Exam 16: Speaking to Persuade

Some of your colleagues have suggested that the company sponsor an annual picnic rather than a more formal annual dinner. John disagrees because, in his opinion, the last time the company sponsored a picnic, it was poorly planned and unsuccessful. Which fallacy of argument could be attributed to John's comment?

A presentation on violence in schools discusses how widespread and serious violence has become, why violence in schools has increased, and what should be done about it. What persuasive organizational pattern is used in this presentation?

Logos is a form of proof that uses traditional stories, sayings, and symbols to persuade.

Social psychologist William McGuire suggests that when an audience agrees with you about a persuasive issue, you should inoculate them by increasing their resistance to counterpersuasion. You can do this by

Which component of Aristotle's forms of proof deals with speaker credibility?

A song in the musical The Fantasticks includes a verse sung by two parents: "Why do the kids put beans in their ears? No one can hear with beans in their ears. After a while, the reason appears. They did it cause we said, 'No.'" Which theory explains this behavior?

You have been invited to make a presentation to your college's board of trustees about the parking problem at your college. Select an appropriate organizational pattern for your presentation. Explain why you choose the pattern and provide a brief outline of your presentation using the pattern.

Without the support of good evidence, your audience may be reluctant to accept your claims.

What are the underlying assumptions in Brehm's Psychological Reactance Theory? Given these assumptions, identify and describe four strategies that could help reduce the likelihood of a reactance response. In your answer, provide examples to illustrate each strategy.

Persuasive presentations seek to change audience opinions (example: "vegetarian diets are good for your body and good for the planet") and audience behavior (example: "stop eating red meat").

Psychological Reactance Theory explains that when you perceive a threat to your freedom to believe or behave as you wish, you may go out of your way to do the forbidden behavior or rebel against the prohibiting authority.

Identify and explain the difference between an informative presentation and a persuasive presentation. In your explanation, provide examples of persuasion changes of behavior and persuasion changes of opinion.

Use the following persuasive strategies when audience members disagree with you: build your personal credibility and set reasonable goals.

The following fallacy is an example of a faulty cause: "I can't believe how many students support our new college president, given that he wants to raise tuition. He must be a really credible and trustworthy person."

Mythos is best expressed through stories, sayings, and symbols.

A fallacy is an error in thinking that has the potential to mislead or deceive others.

"Enrollment at our college has increased more than 10 percent in the last two years" is a claim of policy.

Which of the following is an opinion and not a behavior?

For better or worse, fear appeals persuade audiences. Richard Perloff recommends several strategies for using fear appeals to successfully persuade others. Identify and describe three of these strategies. At the end of your answer, explain why you believe that fear appeals are appropriate and ethical or inappropriate and unethical practices.

Use the following persuasive strategies when audience members are adamantly undecided: acknowledge the legitimacy of different viewpoints and provide new information.