Techniques

This is an outline of the presentation given to students regarding persuasive techniques.

The Claim

The statement of the argument.

Example: I am going to try to convince you that chocolate is a healthy snack.

Eight Persuasive Techniques

1. Appeal to Authority
   Important people or experts can make your argument seem more convincing; Using reliable research can help your argument seem convincing.
   Example 1: Former U.S. president Bill Clinton thinks that junk food should be taken out of vending machines.
   Example 2: A recent study found that students who watch TV during the week don’t do as well in school.
2. Appeal to Reason
   Facts, numbers, information, and logic can be very convincing.
   Example: A Snickers bar has 280 calories and 30 grams of sugar. That’s not very healthy.
3. Appeal to Emotion
   Getting people to feel happy, sad, or angry can help your argument.
   Example: Your donation might just get this puppy off the street and into a good home.
4. Appeal to Trust
   If people believe and trust in you, you’re more likely to persuade them.
   Example: Believe me! I’ve been there before. I’m just like you.
5. Plain Folks
   People will believe you if you appear to be an “Average Joe.”
   Example: A politician says, “I’m going to clean out the barn!”
6. Bandwagon
   If everyone believes it, it must be true!
   Example: Nine out of ten people prefer our soap!
7. Rhetorical Question
   Rhetorical questions are not intended to be answered. They’re a way to state the “obvious.”
   Example: Who wouldn’t like to earn more money?
8. Repetition
   If you repeat information or present information in repeating patterns, people will remember it and believe it.
   Example: Duty does not trump honesty. Duty does not trump common sense. And duty, my friends, does not trump morality.

Source: The material here is based largely on the Persuasive Strategy PowerPoint presentation from ReadWriteThink.org.