MBA - MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATION (MC)
PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION
We live in a world of persuasion. It is useless nowadays getting people to do what we want them to. Various tactics are being used by persuaders to change the attitudes of receivers. Seeing what works, in what circumstances, with what kinds of people, will be useful as you prepare to become a persuaded.
Scholars have defined persuasion in different ways.
- a communication process in which the communicator seeks to elicit a desired response from his receiver (Andersen, 1971, p. 6)
- a conscious attempt by one individual to change the attitudes, beliefs, or behaviour of another individual or group of individuals through the transmission of some message (Bettinghaus & Cody, 1987, p. 3)
- a symbolic activity whose purpose is to effect the internalization or voluntary acceptance of new cognitive states or patterns of overt behavior through the exchange of messages (Smith, 1982, p. 7)
- a successful intentional effort at influencing another's mental state through communication in a circumstance in which the persuaded has some measure of freedom (O'Keefe, 1990, p. 17)
There are five components of the definition.
1. Persuasion is a symbolic process.
Contrary to popular opinion, persuasion does not happen with the flick of a switch. You don't just change people's minds, snap, crackle, and pop. On the contrary, persuasion takes time, consists of a number of steps, and actively involves the recipient of the messages. Persuaders are seen as tough-talking salespeople, strongly stating their position, hitting people over the head with arguments, and pushing the deal to a close.
Persuasion also involves the use of symbols, with messages transmitted primarily through language with its rich, cultural meanings. Symbols include words like freedom, justice, and equality; nonverbal signs like the flag, Star of David, or Holy Cross; and images that are instantly recognized and processed like the Nike Swoosh or McDonald's Golden Arches. Symbols are persuaders' tools, harnessed to change attitudes and mold opinions.
2. Persuasion involves an attempt to influence.
Persuasion does not automatically or inevitably succeed. Like companies that go out of business soon after they open, persuasive communications often fail to reach or influence their targets. However, persuasion does involve a deliberate attempt to influence another person. The persuader must intend to change another individual's attitude or behavior, and must be aware (at least at some level) that she is trying to accomplish this goal.
3. People persuade themselves.
One of the great myths of persuasion is that persuaders convince us to do things we really don't want to do. They supposedly overwhelm us with so many arguments or such verbal ammunition that we acquiesce. They force us to give in. This overlooks an important point: People persuade themselves to change attitudes or behavior.
4. Persuasion involves the transmission of a message.
The message may be verbal or nonverbal. It can be relayed interpersonally, through mass media, or via the Internet. It may be reasonable or unreasonable, factual or emotional. The message can consist of arguments or simple cues, like music in an advertisement that brings pleasant memories to mind. Persuasion is a communicative activity; thus, there must be a message for persuasion, as opposed to other forms of social influence, to occur.
5. Persuasion requires free choice.
If self-persuasion is the key to successful influence, then an individual must be free to alter his own behavior or to do what he wishes in a communication setting. But what does it mean to be free? Philosophers have debated this question for centuries, and if you took a philosophy course, you may recall those famous debates about free will verus determinism.
Works Cited-
Perloff, R. M. (1993). The dynamics of persuasion: Communication and attitudes in the 21st century. Routledge.
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