978-1457663536 Chapter 24 Part 2

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Which do you think is most important to achieving persuasive outcomes in a speech: logos,

pathos, or ethos? Why?

This question itself requires students to be persuasive, in that they must argue convincingly for

the superiority of one of the forms of proof over the others. In doing so, students should be aware

Name someone you consider to be a credible speaker. How much does the person’s

credibility depend on

his or her

message as compared to who he or she is (e.g., character

and trustworthiness, similarity to you, attractiveness)?

This question is another exercise in persuasion because students must not only be

convincing in

List some needs that are common and relevant to people of your own age. Where do these

needs fall among the categories on Maslow’s hierarchy?

Assign this question as a

short report that requires students (1) to do a serious inventory of their

Describe a behavior common to your peers that could be the focus of change based on the

expectancy-outcome values model of persuasion. How can you apply the

model to the

behavior?

This exercise can serve

as an individual or

as a

group writing assignment. Have students

brainstorm current issues that pertain to them, and randomly

assign one issue to each group.

Using the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) as a framework, what suggestions can you

give your instructor that would

help him or her enhance the class’s understanding of

persuasive speaking?

This is a creative

way to solicit informal feedback from students regarding

the course or the

instruction; that is, if students can be trusted to provide positive and constructive comments. In

The following questions may help you illustrate important points in the chapter and facilitate

students’ learning of this material. These questions can be used as:

III. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES

QUESTIONS



homework questions



quizzes



in-class work (individually or in groups)



topics to generate discussion



question-and-answer sessions between instructor and students

What is persuasion, and what is persuasive speaking? Give an everyday example of

persuasion.

Persuasion

is a deliberate process of influence, of convincing others to share

your beliefs

How are persuasive and informative speeches different, and how are they similar?

How can you determine whether your topic and goals are persuasive?

 When you seek to influence attitudes

The textbook identifies five factors that increase the odds that your efforts at persuasion

will succeed. List as many of them as you can.

 Speakers should set modest goals, because one who seeks only minor changes is more

successful than the persuader who seeks major changes.

What is rhetorical proof?

Rhetorical proof:

The speaker’s use of three modes of persuasion (the nature of the message, the

audience’s feelings, and the personality of the speaker)

What are Aristotle’s three

modes of persuasion called? Give an everyday

example of each

one.

Logos:

Refers to persuasive appeals directed at the audience’s reasoning on a topic

Choose a topic for a persuasive speech, and apply Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.



Physiological needs

Define expectancy-outcome values theory, and in your own words explain each of the three

components.

Expectancy-outcome values theory:

A theory of persuasion; the theory maintains that people

Using television commercials, explain the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and give one

example of an advertisement that taps into listeners’ central processing and one example

that taps into their peripheral processing.

What are the three

components that

make up speaker credibility?

ACTIVITIES

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Purpose: To allow students to become familiar with and understand Maslow’s hierarchy of

needs.

Instructions: Based on a list of possible persuasive speech topics, apply Maslow’s hierarchy of

needs to as many topics as time allows. This can be done individually, in small groups, as a class,

or as homework.

Additional instructions: Have students individually identify as many of their own needs as they

can. As a

class, students should discuss these needs and identify speech topics that would address

some of these needs.

Discussion: Students can report and discuss their evaluation as a group.

Pathos!

Purpose: To help students learn to evaluate pathos in public speeches.

Instructions: Inform students that they are to locate a persuasive speech on the Internet or

television. Political speeches are often the most effective for this assignment. Once students have

located a speech, ask them to write a one- to two-page paper analyzing and evaluating the

speaker’s emotional appeals (pathos). Students should consider whether the speaker was

effective, purposeful, in alignment with the speech goal, and ethical in his or her use of pathos.

Persuasion in Political Campaign Speeches (also for online courses)

Purpose: To reiterate chapter content on different persuasive appeals; to encourage students to

become involved in the public conversation about important issues.

Instructions: Inform students that they are to attend a political campaign speech of some type.

This could include a mayoral candidate, a school board candidate, or a student body president

candidate. It is best to assign this activity at the beginning of the semester to allow students the

time necessary to schedule; as the instructor, you may need to help students locate appropriate

opportunities throughout the semester.

Students are to write a paper identifying the persuasive appeals the speaker uses and

evaluating the effectiveness of these appeals. Encourage students to focus on the speaker’s use of

logos, pathos, and ethos. You may want to require that the paper include a personal response to

the arguments as well, as this will oblige students to utilize persuasive strategies themselves and

encourage them to voice

their opinions about important issues.

Elaboration Likelihood

Model in Advertisements

Purpose: To learn the

elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and to identify

and analyze

advertisements based on its premises.

Instructions: Students should divide into groups of five to seven. Each group should bring to

class a videotaped television advertisement or a print ad that persuasively attempts to sell a

product. Each group of students will

identify which route—peripheral or central—the

advertisement is using

and why they believe this. Students in each group will then present their

advertisement and evaluation to the class. Classmates should discuss each evaluation, stating

whether they

agree with the group and whether the advertisement is effective or not. Also, the

class can give other suggestions on how the advertisement might persuade the audience—

both

centrally and peripherally.

Additional instructions: Groups can also come up with their own advertisements or ways of

persuading an audience to buy a product. Groups can either make up a product or use one

from

another advertisement. Follow the same format as above to conduct this exercise.

“You Should . . . ” Speeches

Purpose: To give students the opportunity to practice persuasive theory in a lighthearted

manner.

Instructions: Ask students to prepare

and deliver a brief, one- to two-minute speech finishing

the statement, “You should____.” Students can choose simple and quirky topics, or

serious

topics. Ask students to use theory from Aristotle’s rhetorical proofs as they

prepare to address

their peers. After each brief speech, ask the class to comment on the speaker’s use of rhetorical

appeals.

Analyze Logos, Pathos, and Ethos

Purpose:

To teach students to watch for the logos, pathos, and ethos in a written speech.

Instructions:

Select one of the sample speeches in the back of the textbook. Analyze the speech

for its use of logos, pathos, and ethos. Identify examples in which the speech

makes appeals to

audience needs and attitudes, and state what behavior or set of actions (if any) the speaker wants

the audience to engage in. Estimate the extent to which you could attend fully to this speech

without being distracted by the characteristics or qualities of the speaker. Note anything the

speaker says that works to enhance the speaker-audience relationship, and state whether it

promotes perceptions of the speaker’s expertise, trustworthiness, similarity, or attractiveness.

This activity can

serve as a group assignment or as a long-term individual assignment.

Speeches can be

assigned or left to the students’ choice. Suggest that students define logos,

pathos, and ethos, as well as identify

examples of each form of proof. Also suggest that students

apply Maslow’s hierarchy

of needs when identifying examples of appeals to various needs.

Finally, students should identify

evidence of credibility that is inherent in the speech, as well as

those credibility

elements that lie outside the content of the speech (e.g., physical attractiveness,

credentials of the speaker that aren’t mentioned in the speech). This activity also works well for

online courses.

Finding Each Level of

Maslow’s Hierarchy in Advertisements

Purpose: To teach students to watch for

advertising that relates to each of the five levels in

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Instructions:

Locate a media example of each level of need as defined by

Maslow. As you

watch commercials, read magazine advertisements, or surf the

Internet, pay

attention to the needs

that each advertisement appeals to, and then write

a short report identifying

and explaining the

five examples you found.

This activity is helpful for students who have

a hard time applying course content to their

everyday lives. It may be

helpful to give them examples to get them started. For example, a

commercial for a home security system appeals to our safety needs. Once students have

completed their short reports, you might consider asking them to discuss their findings with a

partner or presenting their papers to the class. You might also consider having students bring at

least one example to show in class.

IV. GROUP ACTIVITIES

Which Type of Appeal Persuades You?

Purpose: To encourage students to consider the types of persuasive appeals they

are

exposed to;

to help students determine which persuasive appeals affect them most.

Instructions:

In a

group of four or five classmates, take turns stating the needs each of you have

that are especially sensitive to persuasive appeals. Consider

television commercials or a

recent

election campaign as possible sources of persuasive appeals that have affected you.

This activity is effective if students view some examples of commercials or public

service

announcements (PSAs) in class. This will

allow them to see needs expressed by their

fellow students that are similar to or different from their own. Make sure students consider all

five levels of needs, as well as how many of these

levels each commercial or PSA incorporates.

Finding Examples of Propaganda

Purpose: To help students identify examples of propaganda on the Internet.

Instructions:

Your textbook discusses how some

speakers use emotions unethically. In groups

of three or four, locate an example of propaganda

and come to class prepared to discuss the

example.

Have students locate examples of propaganda on the Internet. Groups can print out

material to bring to class or they

can show videos to the class. Either way, ask them to be

specific in their critique of these persuasive appeals. Additionally, you might consider having

groups try

and recreate the appeal, without the use of propaganda.

Avoiding Peripheral Processing

Purpose: To have students identify aspects of persuasive messages that encourage peripheral

process; to help students identify strategies for maintaining central process in audience members.

Instructions: Discuss with classmates the aspects of persuasive messages that draw your

attention away from the message itself, leading you to peripheral processing. On the basis of this

discussion, choose some strategies that you could use to maintain your classmates’ central

processing of a persuasive message.

This activity may be extremely helpful, because research suggests that central processing

of messages will lead to better recall of the message in the future. Recall that central processing

requires a persuasive appeal to focus on the content of the message itself. This involves

presenting such things as sound arguments and valid forms of support. Therefore, a message that

is intended to be processed through the central route must downplay such non-content aspects as

speaker credibility, physical appearance, and emotional appeals.