Persuasive Appeals

Pulling it all together

To answer their questions, your audience can rely...

...on the reasons. LOGOS

...on you. ETHOS

...on their feelings. PATHOS

Logos

Ethos

Pathos

Statistics Specific instances Principle Causal Analogical Reason giving!

Expert testimony Personal competence Personal character Common ground Deliver with conviction

Examples Emotional language Deliver with conviction Share your passion

Persuasive Appeals
Confessions of a Simple Surgeon

Central Questions About Sources

Question #1: Expertise?

Does the person who wrote this know what he/she is talking about?

Question #2: Bias?

Does the person who wrote this have financial or ideological interests which significantly distort his/her judgment? Did anyone else spend time figuring out if this was good information?

Question #3: Reviewed?

Persuasive Appeals
Sources in An Inconvenient Truth

Patterns of Reasoning

Read the following passage out loud. FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.

Reasoning: deduction & induction

Deduction: arguments that run from general to specific; they are characterized by necessity. Induction: arguments that run from specific to general; they are characterized by an inductive leap.

Classic form of Deduction: the syllogism

The U.S. Constitution guarantees citizens the right to vote. Women are citizens. The U.S. Constitution guarantees women the right to vote.

Argument from Principle

To be effective a law must be enforced and have adequate penalties.

Adopting my plan will make Wisconsins laws on chewing tobacco be enforced and will create adequate penalties.

My plan will be effective at curbing chewing tobacco use.

The Enthymeme:

Assumes that the audience will supply a part that is missing.

Shes a girl; she cant throw the ball. Girls cant throw balls. Hes a man; he wont stop to ask directions. Men wont stop to ask directions.

Enthymemes

Ames keeps building in flood plains; no wonder we are having more flooding. Building in flood plains increases the chance of flooding. Adopting instead of buying a pet will save you money so its a good idea. Anything you can do to save money is a good idea.

Enthymemes

16 year olds have undeveloped brains so they cant judge risks. People with undeveloped brains cant judge risks. By writing a letter to your representative, you can help pass this law. Writing letters leads to passing new laws.

Beware the false principle.

The police say he committed the crime, so he committed the crime. stereotypes starting from principles that only those who already agree with you would maintain.

Specific Instances: Inductive reasoning

Otherwise known as generalization arguments. Surveys and studies are often grounded in reasoning from specific instances. Neilson ratings and representation

Specific Instances: Chewing Tobacco Speech

Chewing tobacco use is widespread.

The American Cancer Society says one in twelve Americans is a regular user. The average age of first use is 10. 40% of high school boys say they have tried it. 21% of kindergartners (boys?) have tried it.

Specific Instances in the Pet Adoption Speech

I adopted my great pet from a shelter for $50. You could adopt this cute dog for $50 You could adopt this cute cat for $50 You could adopt this other cute dog for $50

Therefore: You can adopt any pet from the shelter for $50!

Specific Instances: Teen Driving Speech

There are too many car accidents, death and injuries involving teen drivers.

National Hwy Safety Administration Info

7 % of drivers, but are 14% of fatalities 3,657 teen drivers killed last year 2,384 teen passengers killed 2, 625 21 and older killed in accidents with teen drivers Teens have highest % of crashes caused by speeding, and driver error and the most single car crashes

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

USA Today says 16 yr olds are 3 times more likely to be in a fatal crash than older drivers.

Beware the Hasty Generalization

my friends and I watched violent cartoons and never committed a crime, so . . . . the two people I sat next to in lecture got Bs on their speeches, so everybody but me got a B on the speech. but Mom, everybody else is going to the party!

which moves us toward the bandwagon fallacy

Break
After break Analogies and Causal Reasoning. Practice Arguments to prep for Quiz 3. Examples from p. 134? Q & A on speeches

Arguments from Analogy

Figurative

He wont make a good company president because you cant teach an old dog new tricks
Socialized medicine works in Canada, so socialized medicine will work in the U.S.

Literal

both are grounded in the concept of similarity

Figurative Analogies

Useful for framing an argument Not useful as proof/evidence

It doesnt really pass the test of similarity It is typically heard as pathos not logos

Figurative Analogy
Malcolm X on integrating the Civil Rights Movement "Its just like when youve got some coffee thats too black, which means its too strong. What do you do? You integrate it with cream, you make it weak. But if you pour too much cream in it, you wont even know you ever had coffee. It used to be hot, it becomes cool. It used to be strong, it becomes weak. It used to wake you up, now it puts you to sleep."
"Message to the Grass Roots," speech, Nov. 1963, Detroit (published in Malcolm X Speaks, ch. 1, 1965).

Analogies can help prove practicality

Chewing Tobacco speech

It worked in California, so it can work in Wisconsin.

Good

evidence to show that the law is working in California Some sense of similarity between California and Wisconsin helps it work.

Kansas City Royals have banned its use so other teams might too. Comparison to tobacco company strategies.

An Inconvenient Truth:

Weak Analogies?

A ban on all alcohol use in the dorms will work at ISU because such a ban worked at Luther College. The university shouldnt be able to tell me what classes I have to take; after all, the store manager doesnt tell me what groceries to buy. We praise the lives of soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the sake of others, why cant we celebrate embryos sacrificed in order to save the lives of others?

Causal Arguments

The most challenging of the types of reasoning. We cant see causal relationships, we can only infer them. Examples

cigarettes cause lung cancer Embryonic stem cell research causes a disrespect for human life

Causal Argument Challenges

post hoc ergo propter hoc

after this therefore because of this confusing a relationship in time with cause and effect seen in superstitions seen in just look what happened after we . . . . arguments.

Causal Argument Challenges

multiple causation

rainforest destruction is the cause of global warming T.V. is responsible for school violence. my printer problem caused me to be unable to do my speech

correlation vs. causation

Causal Reasoning

Chewing tobacco

causal chain: Chewing tobacco contains grit and sand, which wear away at teeth; it also contains sugar which wears away at teeth, leading to cavities and then tooth loss. Chewing tobacco caused Toms death. Chewing tobacco caused Seans death.

Tips for success in causal reasoning.

use causal chains to help the audience see the causal relationship. use testimony of experts to support conclusions

Fallacies of Reasoning

False principle Hasty generalization Weak (invalid) analogy Post Hoc or false cause

Practice

What kind of reasoning and how strong is it?

According to a study by the American Medical Association, men with bald spots have three times the risk of heart attack as men with a full head of hair. Strange as it may seem, it looks as if baldness is a cause of heart attacks. The U.S. Constitution guarantees all citizens the right to bear arms. Gun control legislation infringes on the right of citizens to bear arms. Therefore, gun control legislation is contrary to the Constitution.

More practice

Raising a child is like having a pet--you need to feed it, play with it, and everything will be fine. Statistical data from the U.S. Department of Justice demonstrate that there are thousands of cases where perpetrators of sexual violence repeated their crime within three months of their release. In their 1990 study Rice, Harris, and Quinsey, researchers at Canadas Queens University, found that 28% of rapists repeated their offence after release. Clearly sexual predators are dangerous beyond the length of their prison terms.

More practice

There can be no doubt that the Great Depression was caused by Herbert Hoover. He became President in March 1929, and the stock market crashed just seven months later. I dont see any reason to wear a helmet when I ride a bike. Everyone bikes without a helmet.

More practice

Ames would benefit significantly from requiring businesses to install permeable parking lots along Duff Avenue. After all, the addition of permeable parking lots for construction in flood plains helped Dubuque limit the spread of flooding despite the fact that the river reached 5 feet over flood stage in 2006.

The Building Blocks

Strong Analysis: Problem, Plan, Practicality Evidence / Supporting Material using Ethos, Logos and Pathos

Statistics, Examples, Testimony Principle Specific Instances [generalization] Analogy Causal

Reasoning

Audience Connection

With Content: Mental Dialogue With Structure With Delivery

End

Analyzing the Chewing Tobacco Speech

Sample Speech on Chewing Tobacco

Attention

detailed story of Tom images Im studying to be a dentist; dad is I have seen it

Credibility

Topic revealed Relating to the audience

Example is a WI 23 year old? Fear appeal? The many problems resulting from chewing tobacco. Actions we can take to change the use of chewing tobacco.

Preview

Building the Persuasive Speech

I. Chewing tobacco causes many serious problems.
A. Its use is widespread. B. It causes problems such as tooth loss, gum disease and even death.

II. The problems of chewing tobacco can be solved by taking two major steps.
A. Change Wisconsin laws to increase the penalties and the enforcement for selling chewing tobacco to minors. B. Ban use of chewing tobacco at professional sporting events.

Problem Issue

Its use is widespread.

The A.C.S. says

one in twelve Americans is a regular user. The average age of first use is 10. 40% of high school boys say they have tried it. 21% of kindergartners (boys?) have tried it.

It causes problems such as tooth loss, gum disease and even death.

American Dental Association info on all three problems Extended example of Sean Marsee

Plan Issue

Change Wisconsin laws to increase the penalties and the enforcement for selling chewing tobacco to minors.

WI Department of Law Enforcement You can help by writing a letter asking for this law.

Ban use of chewing tobacco at professional sporting events.

You can help by writing a letter to your favorite team or athlete.

Practicality

Change laws

Laws must be enforced and have penalties to be effective Californias law is effective.

American Dental Association

Change sports

Kids imitate role models; if they say it is wrong, itll make a difference.

American Dental Association

Kansas City Royals has already banned it.