PERSUASION

Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate.

From the beginning, there were those like the serpent who worked their wiles on the wills of others in order to achieve their own ends.

It is no different today.

One approach is persuasion.

What is persuasion?

From Dr. Kelton Rhoads at workingpsychology.com's definition page, here is an excerpt :

Persuasion attempts to win "the heart and mind" of the target. Thus persuasion must induce attitude change, which entails affective (emotion-based) change.

What are typical persuasion techniques?

From Steve's Primer of Practical Persuasion and Influence:

1. Intent. Forewarned is forearmed. Therefore, simply present the persuasive message without warning.

2. Organization. Structure produces comprehension. Chaos produces confusion. Therefore, make the message clear and organized.

3. Examples versus statistics. Examples are easier to comprehend and generate greater thoughtfulness than statistics. Therefore, prove your points with examples your receivers find compelling.

4. Sidedness. There are two sides to every issue. Messages which defend one side and attack the other are more effective. Therefore, support your position, but make sure you point out weaknesses in other views.

5. Repetition and redundancy. The frequency with which a message is given enhances influence to a balance point. Past that point repetition will annoy and frustrate receivers. Redundancy will delay reaching the balance point, but will not prevent it. Repetition works to improve comprehension. Therefore, expect to repeat your messages several times to make sure everyone gets the word and understands the word.

6. Rhetorical questions. Statements hidden as questions work well when given in advance of the main message. Rhetoricals serve to enhance attention and message processing. Therefore, use rhetoricals to get or regain attention before you make you major points.

7. Fear appeals. Fear also leads to more thinking about the persuasive message. More fear leads to more thinking (except perhaps in extreme, real-world situations). If you feel comfortable with it, use fear appeals to get the attention of your receivers.

8. Evidence. Something created by another person that you use is evidence. Evidence may be the most powerful message variable there is. It produces a simple equation: More good evidence, more influence. Therefore, always include the best evidence for your receivers.

Steve Booth-Butterfield teaches communications at West Virginia University.