Instructor Resource
Dainton, Applying Communication Theory for Professional Life 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Lecture Notes
Chapter 7: Persuasion
Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter, you will be able to . . .
1. Determine which route, arguments, or peripheral cues were used in a persuasive
message
2. Describe how the interplay of attitudes, normative beliefs, and perceived
behavioral control is critical in persuading people to change their behavior
4. Clarify the interplay between narrative rationality, narrative fidelity, and the logic
of good reasons in creative persuasive narratives
6. Provide systematic understanding of a professional situation by applying
persuasive theories
Summary
Chapter 7 provides an overview of four theories of persuasion. First, elaboration likelihood
model argues that persuaders must carefully consider their audience before crafting a message.
The second approach, the theory of planned behavior takes persuasion a step further, stating
three concepts can predict an individual’s behavior: attitude, normative beliefs, and
controllability. Third, inoculation theory provides a means to argue proactively in support of a
an emotional one based on storytelling. Narratives must have coherence and the logic of good
reasons to be influential.
Outline
I. Persuasion Defined
Instructor Resource
Dainton, Applying Communication Theory for Professional Life 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
A. Persuasion is typically defined as, “human communication that is designed to
influence others by modifying their beliefs, values, or attitudes” (Simons, 1976, p.
21). O’Keefe (1990) argued that there are requirements for the sender, the means,
and the recipient to consider something persuasive
2. Communication is the means to achieve that goal
3. The message recipient must have free will
B. Many theories are concerned with shifts in attitude, so it is important to make clear
what that means. An attitude is a “relatively enduring predisposition to respond
favorably or unfavorably” toward something (Simons, 1976, p. 80)
2. Attitudes are learned evaluations; they are not something people are born
with. As such, attitudes are changeable
II. Elaboration Likelihood Model
A. Petty and Cacioppo (1986) view persuasion primarily as a cognitive event
2. There are two routes or methods of influence
B. Slow and steady: the central route to persuasion
2. Centrally routed messages are much more likely to create long-term change
for the recipient
3. Centrally routed messages succeed only when two factors are met
a. The target must be highly motivated to process all the information being
given
Instructor Resource
Dainton, Applying Communication Theory for Professional Life 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
C. Types of elaborated arguments
2. Elaborated arguments can be measured as strong, neutral, or weak
a. Strong arguments create a positive cognitive response in the minds of
receivers while also positively aligning the receivers’ beliefs with those
views of the persuader (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986)
D. Taking a shortcut: the peripheral route of persuasion
1. Wen motivation or ability is missing from the target audience, the persuader
can use the peripheral route to persuasion
3. Peripheral messages rely on a receiver’s emotional involvement and persuade
through more superficial means
E. Types of peripheral cues
2. Commitment—emphasis is on a person’s dedication to a product, social
cause, group affiliation, etc.
4. Liking—stresses affinity toward a person, place, or object
6. Scarcity—preys on people’s worry of missing out on something
F. Types of peripheral messages
1. As with centrally routed arguments, peripheral messages can be evaluated as
positive, neutral, or negative (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986)
2. Persuaders should focus on emotionally based peripheral messages if
receivers cannot or will not consider an elaborated message
III. Theory of Planned Behavior
A. Theory of reasoned action
1. Theory of planned behavior can be traced to an earlier theory, the theory of
reasoned action (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975)
2. The theory of reasoned action assumes certain things
a. All behavior is intentional. The notion of a behavioral intention means
3. The determination of behavioral intention is achieved by looking at the
relative weights of the two predictors
4. To persuade someone to act a particular way, then, the persuader has to send a
message to affect the proper predictor
B. Adding to the theory
1. A third predictor has since been added to the theory, changing the name to the
theory of planned behavior
a. Like attitudes and normative beliefs, perceived behavioral control is
also comprised of two elements: self-efficiency and controllability
2. If your goal as a persuader is to convince someone to act in a particular way
you need to provide attitudinal, social norm, and controllability incentives
IV. Inoculation Theory
A. McGuire
1. What if your goal is to persuade someone not to be persuaded? McGuire’s
2. An inoculation message presents a weaker form of a contrary argument,
much like a vaccine includes a weakened form of a virus. Once exposed to
this weaker argument, people are less likely to change their attitudes when
presented with a stronger form of the argument
B. Developing the concept
1. Pfau (1997) suggests that there are two major components to an inoculation
message: threat and refutational preemption
2. Research consistently shows that “matching” the content of refutations exactly
to what occurs in the counterargument is unnecessary; any preemptive
refutation seems to bolster the inoculation effect (Banas & Rains, 2008)
V. Narrative Paradigm
Instructor Resource
Dainton, Applying Communication Theory for Professional Life 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
A. Fisher’s (1984, 1987) narrative paradigm stresses the effectiveness of influence
through narration—that is, persuasion through storytelling
B. Fisher’s narrative assumptions
1. What makes humans unique and distinct from other creatures is our ability
and drive to tell stories
2. Individuals use narrative rationality—a logical method of reasoning by
which a person can determine how believable another’s narrative is
a. Narrative rationality relies on good reasons which allow us to validate
and accept (or reject) another’s narrative based on the perceived
3. What a person accepts as a good reason is based on that individual’s culture,
character, history, values, experience, and the like (Fisher, 1984, 1987)
4. “Rationality is determined by the nature of persons as narrative beings”
(Fisher, 1987, p. 5). Fisher argues that rationality—and therefore persuasion—
5. The world as humans know it is based primarily on both cooperative and
competing stories
C. Study in contrasts: comparing narrative and rational paradigms
1. Logos, or purely rational argument, has been unfairly privileged as the
ultimate measure of rationality
3. Narrative paradigm does not exclude logic (Fisher, 1987)
4. Fisher also maintained humans should move away from dualistic approaches
and embrace more integrated perspectives
D. Organizational storytelling
1. Barker and Gower (2010) argue that integrating good storytelling in diverse,
2. They contend that “stories serve a persuasive communication function for