The art of persuasion was something I believed I had skillfully mastered by the age of five. Convincing others that the best candy was without a doubt “Sour Patch Kids” or that spinning the tire swing as fast as possible would truly benefit them, was something I maneuvered well. I also could convince my dog to do most anything, my favorite included eating any bugs that flew in my path. I was quite disheartened when I noticed flaws in my skills, as I attempted to persuade my parents, my big sister, her friends, or any other adult that I encountered. I was quite perplexed by this fact, especially after thinking that I was a master, and maybe in the sense of my five-year-old friends and dog, I was, but when it came to adults, I still had some refining to do. In time, I realized that my ability to persuade truly relied on my audience. And nowadays, when people are beginning to question whether or not persuasion is dead, I like to believe that is indeed alive, it just depends on whom you are trying to persuade.
I often realize this while strolling about campus. There are signs advertising free subs, free pizza, free ice cream, free burritos…the only catch is, you have to apply for a credit card. They convince you that you are just applying and that you are not actually opening up an account. They lead you to believe that it is okay and that your free meal will come with no strings attached. Two cancellations and a credit card in my wallet later, I realized that this was not true. I was persuaded by the thought of free food and no strings attached, it seemed perfect in my mind, I am a hungry college student. These people know exactly whom they should appeal to. It is not like you would see these advertisers sitting in the parking lot of a business building, trying to convince the businessmen. They are aware that their persuasion methods will fail. They recognized their audience; they determined who could be persuaded and who could not be, and that is who they aimed for.
In terms of a more influential act of persuasion, it can be demonstrated when considering the presidential election. There are always those who vote strictly republican, democratic, or to whichever party they are loyal to, but then you have those who are open-minded and who truly would like to have the best candidate for presidency. Those who sit with their ears, eyes, and mind open will truly be persuaded by what the candidate has to say. This is often the reason that the candidates spend much of their time campaigning in the “swing” states. They know that the speeches they make are being heard, internalized, and hopefully have taken effect in their favor. I recall talking to my Grandpa Allan, a rather conservative man, and asking him which candidate he had chosen in the election. His answer had astounded me, he had voted for Obama; he had voted democratically, which was very unlike him and his past voting habits. He then explained to me that he had chosen Obama because he believed him to be the right man for the job. If Obama had not made influential speeches in order to persuade those such as my grandfather to vote for him, if persuasion was truly dead, there is the possibility that a different president may be sitting in the oval office.
Also, the art of persuasion is not limited to public affair such as credit card applications and presidential speeches, it is also used amongst our interpersonal relationships. Whether you need a helping hand, want company while procrastinating, want permission to stay out late, or anything else, persuasion helps you to fulfill those wants and needs. Some will be easy to persuade, some will take more prodding, and even some will be relentless. As I know that I can easily persuade my best friend to hang out instead of do homework, that I have to work a little bit for my mom to extend my curfew, and that I will never be able to convince my father that piercing my nose is a good idea. It truly depends on the audience you desire to convince.
So, if you hear that persuasion is “dead,” think twice. Consider that articles discussing this topic are ironic, as they persuade you that persuasion is dead…or maybe I have just persuaded you to that fact…
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree that the art of persuasion is not dead. And a person’s success in the art of persuasion depends on their audience. It depends on whether or not members of the audience are hostile, sympathetic or wavering. When the audience is a hostile audience it may seem as though the art of persuasion is dead because it will be near impossible to convince the audience of anything that they are not already in favor of. A hostile audience is the audience that most public speakers fear, and is often the reason that people experience anxiety during public speaking. It takes an experienced, confident and well prepared speaker to speak bravely and persuasively to a hostile audience. Because a speaker has such a low probability of reaching out and persuading the hostile audience, most often this is not who the speaker targets. Examples of a hostile audience that you gave were your parents, big sister, your sister’s friends, or any other adult. At age five I agree that you likely faced only hostile audiences. While some parents may give into their children’s every wish, it is unlikely that most parents would give into their child’s attempts at persuasion every time. Certainly an adult should know what is best for their child, at least more so than the child. An example of this is something that is often argued between young children and their parents, bed time. Most five year olds would try to convince you that they do not require a bed time and that they should be allowed to stay up watching television all night. Children must face their parents, the hostile audience, and more often than not their attempts at persuasion are ineffective. This is not because persuasion is dead. It is because the child is facing a hostile audience. Persuasion is usually not effective with a sympathetic audience either, or at least is not necessary. Television and radio commercials and print advertisements are not attempting to reach the audience who is already using their products. The art of persuasion is unnecessary here. Still, the art of persuasion is not dead. The art of persuasion is most effective with the wavering audience. This is the audience who is undecided. When this audience hears a strong argument with great supporting evidence, they are more likely to be persuaded. As a five year old your parents certainly could be a hostile audience. But, as a person grows older and becomes a teenager, I believe that parents become more of a wavering audience than a hostile audience. As you get older, your parents tend to put more trust in you, and will often be open to hearing arguments regarding curfew and other privileges. Whether or not you are successful with this wavering audience will depend on the strength of your arguments.
ReplyDelete-Jaclyn E