gave him a warning or a small fine.
曾灶財是香港一名街頭塗鴉者，塗鴉創作均為用毛筆書寫之漢字。行文講述自己以及家族
的過往事蹟，以及「宣示」對九龍的「主權」，因此得「九龍皇帝」一稱號。曾灶財多次因為塗
鴉問題與市政人員及警察發生爭執，亦屢遭帶走、檢控，但警方多以警誡或罰款了事
77
Power of Ethos
Walking in crutches in his twilight years, Tsang left his imprint on switch boxes, lamp
posts and concrete slopes across the city. His works have certainly become part of
the city’s heritage
78
Power of Ethos
Do you know these?
His calligraphy also inspired fashion design. A fashion designer William

Tang created a line using Tsang Tsou Choi’s calligraphy as theme.
1997 年，香港的著名時裝設計師鄧達智採用了曾灶財的塗鴉來設計時裝
79
Power of Ethos
Do you know these?
Tsang was one of Hong Kong’s most revered artists of the last twenty
years, renowned for his calligraphy, which was displayed at the Venice
Biennale in 2003.
曾氏的塗鴉作品也曾於 2003 年威尼斯雙年展展出，是至今唯一一位香港人
獲展出作品
80
Power of Ethos
Do you know these?
In 2004, Sotheby’s auctioned one of his pieces for HK$55,000 (US $7,000).
2004 年，他的作品被拿到蘇富比拍賣，最後作品以 55,000 港元成交
81
Power of Ethos
Tsang Cho-choi, a vagabond who has been creating his graffiti in the streets of
Hong Kong for a few decades, is now both a tourist scene and a cultural symbol,
representing an intriguing Bohemian lifestyle in the territory.
“ 曾灶財”這三個字，曾經成為了香港一個標誌，一個個天橋底、石柱、燈箱，填滿了歪
歪斜斜的文字，原本惹人討厭的破壞變成了街頭藝術。
82
Ethos
• Credibility is a composite of multiple
factors A surgeon
▫ Expertise (competence) •Expertise

• Licensed, board
 The persuader has special knowledge and
certified
skills in some particular areas • Has performed the
 Your rank and status in the field operation numerous
times
▫ Trustworthiness (character, integrity) •Trustworthiness

 The persuader is honest, safe, • won’t bill you for
dependable and adhering to high moral unnecessary
and ethical values procedures
 The persuader has positive goodwill and
care people (audiences)
83
Strategies for enhancing Ethos
Establish the persuader as someone who can be trusted, or someone
who has extensive experience in dealing with the topic.
Expertise
Your competence
Cite it
Your qualifications
Take times to
build them up
Trustworthiness
Your track Rely on word-of-mouth
record/goodwill and you reputation
Your Difficult to prove it
personality/ethical Hard to change
standard
84
• If you are lack of solid evidences to prove your credibility, what can
you do? Any strategies can be used to enhance your credibility?
How do the fortune tellers build/enhance their credibility?
85
• If you are lack of solid evidences to prove your credibility, what can
you do? Any strategies can be used to enhance your credibility?
1. If you have personal experience connected to your topic, you might describe how
your interest originated from that experience and gave you knowledge that
bolsters your authority.
2. Choosing language that is appropriate for the audience and topic: The use of
vocabulary can reflect the speaker’s level
3. Understanding the topic(s) of your speech completely and be ready to answer
any questions related to the topics
4. Showing your confidence by making frequent eye’s contact with your audiences.
5. Adapting their image and attire for different audiences and events
6. Establish common ground with your audience in order to show how you share
their values and how you might desire similar outcomes even when you disagree
about how to achieve them
7. Make yourself available to your audience. Whenever possible, stick around after
your presentation is over. Mingle with the audience and continue to share in the
event experience. Not only will you have the opportunity for productive follow-up
conversations, but your audience will see you as accessible, and accessible
is good.
86
• Points to remember
▫ You can significantly influence your audience’s on-the-spot assessment

of your trustworthiness and similarity by following the advice above.
While your audience may have preconceptions about you in these
dimensions, you may be able to change their mind.
▫ It is much harder to change your audience’s on-the-spot assessment of

your authority and reputation. Your audience’s perception of you along
these dimensions is mostly fixed before your speech starts. Either you
are an expert in the field, or you are not. Either you have formal authority
over your audience, or you don’t. Not much that you say in a one hour
speech will change either of these.
87
• Ethos is about your audience’s perception of you, and this perception
can be formed over many months or years, or perhaps over many
past speeches. So, what can you do in the long run to improve your
ethos?
▫ #1: Be a Good Person (Trustworthiness): Be a good person, do good things,
and think good thoughts. There are far more important reasons to follow this
mantra than to gain speaking ethos. Nonetheless, your ethos will grow. The
positive effect you have on those around you will spread, and will become known
to your audience.
▫ #2: Develop Deep Expertise in Topics You Speak About (Reputation): You
don’t need to be all-rounded. Develop your strengths and stick to speaking about
topics for which you have deep expertise.
▫ #3: Market Yourself (Reputation): Developing the expertise doesn’t earn you
any ethos if you don’t market yourself and let the world know about it. You’ve got
to take charge of your personal brand and make sure that it’s a brand that
emphasizes the qualities you want to emphasize.
88
89
Additional Persuasion
Techniques
How to be a Good Persuader
Apply Law of Obligation  Reciprocity
• When one person does something for another, that other person senses that
a debt is owed and is compelled to repay.
▫ E.g. You're mailing invitations for a party and decide to invite that couple down the street. You
don't like them. You don't really want them at your party. However, they invited you to their
party four months ago, so you feel compelled to invite them to yours.
• Reciprocity is a shortcut for making decisions. Life is too complicated to

carefully evaluate every element of every situation, so we learn to take
shortcuts to help us make what are usually reasonable and reliable
decisions.
• With Reciprocity, people are able to quickly decide whether to do something

for someone based solely on their prior experience with that person. Once
the other person feels indebted to you, then you ask for what you want and
“yes” is easier to be generated.
http://www.directcreative.com/influence-and-persuasion-the-rule-of-reciprocity.html
90
天天生日呃禮物賤男網上情
騙 18 女
頭條日報
警方表示，今年二至六月接獲十八名女受害
人報案，指在網上交友程式認識一名自稱健
身教練的「情聖」，男方先用一至數周時間與
女方培養感情，取得信任後即約見面。初次相
見，男方向女方送上廉價的飾物，再訛稱生
日；女方收禮後怕尷尬，不好意思拒絕，遂與
「情聖」一同選購生日禮物。有受害人回贈價
值六千元的智能手機，男方得手後即失去聯
絡。
Police arrested the man at his home in Ma On Shan yesterday morning, seizing "birthday
gifts" such as branded shirts and suits, as well as a few crystal bracelets, in the raid. A
police spokesman said the suspect met the victims via online dating apps, and asked them
out on dates after a few days of flirting. The man was accused of giving the victims a cheap
bracelet, claiming it was expensive, before saying it was his birthday and demanded the
victims buy expensive "birthday gifts." These included smartphones costing at least
HK$6,000, or clothes valued at more than HK$1,000
91
• Be the first to give something
▫ In all circumstances, the person who gives first is in control. Whoever is
on the receiving end of your gift is then in your debt. And that is the
situation you want to create and maintain.
▫ Give something that has real value to the recipient
▫ Make it clear that your offer is coming from a particular person rather
than a faceless corporate entity
http://www.directcreative.com/influence-and-persuasion-the-rule-of-reciprocity.html
92
Apply the Law of Contrast to create extra value
Do you remember her?
Susan Boyle’s First Audition – I Dreamed a Dream – Britain’s Got Talent 2009
93
Door-in-the-face: Go big and then small
• A person begins by making a large, often unrealistic request. The

individual responds by refusing, figuratively slamming the door on
the sale. The person then responds by making a much smaller
request, with often comes off as conciliatory.
A: “Can I ask you a favor?”
B: “Sure, what is it?”
A: “Will you be able to help me for 2 hours with some unfinished work?”
B: “Hmm..2 hours? That’s a bit too long. Sorry I can’t.”
A: “How about 20 minutes?”
B: “20 minutes? Sure!”
• People often feel obligated to respond to these offers. Since they

refused that initial request, people often feel compelled to help the
salesperson by accepting the smaller request
94
Additional Sharing
• The theory behind the Door-in-the-Face technique is based on
▫ The principle of reciprocity
 By initially asking for something significant and then making a concession, the persuader
triggers a sense of indebtedness in the target person. They feel more inclined to
reciprocate and comply with the second, smaller request as a way to reciprocate the
concession made by the persuader
▫ The psychological phenomenon of perceptual contrast
 the contrast between the initial large request and the subsequent smaller request makes
the latter seem more reasonable and easier to accept
E.g. A charity organization wants to persuade potential donors to make a financial contribution to support their cause. Apply
the Door-in-the-Face technique as follows:
Step 1: The charity representative first approaches potential donors and asks them to contribute $1,000 to fund a specific
project. This initial request is intentionally high and may be challenging for many individuals to fulfill.
Step 2: When the potential donor declines the $1,000 request, the representative follows up with a second request. They now
ask for a smaller donation, say $100, emphasizing that every contribution helps and even a modest amount can make a
difference.
The potential donors, having been presented with the initial large request, perceive the second request for $100 as a significant
concession on the part of the charity. They may feel a sense of reciprocity and are more inclined to comply with the smaller
request ($100 is not that much compared to $1000) than if they were approached with the $100 request alone.
95
When you were a kid, how did you tell your parents when you got a
poor academic result on school examinations?
Scenario: Cody gets bad grades on the
school examinations. He knows that his
parents will be so upset with him and he
feels very stressful to deal with his parents’
anger. He decides to write a letter to his
parents to inform them the grades. His
only aim is to get rid of punishments.
If you were Cody, how do you persuade

your parents not to get mad at you for
getting bad grades?
Remark: Apply the Law of Contrast
96
Foot-in-the-door: snow-ball technique
• The exact reverse of the door-in-the-face, in that you first ask for
something small, then crank it up. Agreeing to the smaller request
makes people more likely to agree to a second, larger request. The
art is in judging the step up just right.
97
Additional Sharing
• The theory behind the Foot-in-the-Door technique is based on
▫ Once a person has agreed to a small request, they experience internal
pressure to behave consistently with their previous commitment. They
want to align their actions with their self-perception of being helpful or
cooperative, which increases the likelihood of compliance with the
subsequent larger request.
E.g. A social activist group wants to persuade residents in a neighbourhood to participate in a community clean-up event.
apply the Foot-in-the-Door technique as follows:
Step 1: The activists first approach residents and ask if they would be willing to sign a petition to support local environmental
initiatives. This initial request is relatively small and easy to comply with, as it only requires a signature.
Step 2: After the resident agrees to sign the petition, the activists then follow up with a larger request. They now ask if the
resident would be willing to volunteer a few hours of their time to actively participate in the community clean-up event , which
involves physical effort and a more significant time commitment.
By employing the Foot-in-the-Door technique, the activists increase the likelihood of securing volunteer participation. The
residents who have already agreed to sign the petition would experience cognitive dissonance if they were to refuse the
subsequent request to volunteer. They are more likely to comply due to their desire to maintain consistency with their previous
commitment and self-perception as someone who supports environmental initiatives.
98
Admit a mistake that has no conflict with your
expertise  increase your honesty
• Individuals in positions of authority have a tendency to avoid

admitting when they are wrong. This is somewhat understandable,
as they don't want people to begin questioning their competency.
HOWEVER vulnerability is required to foster trust in others
• Strong character and leadership are not defined by being infallible.

Rather, we grow as people by accepting our imperfections in order to
overcome our fears and insecurities.
• When people admit they were wrong, they reveal they're not only
confident, but also humble and adaptable.
https://www.elitedaily.com/money/entrepreneurship/success-admitting-when-wrong/937011
99
Self-disclosure reduces wariness  address similarity
• Psychologists have long known that self-disclosure is one of the hallmarks of

intimate relationships. Revealing your motives, intentions, goals, values, and
emotions, can increase liking and feelings of intimacy.
• E.g. A hospital chief nursing officer tasked with developing a reorganization

plan to curtail costs. At the launch meeting with her associate directors, the
executive met with anger and concerns over potential job losses. She was
able to defuse the palpable tension and anxiety in the room by relaying her
own experience of being downsized early in her career, and her vision of a
reorganization that would cut costs but not people, thus sparing others from
her previous fate. Through her leadership, the team was able to work
together creatively over the next month to develop a plan that met cost
management targets and saved jobs.
https://hbr.org/2012/06/instantaneous-intimacy-skillfu
100
101
Ability to Interact with Receivers

Overcoming Resistance from Listeners
Recap from Lecture 1: Elements of a
successful persuasion
Argument Delivery
Content Strategy
Ability to Sender
interact Quality
with
receivers
102
In Fact…
• Even the most carefully thought out and emotionally
appealing proposal can meet with resistance
Each person’s unique life

experiences shape her views of the
word and influence how she
responds to others’ ideas
Resistance is basically a part of persuasion

If there were no resistance, you wouldn’t need persuasion
103
Resistance
Resistances Techniques / Remarks

Distrust: Your audience distrust you • Identify the facts behind DISTRUST
Skepticism: It is resistance directed • Review the proposal and make sure your
against the offer or proposal audiences can be benefited from the
proposal
Reactance: It is resistance against • Do not overuse authority

the persuasion process itself  • Pay attention to the manner and gesture
“Stop pushing on me”
104
Resistance
Resistance Techniques / Remarks

Fear: Your audience doesn’t like • Identify Resisters’ Interest
your idea because of its potential • Make them feel they have options
consequences and uncertainty
Inertia: It is the reluctance to change • Deal with audiences’ motivation and

difficulty
105
Resistance
 “Just try it.” Often we don’t need people to believe it or

agree with it — just try it.
▫ Fear of the unknown is a powerful obstacle. Just make it
easy for them to try it and see what the results are.
▫ E.g. When implementing visual control boards in a plant,
the operators were pushing back. The enlightened
supervisor appealed to the operators with: “Just give it a
try. We’ve got nothing to lose, and we may learn
something.”
106
Resistance
 “Give it your best shot” Appealing to a person’s ego can be a
powerful factor
 E.g. An experienced mechanic who didn’t want to use the new
laser alignment tool. The enlightened supervisor appealed to
the mechanic’s self-esteem with the request: “You’re my top
mechanic. I would like you to use the new procedure. Give me
your best effort, and let’s see what the results are.”
 “Not all-or-nothing” Ongoing monitoring and evaluations can

reduce the perceived risk
 E.g. A consultant was brought in to help a plant reduce
changeover times. The supervisor (unsurprisingly) resisted.
The consultant proposed: “Let’s videotape the changeover,
and then we will review it together.
107
Special Remarks
▫ Resistance breeds more resistance
 When people successfully defend themselves against an attempt at
persuasion, their original position gets stronger.
 Technique:
 Avoid saying “no” as the 1st response to resistance
 Rephrase the objections to be questions
Client: “The clothing here are too common.”

The prospect is looking for something different
You: “I see. Would you share with me what kind of design you are
looking for?”
Client: “The product cost is too high and out of my budget.”

The prospect has a budget in mind
You: “Yes, your budget is necessary to be considered. May I know your
thoughts on the budget or accepted price range?” 108
Keys to Success
• While handling the resistance, it provides you another
opportunity to present your ideas
▫ An expressed resistance, at the very least it presents the

persuader with a realistic opportunity of combat it
 Hidden objections are more challenging!
 If there are, the persuader needs to ask questions to find the
hidden objections
▫ Conduct a comprehensive research on the audiences and

anticipate what are the likely objections
  Prepare for it!!
109
A Letter
Cody’s father passing by his son’s

bedroom was astonished to see that his
bed was nicely made and everything was
picked up.
Then he saw an envelope, propped up

prominently on the pillow that was
addressed to ‘Dad.’
With the worst premonition he opened the

envelope with trembling hands and read
the letter.
110
A Letter (Supplementary details to Door-in-the-face)
Dear Dad,
It is with great regret and sorrow that I’m writing you. I had to elope with
my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you. I
have been finding real passion with Stacy and she is so nice. But I knew you
would not approve of her because of all her piercings, tattoos, tight
motorcycle clothes and the fact that she is much older than I am.
But it’s not only the passion…Dad she’s pregnant.
Stacy said that we will be very happy. She owns a trailer in the woods and
has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. We share a dream of having
many more children. Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana
doesn’t really hurt anyone.. We’ll be growing it for ourselves and trading it
with the other people that live nearby for cocaine and ecstasy. In the
meantime we will pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Stacy can
get better. She deserves it.
111
A Letter (Supplementary details to Door-in-the-face)
Don’t worry Dad. I’m 15 and I know how to take care of myself. Someday
I’m sure that we will be back to visit so that you can get to know your
grandchildren.
Love,
Your Son Cody,
P.S.. Dad, none of the above is true. I’m over at Tommy’s house. I just wanted to remind you that there
are worse things in life than the report card that’s in my center desk drawer.
I love you.
Call me when it’s safe to come home.
https://www.reddit.com/r/dadjokes/comments/6elwfh/i_was_passing_by_my_sons_bedroom_and_was/
112

Lecture 4-8

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1

▫ The appeal to logic

▫ A way of belief through logical constructions.

 using credible supporting material like expert testimony, definitions,

 Deductive reasoning 演繹法 (top-down thinking) starts with a

The reliability of deductive reasoning

 It is not concerned with validity or conclusiveness, but with the soundness

 An example of strong induction (an argument in which the truth of the

The feminist argument that pornography is harmful has no merit and

Feminists do not like pornography and ask people to stop is actually

• Fallacies are flaws within the logic or reasoning of an argument,

▫ Formal fallacies: Logical problems in the reasoning; The reason

▫ Fallacies are often the last effort of uninformed or ill-prepared speakers

• Active listening and careful comprehension are needed

• Strawman Fallacy ( 偷換概念 ) is changing, distorting or exaggerating someone’s

 The False Dichotomy

Mother: We can’t let her get another dog!

“My parents always remind me to study well to secure a place at a good

• Ad Hominem Attack 人身攻擊

“Ostrich cannot fly, therefore they are not birds.”

• Bad Reason Fallacy

“David Beckham is a handsome man because he has a good-looking

Gay marriage is a bad idea because it has no historical precedent.

No teacher in university will punish students just because of a 5 minutes late in

Appeal to Common Practice

“Use this 100% natural herbal supplement, not that vitamin

▫ Title: "Why We Must Shift to Renewable Energy Now"

▫ The argument (the necessity and urgency of shifting to

▫ Title: "The Future of Energy: Exploring Our Options"

• Reinforce (Positive attitude)  Direct Approach

• Change (Negative attitude)  Indirect Approach

• Create (Neutral)  Direct Approach

• Describe a set of coherent arguments around the

▫ A speaker gives a persuasive speech encouraging the

• Describe a pressing problem, and then solve it by

▫ Focus on the existing problems and possible solutions

• Decline in Album Sales • Stop downloading the music illegally

• Lost Profits for the Artist

• Get virus on the computer

• Liable for legal penalties

• It is a must to show a need  show how the audiences are

Cons of Compensatory time for Gap

• Support the alternative proposals that you do not favor should be

• Pathos  Emotional persuasion (awaken emotions in

To tap into audience’s emotions can evoke feelings of

▫ Understand how and under which circumstances it can be

The job interview is a rope ladder dropped from

Without sensory words:

With sensory words:

Photographer: Amdad Hossain

▫ Match Your Vocal Delivery to the Emotion

▫ Match Your Gestures to the Emotion

▫ Eliminate Physical Barriers to Connect with Your Audience

▫ Eliminate Competing Emotions in the Environment

▫ The goal of pathos is to connect with the audience and share

• Pathos strategies seem simple but actually it is not!

• Emotional appeals are difficult because they require honed

Important note: Not just about who

▫ Gain trust from others is not easy

▫ However, people tend to use mental shortcuts to alleviate the cognitive