Persuasive Language

Lesson Aim: By the end of this lesson I will understand the techniques used in a speech to persuade its audience

Over to You:

When was the last time you tried to persuade someone to do something?

What words or techniques did you use?

Over to You:

When have you been moved, affected or influenced by a speaker?

Who do you think is a successful speaker? What makes them successful?

Make a list of adjectives that you could use to describe a speech, for example “animated”

Task - Key Words

Link the word to its meaning Persuade

Audience

Appeal to

Hyperbole

Direct Address

Emotive Language

Rhetoric

Persuasive Language

Purpose

Repetition / lists / tripling

Commands

Rhetorical question

To exaggerate

To attract / to grab interest

The reason for writing

Repeating certain words / phrases / ideas

To give orders e.g. “Don’t… Come …”

Words that evoke emotion

The people the writing is aimed at

Use of “you” to involve audience

A question that doesn’t need an answer, e.g. Dare you ride the Big Dipper?

To make somebody believe you

The art of persuasion and making people to think/feel in a particular way

Language used to persuade

What persuasive techniques are being used in this advertisement?

Rhetoric

Rhetoric is the art of persuasion.

A device most often used in public speaking to persuade its audience to think or feel in a certain way and to convince them of a particular point of view.

It uses language which appeals to that audience and is understood by that audience.

Techniques of Rhetoric We read and hear lots of persuasive

words every day, although we may not be aware that we are being persuaded.

Persuasive writing tries to make you believe something or think in a particular way.

Where would you see, hear or read persuasive techniques being used?

Ethos

Logos Pathos

The Rhetorical Triangle

The Rhetorical Triangle ties into the three kinds of persuasive appeals: logos, ethos, and pathos. Logos refers to the consistency and clarity of the message and to the logic of the reasons. Ethos refers to the credibility of the writer/speaker, conveyed through tone and style. Pathos refers to the audience’s capacity to feel and see what the writer feels and sees.

Confused? Speeches make use of… logos The appeal to

reason.

pathos The appeal to emotion.

ethos The persuasive appeal of one's character.

• The persuasion lies in the power and authority of the speaker

Persuading by convincing the audience that the speaker is worth listening to and evaluating:

- Trustworthiness- Writer’s reputation- Writers ability to call on ‘expert’ knowledgewith

Ethos – Credibility

Ethos: Calling on the expert

We only have one planet to care for and scientists tell us …

There is much research that demonstrates that school rules ensure order and safety.

Drugs are a serious threat to our long-term health and doctors warn about the danger of taking that first step.

Ethos – Credibility

Calls on research or expert opinion

It appears to be a restrained, sincere, fair-minded presentation.

e.g. “Research shows ….” “Doctors say …”

The audience thinks, “This person knows what he is talking about.”

Use of facts/statistics Persuasive writing uses facts and

statistics to force you to believe something is true.

For example: ‘Whizz’ cleaning product kills 90% of all known germs …

“One in ten people…” Facts and figures will support your

argument and will give evidence that an opinion is true.

Appeals to Negative Emotions:

Fear, Discrimination, Revenge

Appeals to Positive Emotions:

Love, Charity, Brotherhood, Justice

Use of Figurative Speech:

metaphors, rhetorical questions, parallelism

Pathos = Emotions

Emotive Language

Words used deliberately to evoke a particular emotion or response in the audience

Appeal to the heart:

(emotive = to bring about a certain feeling)

Empathy is when a person can understand the emotions of another ('to put yourself in another's shoes‘)

Emotive language appeals to a responder’s feelings and emotions: to make them feel sympathy, empathy or feel guilty!

Identify the emotive language used in this news report:

A medic has described the harrowing scenes of devastation he witnessed in cyclone-ravaged Burma … “Homes have been washed away, erased from the landscape. Entire villages are totally obliterated.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7410085.stm

Language Devices Persuasive writing uses language devices

to create powerful effects and visual images in the minds of the audience

Figurative language such as symbolism, metaphors, similes, personification:

“We must break free from the

chains of oppression…”

Also, alliteration, adjectives and strong verbs can evoke certain emotions

Alliteration

Repetition of consonant sounds. Used to draw attention to certain words Often affects or conveys tone

E.g. “rifles rapid rattle” – Wilfred Owen Conveys auditory imagery and tone of

bitterness.

LOGOS – a logical argument

Logos is persuasion by words – not hard evidence.

A presentation that convinces the listener that the conclusion given is the right one for the occasion.

Presents a valid, reasonable argument Finds holes in the opposite argument

Tone The writer’s attitude towards a subject. The tone of the composer may be expressed

through the persuasive techniques used or language choices made

Tone may be happy, frustrated, hopeful, reflective, etc.

Assertion A point of view expressed as fact Give your audience a strong statement of

belief, then go on to justify and expand on your ideas

Use of first person to make your writing strong and personal

“I agree … I think … I believe”

Rhetorical QuestionsThese questions don’t need an answer but

are asked to make the reader think

Why is this an effective advertisement? How does the rhetorical question appeal to the responder?

Hyperbole Hyperbole = Exaggeration / over the top

language Persuasive writing can be very dramatic

and often exaggerates a lot

I've told you a million times, stop exaggerating.

Lists, Repetition, Triads The repetition or restatement of an idea at

intervals not only promotes clarity, but encourages the acceptance of an idea.

Persuasive writing often uses listing or the rule of three (triads)

These are memorable phrases such as three reasons, three benefits or three emotive words :

“I have nothing to offer but

blood, sweat and tears.”

Anaphora

Repetition of one or more words at the beginning of more than one clause.

Adds emphasis to the words being spoken

E.g. “I am afraid to go out in the sun now because of the holes in the ozone. I am afraid to breathe the air because I don’t know what chemicals are in it.” –Severn Cullis-Suzuki

Asyndeton

The repeated use of commas without the use of conjunctions, such as and, or and because.

E.g. “We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom – symbolising an end, as well as a beginning – signifying renewal, as well as change.

Direct Address

Persuasive writing often uses the pronoun “you” and “your” to make the audience feel as though they are being spoken to directly

Use of collective pronouns

“us”, “we”, and “our” also gets

the audience involved

Why is this poster effective?

Use of Verbs A form of command –

telling the reader what to

do or how to behave

by use of modal verbs e.g. ‘will’, ‘can’, ‘shall’ ‘may’,

‘must’, ‘should’, ‘could’

or imperative verbs (The bossy verb!)e.g. ‘Do your homework’ ‘Close the Door’, ‘Eat

your dinner’ …

Humour / Anecdotes Making the audience laugh is a way of

keeping them interested in what you have to say and may also get them on side and support you

Anecdotes An anecdote is a

short tale narrating an interesting or

amusing biographical incident

Second Guessing Anticipating a counter argument. Trying to predict what your audience could

say in opposition to your argument.

e.g. “You might think that the

internet is a good research tool,

but …”

The art of persuasionIdentify the persuasive techniques used here:

I believe that three hours of homework a night is the key to success. Fifty per cent of students agreed. They know completing homework means they will do well and the facts prove it. HSC results show students who complete homework do 25 per cent better than students who don’t. Of course, three hours of homework a night might seem a lot, but you know that a temporary inconvenience in time will make a difference to your life chances. Homework equals success.

The art of persuasion

I believe that three hours of homework a night is the key to success. Fifty per cent of students agreed. They know completing homework means they will do well and the facts prove it. HSC results show students who complete homework do 25 per cent better than students who don’t. Of course, three hours of homework a night might seem a lot, but you know that a temporary inconvenience in time will make a difference to your life chances. Homework equals success.

Assertion

Directly addresses audience

Statistics

Second guessing

Structure and Presentation Structure of argument –use connectives; vary

sentence lengths; build to a climax

Formal language (although you may use colloquial language for a particular effect)

A clear tone – often using emotion

Pauses and silences – space that may be

filled with the audience’s own thoughts.

A strong conclusion – end on a memorable note to make argument even more convincing

Testing Your Understanding1. Summarise the meaning of

Logos, Pathos and Ethos

2. What are some of the main persuasive techniques commonly used in speeches?

3. How could a speaker use their voice and body to make their argument more convincing?

Let’s play Bingo!Draw a grid like the one below and choose 9 of the following words to write in each box in any order you wish …

Persuade Audience Appeal to Hyperbole Direct Address Emotive Language Rhetoric Persuasive Language Purpose Repetition / lists / tripling Commands Rhetorical question Logos Ethos Pathos