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GE2248 Understanding
Persuasion in Everyday Life
Lecture 3
Theories of Persuasion (Aristotle's Theory,
Elaboration Likelihood Model)
Successful Persuasion – Ethos, Pathos, Logos
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Successful Persuasion – Ethos, Pathos, Logos
• Ethos
• Persuading the audience by using the character/credibility of the
speaker
• E.g. A woman talking about women problems is more likely to have
an effect on the audience than a male speaker Women appears
to be more powerful in talking about abortion, no matter what their
stand is
• E.g. A teacher comes in the class and tells you ‘Tomorrow is a
holiday’ and no questions will be asked. But if your classmate says
so, you will investigate first. You will be more eager to listen to a
representative person in the field than to a newbie.
http://www.pathosethoslogos.com/ 3
Successful Persuasion – Ethos, Pathos, Logos
• Logos
▫ Persuading the audience by using reason to justify the
speaker’s argument
http://www.pathosethoslogos.com/ 4
Successful Persuasion – Ethos, Pathos, Logos
• Pathos
▫ Persuading the audience by appealing to their emotions
▫ When facts are well proved, people may not be able to reject it,
BUT they ignore it.
▫ Stirring emotions in an audience is a way to get them involved in
the speech, and involvement can create more opportunities for
persuasion and action.
http://www.pathosethoslogos.com/ 5
Successful Persuasion – Ethos, Pathos, Logos
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Successful Persuasion – Ethos, Pathos, Logos
Pathos
Ethos
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Successful Persuasion – Ethos, Pathos, Logos
• Suppose you want to buy a new Apple notebook, you
are going to persuade your mother to sponsor you
money in the purchase.
• No persuasion technique: “I want to by an Apple notebook.
Please sponsor me, mum.”
• Applying the techniques of logos, ethos and pathos
Logos
Ethos
Pathos
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Successful Persuasion – Ethos, Pathos, Logos
Points to remember
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Successful Persuasion
You plan to buy a house in the city. How do you choose
the house? How you do make the decision?
Take the advices from your friend Study and compare the restaurant’s menu
and background information carefully
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Successful Persuasion
You plan to do some investment in the stock market. How do you invest
your money? How do you make the decision?
Take the advices from the expert? Study the relevant information carefully?
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Successful Persuasion
• What is your conclusion?
▫ The sender or the message?
▫ Low involvement situation low motivation to think about the messages and
topics (no matter you have the ability to understand/comprehend the
messages and topics)
Sender quality is the key
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Persuasion Theory:
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)
“Two Routes” to Persuasion
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)
• Authors: Richard Petty and John Cacioppo (1986)
• ELM
▫ Demonstrates that different types of persuasive messages are
processed through either the central or peripheral route and
explains how each route produces different strengths of
persuasion.
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Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)
• The Central route to persuasion
Audiences look at the facts and critically analyzed what the persuader
said.
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Recap from the 2nd Lecture: Understanding your Audiences
Motivation + Ability
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Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)
• The Peripheral route to persuasion
▫ The receiver does not expend the effort to think carefully about the
ideas in a message
√ √ Central • Travel
• Wedding banquet
√ X Peripheral • Bet on horse
racing
• Medical
treatments
X √ Peripheral • Buy stationeries
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Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)
Attention: The attitude changed under different routes to persuasion is
different
If your arguments are not very logical/strong, then you need to find
ways to shorten the audience’s time in making decisions
Law of Scarcity
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Law of Scarcity
3. Law of Scarcity
The more the scarcity of an item increases, the more the item increases in value,
the greater the urge to own it because people don’t want to miss out on
anything they could have had. The mental trigger of potential loss causes
anxiety in people that they act to prevent the loss
Limited supply,
Limited time, deadline competition Potential loss
(No deadline, no action. (Property agent always tell (The property price keeps
Many people don’t pay you that there is another rising. Delay in a purchase
their bills until they have potential buyer decision may cause to a
to.) considering the house you higher cost of purchase.)
just visited. )
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Online Scam Review
Ethos
All the scam cases Hacking into victim’s account
are playing around and sending money requests to
his friends and family;
ethos, logos and Pretending to be the senior
management of a company or a
pathos. More representative of an official
organization
importantly,
creating urgency!
Pathos
Logos Addressing the
Getting troubles or friendship and love. How
requesting something bad it will be if the
simple victim doesn’t help
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