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16.8: Conclusion and Exercises

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    234592
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    Conclusion

    The primary goal of persuasive speaking is to influence an audience’s beliefs or behaviors so that they can make necessary or positive change. Persuasive speaking is a vital skill in all areas of life, whether it is a political candidate convincing voters to elect them, an employee convincing the boss to give them a promotion, or a sales person convincing a consumer to buy a product, individuals must understand what persuasion is and how it functions.

    When formulating a persuasive speech, remember to determine the type of question you seek to answer so that you can decide whether to offer a proposition of fact, a proposition of value, or a proposition of policy. Weave the topic and the proposition together to create a compelling argument for your specific audience.

    Knowing your audience can help when it comes to choosing the appropriate strategies for convincing them that you are a credible speaker. Once you have established your credibility, you can advance both logical and emotional appeals to move your audience toward the belief or behavior you hope they will adopt. As you weave these appeals together, be sure to offer the most ethical arguments by avoiding fallacies and supporting emotional appeals with relevant evidence.

    Once you have compiled the most relevant arguments and emotional appeals for a given audience, take care to organize your message effectively. Give thought to your persuasive goals and determine whether they can be best achieved through the use of one of the patterns of organization explained in this chapter.

    Building linguistic and cultural bridges are fundamental strategies for effective cross-cultural persuasion. Engaging in genuine dialogue for understanding and being understood is the basis for building trust, reducing tension, and reaching an agreement. We discussed effective cross-cultural communication strategies that emphasize shared values, empathetic listening, and dialogue-based persuasion. Recognizing diverse communication styles can help build rapport and reduce conflict, fostering mutual understanding and respect. Engaging in two-way dialogue is crucial for meaningful interactions and conflict resolution, highlighting that successful cross-cultural persuasion can bridge linguistic and cultural divides.

    Building linguistic and cultural bridges are fundamental strategies for effective cross-cultural persuasion. Engaging in genuine dialogue for understanding and being understood is the basis for building trust, reducing tension, and reaching an agreement.

    Review Questions

    1. Early in the chapter the prevalence of persuasion was discussed. Think of an instance in which you knew you were being persuaded. What were you being persuaded to do? Was the persuader focused on changing your beliefs, attitudes, values, or actions? How do you know?
    2. Imagine you are giving a persuasive speech on _________________ [you fill in the blank]. Draft a specific purpose statement on this topic for a speech to convince. Next, draft a specific purpose statement on the same topic for a speech to actuate.
    3. Draft a proposition of fact, proposition of value, and proposition of policy for one or more of the following topics:
      1. Shortening class time
      2. Pro-anorexia images on social networking sites
      3. Airline fees
    4. You have been invited to speak to administrators about increasing alumni support for the school. What steps will you take to build your ethos for this audience? What logical appeals will you make? How will you appeal to their emotions?
    5. Imagine you are giving a speech in which you hope to convince audience members to begin retirement planning while they are still in their twenties. Which of the organizational patterns described above best fits this topic? Why? Describe its advantages over the other organization styles for the specific purpose.
    6. What are the root causes of cross-cultural communication?
    7. What are the key strategies for successful cross-cultural persuasion?
    8. Why is dialogue essential as a basis for cross-cultural persuasion?
    9. What are the root causes of cross-cultural communication?
    10. What are the key strategies for successful cross-cultural persuasion?
    11. Why is dialogue essential as a basis for cross-cultural persuasion?

    Activities

    1. Using a recent newspaper, locate an example of a proposition of fact, a proposition of value, and a proposition of policy, and underline each one. Then, see if you can locate the data, warrant, and backing for each of these claims. If you cannot locate one or more of the elements, write your own based on the information provided in the article.
    2. In small groups, share with your classmates some of the communication style(s) people in your culture or community use to persuade others.
    3. Work with a partner on two short debates about a sensitive social or political issue: The first exemplifies asymmetrical and the second an asymmetrical dialogue.
    4. In small groups, share with your classmates some of the communication style(s) people in your culture or community use to persuade others.
    5. Work with a partner on two short debates about a sensitive social or political issue: The first exemplifies asymmetrical and the second an asymmetrical dialogue.

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    Contributors and Attributions


    This page titled 16.8: Conclusion and Exercises is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Nichole Ary.

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