Question

Please answer to the following questions. Please write at least 200 words for each one.

1. What is persuasion and what are its strategies? Please include sufficient details in your answers.

2. How can you improve your persuasive skills?

Answer 1

1. The process of influencing another person's values, beliefs, attitudes or behaviors. Process aimed at changing a person's (or a group's) attitude or behavior toward some event, idea, object, or other person(s), by using written or spoken words to convey information, feelings, or reasoning, or a combination of them.

strategies------1.Ethos refers to the credibility of a speaker and includes three dimensions: competence, trustworthiness, and dynamism. The two most researched dimensions of credibility are competence and trustworthiness.  Develops a speaker’s credibility.

2. Logos. Evokes a rational, cognitive response from the audience. Logos refers to the reasoning or logic of an argument. The presence of fallacies would obviously undermine a speaker’s appeal to logos. Speakers employ logos by presenting credible information as supporting material and verbally citing their sources during their speech.

3. Pathos. Evokes an emotional response from the audience. Pathos refers to emotional appeals. Aristotle was suspicious of too much emotional appeal, yet this appears to have become more acceptable in public speaking. 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.

Cognitive dissonance. Moves an audience by pointing out inconsistencies between new information and their currently held beliefs, attitudes, and values. cognitive dissonance, which refers to the mental discomfort that results when new information clashes with or contradicts currently held beliefs, attitudes, or values. Using cognitive dissonance as a persuasive strategy relies on three assumptions: (1) people have a need for consistency in their thinking; (2) when inconsistency exists, people experience psychological discomfort; and (3) this discomfort motivates people to address the inconsistency to restore balance

5. Positive motivation. Promises rewards if the speaker’s message is accepted. positive motivation, speakers implicitly or explicitly convey to the audience that listening to their message or following their advice will lead to positive results.

6. Negative motivation. Promises negative consequences if a speaker’s message is rejected. negative motivation implies or states that failure to follow a speaker’s advice will result in negative consequences.

7. Appeals to safety needs. Evokes an audience’s concern for their safety and the safety of their loved ones. We satisfy our safety needs when we work to preserve our safety and the safety of our loved ones. Speakers can combine appeals to safety with positive motivation by presenting information that will result in increased safety and security.

8. Appeals to social needs. Evokes an audience’s need for belonging and inclusion. Our social needs relate to our desire to belong to supportive and caring groups. We meet social needs through interpersonal relationships ranging from acquaintances to intimate partnerships. We also become part of interest groups or social or political groups that help create our sense of identity

9. Appeals to self-esteem needs. Evokes an audience’s need to think well of themselves and have others think well of them, too.

2. a. Find A Common Ground-------It’s one of the age old ways of making a human connection with someone; finding something in common. It could be anything from disgust at the bad weather/elation at the brilliant weather, a shared interest, anything that shows you empathise with them in some way.

2. Show How You Can Solve Their Problem------You first need to consider how what you are offering solves a problem or fills a gap for your customer. Once you know their main problems/concerns, you can use your pitch to tell them how your product/service will solve these issues and benefit the customer.

3. Be Ready For An Argument------There will always be reasons for the customer to say ‘no’. Be ready for these common complaints with a series of answers that counter them. Try to look at your pitch from the receiving end before you go in there and consider all the arguments that could arise against it.

4. Use The Person’s Name-------It’s a very basic, sub-conscious response when you hear your own name to become more responsive. Some of the most persuasive leaders in the world will work a person’s name into the conversation just enough to build their ego but not enough that it appears obvious.

5. It’s All About Confidence----Being confident, but not arrogant, is key to success. If you demonstrate confidence in yourself and what you are selling, this will encourage people to feel confident in you/what you are offering too.