CMST 2HM3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: Antithesis, Fallacy, Rhetorical Device

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Communication Studies
• Course: CMST 2HM3
• Professor: Terry Flynn

Document Summary

Characteristics of persuasion: persuasion: the process of motivating someone, through communication and relationship building, to change a particular attitude, belief, value, or behaviour. Persuasion is not coercive: persuasion makes a listener want to think or act differently, coercion doesn"t result in positive results but instead produces negative attitudes and attributions. Persuasion is interactive: persuasion is not something that you do to other people but rather something you do with them. By directness of approach: direct persuasion: persuasion that does not try to disguise the speaker"s persuasive purpose, used often in academic situations, best strategy to use with a friendly audience. Indirect persuasion: persuasion that disguises or de-emphasizes the speaker"s persuasive goal: politicians often use this method, although it may be difficult to spot. Avoid fallacies: fallacy: a mistaken or misleading argument, attack on the person instead of the argument (ad hominem, ad hominem fallacy: a fallacious argument that attacks the integrity of a person to weaken his/her position.