PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION
Persuasion is the process of changing someones attitude towards a topic, which we tend to do
by using persuasive communication. The dual-process model of persuasion suggests that we
do not always process these communications the same way, there are two routes:
• Central route = people think hard and critically about the contents of a message, and are
in uenced by the strength and quality of the arguments
➡There is a di erence between the learning (reception) of the message, and the later
acceptance > people who are smart or high in self-esteem are better able to learn a
message but less likely to accept its call for a change in attitude, while people who are less
smart or low in self-esteem are more willing to accept the message, but they may have
trouble learning its contents. Neither group is generally more vulnerable to persuasion than
the other.
➡Persuasion requires elaboration; thinking about and scrutinizing the arguments given
➡Messages have greater impact when they are easily learned rather than di cult, when they
are memorable rather than forgettable, when they stimulate favorable rather than
unfavorable elaboration > strong arguments are persuasive while weak arguments are not.
➡Self-validation hypothesis = people not only elaborate with positive or negative thoughts
but they also seek to assess the validity of these thoughts.
➡Various aspects of a communication (source, agree/disagree) a ect the con dence we have
in our own attitudes.
• Periphal route = people focus on other, super cial cues rather than on the contents of a
message (e.g. the source of the message)
➡We assume that a message must be correct when e.g. the source has a good reputation or
is an expert, when the message contains statistics or is familiar, if it has majority support.
➡Attitude embodiment e ects = people can also be in uenced by their own body
movements, which are not relevant to attitudes.
• HSM Heuristic systematic model = when people attend to a message carefully, they use
systematic processing; otherwise they process information by using heuristics, or 'mental
short-cuts’
• ELM Elaboration likelihood model = a psychological theory that explains how people process
persuasive information and how this a ects their attitudes (central vs peripheral route)
The route taken depends on whether the recipients have the ability and the motivation to take the
central route or whether they rely on peripheral cues instead. Persuasive communication is seen
as the outcome of three factors: the source, the message and the audience.
YALE APPROACH: SOURCE
There are two key attributes to make communicators more e ective: credibility and likability. High-
credibility sources are more persuasive than low-credibility source. For communicators to be
credible, they must have two characteristics: competence and trustworthiness.
• Competence = a speaker’s ability
➡People pay closer attention to experts than to non experts.
➡The e ect of experts depends on our feelings toward the subject > self-validation
hypothesis > a highly credible source that argues for a position we favor increases our
existing attitude, while a highly credible source that argues for a position we oppose poses a
threat for our existing attitude.
• Trustworthiness = willing to report knowledge truthfully and without bene ts to themselves
➡ We often make judgements for trustworthiness on stereotypes.
➡ Common sense tells us: beware of people who have something to gain from successful
persuasion.
➡People are impressed by others who take unpopular stands or argue against their own
interests.
➡Trust is established by speakers who do not actively try to change our views > ‘overheard
communicator trick’.
• Likability > being liked and being persuasive go hand in hand
➡Source similarity increases persuasion, while dissimilarity inhibits persuasion > the
communicator can use common bonds to enhance his or her impact on the audience.
➡Attractiveness is persuasive.
The question is if it is actually more important who you are than what you have to say; it depends.
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Persuasion is the process of changing someones attitude towards a topic, which we tend to do
by using persuasive communication. The dual-process model of persuasion suggests that we
do not always process these communications the same way, there are two routes:
• Central route = people think hard and critically about the contents of a message, and are
in uenced by the strength and quality of the arguments
➡There is a di erence between the learning (reception) of the message, and the later
acceptance > people who are smart or high in self-esteem are better able to learn a
message but less likely to accept its call for a change in attitude, while people who are less
smart or low in self-esteem are more willing to accept the message, but they may have
trouble learning its contents. Neither group is generally more vulnerable to persuasion than
the other.
➡Persuasion requires elaboration; thinking about and scrutinizing the arguments given
➡Messages have greater impact when they are easily learned rather than di cult, when they
are memorable rather than forgettable, when they stimulate favorable rather than
unfavorable elaboration > strong arguments are persuasive while weak arguments are not.
➡Self-validation hypothesis = people not only elaborate with positive or negative thoughts
but they also seek to assess the validity of these thoughts.
➡Various aspects of a communication (source, agree/disagree) a ect the con dence we have
in our own attitudes.
• Periphal route = people focus on other, super cial cues rather than on the contents of a
message (e.g. the source of the message)
➡We assume that a message must be correct when e.g. the source has a good reputation or
is an expert, when the message contains statistics or is familiar, if it has majority support.
➡Attitude embodiment e ects = people can also be in uenced by their own body
movements, which are not relevant to attitudes.
• HSM Heuristic systematic model = when people attend to a message carefully, they use
systematic processing; otherwise they process information by using heuristics, or 'mental
short-cuts’
• ELM Elaboration likelihood model = a psychological theory that explains how people process
persuasive information and how this a ects their attitudes (central vs peripheral route)
The route taken depends on whether the recipients have the ability and the motivation to take the
central route or whether they rely on peripheral cues instead. Persuasive communication is seen
as the outcome of three factors: the source, the message and the audience.
YALE APPROACH: SOURCE
There are two key attributes to make communicators more e ective: credibility and likability. High-
credibility sources are more persuasive than low-credibility source. For communicators to be
credible, they must have two characteristics: competence and trustworthiness.
• Competence = a speaker’s ability
➡People pay closer attention to experts than to non experts.
➡The e ect of experts depends on our feelings toward the subject > self-validation
hypothesis > a highly credible source that argues for a position we favor increases our
existing attitude, while a highly credible source that argues for a position we oppose poses a
threat for our existing attitude.
• Trustworthiness = willing to report knowledge truthfully and without bene ts to themselves
➡ We often make judgements for trustworthiness on stereotypes.
➡ Common sense tells us: beware of people who have something to gain from successful
persuasion.
➡People are impressed by others who take unpopular stands or argue against their own
interests.
➡Trust is established by speakers who do not actively try to change our views > ‘overheard
communicator trick’.
• Likability > being liked and being persuasive go hand in hand
➡Source similarity increases persuasion, while dissimilarity inhibits persuasion > the
communicator can use common bonds to enhance his or her impact on the audience.
➡Attractiveness is persuasive.
The question is if it is actually more important who you are than what you have to say; it depends.
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