SCOM 341
1/10/13

* What are ways in which we talk about persuasion and how do these ways enable and disable how we talk about ourselves? * Persuasion as Manipulative They are the manipulator, and you are the victim (viewed as weak, naïve, helpless, etc) * Persuasion as Reasoning

* Communication is multifunctional but persuasion only has one function. * Comfort, expression can be seen as persuasion but it has a different intention

* Coercion and bribery- negative intentions but they might be effective. Creates a different dynamic between the communicators. This has no direct judgment, more avoidance.

* The ability for someone to make a judgment about an idea or behavior. If the capacity to make that judgment is not there then you do not have persuasion. You can never say that a mother persuaded their crying infant to stop crying because the baby never made an actual judgment.

* It does not have to be effective or successful to be persuasion, just as long as there is the practice of judgment.

“Persuasion is human communication to influence the autonomous judgments and actions of others. Persuasion is a form of attempted influence in the sense that it seeks to alter the way others think, feel or act, but it differs from other forms of influence. It is not the iron hand of torture, the stick-up, or other forms of coercion. Nor, in its purest sense, is it the exchange of money or other such material inducements for actions performed by the persons being influenced. Not is it pressure to confirm to the group or to the authority of the powerful. Addressed as it is to autonomous, choice-making individuals, persuasion predisposes others but does not impose. It affects their sense of what is true or false, probable or improbable; their evaluations of people, events, ideas or proposals; their private and public commitments to take this or that action; and perhaps even their basic values and ideologies. All of this is done by way of communication… Persuasion by this definition may succeed or fail at influencing judgments or actions, but it is still persuasion. The emphasis here is on persuasion as a practice.” * Practice is a normative, repeated way of acting * The irony of this is that you have to practice being good at the practice * There are different interpretations for practices; normative expectations are always subject to culture.

1/15/13

Persuasion as a practice of communication

* “…Designed to influence the autonomous judgment and actions of others.” * “…A form of attempted influence in the sense that it seeks to alter the ways others think, feel or act.” * What looks like persuasion, as an activity is coercion, because it imposes, which violates this * “Addressed as it is to autonomous, choice making individuals, persuasion predisposes but does not impose.”

It affects their sense of what is true of false, probable or improbable; their evaluations of people, events, ideas or proposals; their private and public commitments to take this or that action and perhaps even their basic values and ideologies.”

* If you view teaching as a practice of persuasion then teaching students about evolution can be viewed as persuading. * The powerful speaking to the naïve * Parenting as a practice of persuasion * Advice giving rituals as a practice of persuasion

Cognitive dissonance is not something that you do. This is why it is an important concept but it is not a PRACTICE. A practice could be managing or creating cognitive dissonance.

Reflexivity between self communication * Encourages us to consider the ethics of communication simply by inviting us to consider how we talk about ourselves and each other as situated in that communication

* If persuasion is viewed as a practice of communication, then persuasion as [fill in communication practice, ex: teaching] helps us to consider the ethics of how we view and treat each other during