Summary

Four common goals of a persuasive speech are to:

• reinforce existing beliefs and attitudes,
• inoculate against counterpersuasion,
• change attitudes, and
• prompt the audience to act.

Source credibility (ethos) is composed of competence and character. The elaboration likelihood model reflects two potential paths an audience can take in response to a persuasive message:

• Central route processing involves elaborated and critical thinking.
• Peripheral route processing relies on cues, such as emotional appeals.

Evidence can greatly enhance a persuasive presentation. Three types of evidence are:

• first-order data: personal experience
• second-order data: expert testimony
• third-order data: facts and statistics

Two-sided messages are generally more effective than one-sided speeches:

• Two-sided messages confer greater credibility.
• Two-sided messages help inoculate an audience against counterpersuasion.

Peripheral cues include emotions such as fear and primitive beliefs about:

• reciprocity
• liking
• authority
• social support
• scarcity
• commitment

Persuasive patterns of organization include:

• problem-solution
• stock issues
• Monroe's motivated sequence