A presentation done for Human Communication.

1. Persuasion Approaches
(Chapter 5)
Korri Curtis
&
Briana Davis

2. What is Persuasion?
● One person influencing another (p. 101)
● Elements (4):
1. Attitude- how favorably we evaluate something
2. Perceived choice- the receiver’s free will to make a
decision
3. Coercion- uses physical and verbal aggressions
4. Compliance- more subtle form of psychological
pressure
(p. 102-103)

3. Six Dimensions of
Persuasion Situations
1. Intimacy
2. Dominance
3. Resistance
4. Rights
5. Personal Benefits
6. Long-term consequences
(p. 104)

4. Cognitive Dissonance Theory
● Leon Festinger (1957)
○ Assumes that two beliefs are related in a
state of either consonance or dissonance
■ consonance- consistency
■ dissonance- inconsistency
(p. 117)

5. Methods of reducing dissonance:
1. Selective exposure- using only information that supports
your proposal
2. Change attitude
3. Change behavior
4. Derogate (downplay) the source
5. Reject the message
6. Distort the source’s position
7. Change the importance of the dissonant elements
8. Add consonant elements to change the dissonant-
consonant ratio
(p.119)

6. Examples of Cognitive Dissonance
Clip: Parks and Recreation

7. Summary:
● Basic idea: to persuade people you must cause
them to experience dissonance, then offer your
proposal to get rid of the dissonance.
○ Dissonance provides motivation to change an
attitude

8. Questions?