PUBLIC OPINION

AND PERSUASION
GROUP MEMBERS
Arooj Masood
Muhammad Fahad Aziz
Fozia Batool
Ali Ahmed Ali
PUBLIC OPINION
Public opinion is the constant forming and revising of people’s
opinions on public figures, organizations and issues. Public opinion
is the collective expression of opinions of many individuals bound
into a group by common aims.
OPINION
Opinion leaders are individuals who exert a significant amount of

LEADERS
influence within their network. They are people who, because of
their interest and knowledge of a subject, become experts and
inform others.
Three Multiple Step Flow

Theories The N-Step Theory

on how Diffusion Theory

opinion
developed
MULTIPLE STEP
Opinion makers gather information from the mass media and

FLOW other outlets which they share with people.

Attentive Public
Inattentive Public
THE N-STEP THEORY
Individuals are seldom influenced by just one opinion leader,
rather, they interact with many different leaders.
DIFFUSION
The Diffusion Theory suggests that there are five different
THEORY
categories of individuals that go through the process of adopting
innovation and that these individuals adopt a new idea by going
through five distinct steps.
 Awareness of an issue

Categories Interest in an issue

of Diffusion Trial

Theory Evaluation

Adoption
PERSUASION
Persuasion is a literary technique that writers use to present their
ideas through reason and logic, in order to influence the audience.
Persuasion may simply use an argument to persuade the readers,
or sometimes may persuade readers to perform a certain action.
USES OF PERSUASION
Change or neutralize hostile opinions

Crystallize dormant opinions and positive attitudes.

Maintain favorable opinions

PERSUASIVE
COMMUNICATION
Persuasive communications contain a variety of attributes intended
to enhance persuasion, which could include an attractive source, a
message containing convincing arguments, or efforts to make the
topic seem personally relevant to the audience.
 Audience Analysis
Points of Audience Participation
Persuasive Clarity of Message
Communication Timing and Context
AUDIENCE ANALYSIS
Knowledge of audience characteristics such as beliefs, attitudes,
concerns, and lifestyles is an essential part of persuasion.

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Attitude and beliefs are change or enhanced by
audience involvement and participation.
CLARITY OF
The most persuasive messages are direct,
MESSAGE simply expressed, and contain one primary idea

TIMING AND CONTEXT

Timing and context influences the media’s desire to pick up a
story/news.
LIMITATIONS OF PERSUASION
Lack of message penetration

Conflicting messages

Self-selection

Self-perception