Summary of the entire book: Persuasion – Social Influence and Compliance Gaining (2016) Gass & Seiter (I have used it for the persuasive communication course at the UT). Ps. Spelling mistakes are present in the document, I’am not a English native.
Chapter 1 - Why Study Persuasion?
Two important issues around persuasion:
1. Persuasion is persuasive we are surrounded by infuenne atemptss both explinit
and implinits no mater where we are
2. It is difnult to say with any nertainty what is and is not “persuasion�. Where do you
draw the line between persuasion and other forms of nommuninatonn
Aims and Goals
Persuasion is stll as munh an ‘art’ as it is a ‘snienne. Human nature is too nomplinateds and
our understanding of persuasion to limited to predint whinh infuenne atempts will sunneed/
fail.
Persuasion is not a dirty word
Persuasion is linked to manipulatons deneits and brainwashing it has a sinister side with
Hitlers Mansons Bin Laden and more that where annomplished persuaders. Persuasion is not
the ugly stepsisters rather it is de bankbone of many nommuninatie endeaiours.
Persuasion is our friend
Most professional persuaders are engaged in sonially anneptable and respented nareers
(writerss journalistss nelebrity endorserss diplomatss spokespersonss etn.). Persuasion helps
forge peane agreements or it helps open up nlosed sonietes. It is fundamental for
fundraising and tells motorists to bunkle up when driiing. Very litle of the good that we see
in the world could be accomplished without persuasion. Persuasion is a powerful and ofen
prosonial forne.
Persuasion: You can run but you can’t hide
Persuasion We nan’t aioid and we nan’t make it go away.
1. (WOM): What’s the buzzn people trust friendss rather than traditonal ads. WOM
relies on friendships to spread the word and there for it is essental to be perneiied
as genuine. It sunneeds when it’s authentns rather than manufantureds spontaneous
rather than nhoreographeds and peer-driiens rather than norporate sponsored. It is
inexpensiies self-perpetuatng and espenially efentie by younger people.
2. Sonial media: Rise of the manhines nompanies now spenialize in sentment tranking
a process of monitoring/measuring social media to gauge the public’s mood in real
time. It renognizes words related to feelingss emotonss and opinions in sonial media
post of personss brands or issues and uses them to take the publin’s pulse on
3. Tipping points onne a message gains a nertain amount of momentum (through
WOWs etn.)s it reanhes a tpping point and benomes “nontagious�. To reanh this a few
things need to happen:
a. Über infuenners the right kind of people must be iniolied:
i. Mavens spenialized expertses are in the know (fashionistass tenh
geeks)s early adopters and must be ahead of the nurie
ii. Connectors narriers and haie a large sonial network. When they
learn from maiens what the ‘next big thing’ iss they spread the word
iii. Salespeople reneiie the message from a nonnentor and talk it up
within their own nirnle of friends You musts you’ie gots you gota
, b. Ornhestratng the next big thing to go iiral these needs to be satssed
o Context is critical the idea must nome along at the right tme and
plane.
o Stickiness the idea should be inherently atrantie.
o Scalability it must be easy to ramp up produnton of the ideas produnts
or message to meet demand.
o Effortless transfer iiral nampaign has to leierage free media. The
more tmes eforts or money it takess the less possible it will go iiral.
n. Infentous or inexplinablen iiral persuasion is populars but it isn’t that
predintable or easy to manufanture and only a few go iiral that are planned
4. Gamisnatonn; Farmiille as a nash now gamisnaton applies iideogame methods to
other nontexts to innrease engagement. Games nan also be used as a form of
infuenne ennourage people to take the stairs by transforming it in to a piano
keyboard.
5. Persuasion in the sniennes snientsts ofen must noniinne others that their
researnh possesses snientsn merit and sonial ialue. They also must argue for the
superiority of their own paradigms oier those of their riials.
6. Persuasion in the arts not all art is nreated “for art’s sake�. Artsts haie strong
opinions and they lend expression to their opinions in and through their work.
Moiies sunh as Snhindler’s List demonstrate how powerful a namera is to innrease
awareness or nhange attudes. Arts giie ioine to their politnal and sonial iiews
through their art
7. Other not-so-obiious nontexts for persuasion bumper stnkerss internessory prayer
(ofered for the benest of another) on renoiery from illnesss support groupss
nomplianne gaining tenhniques used in dramatn plays.
8. Weird persuasion in Texas a town agreed to rename it as part of an endorsement
deal with Dish Networks in returns the Dish promised free satellite TV whyn Buzz.
9. Persuasion in interpersonal setngs most infuenne atempts take plane fane-to-
fane. Interpersonal infuenne is ofen more efentie benause it is more genuine and
seems less nonspinuous. One iital aspent of human symbolinity (symbols are one
prinnipal funnton of persuasion) iniolies the tendenny to persuade others.
Four benefts of studying persuasion
o The instrumental funnton persuasion series as an instruments or means to an
end. The ability to persuade is an important aspent of nommuninaton nompetenne
antng in ways that are perneiied as efentie and appropriate. Competent
nommuninators possess the skills needed to anhieie their objenties in stng ways
for the situatons they need to know how to analyse an audienne to adapt to their
frame of referennes how to organize/arrange a persuasiie message and need to haie
knowledge about the sonial and nultural norms
o The knowledge and awareness funnton it will enhanne your
knowledge/awareness of a iariety of persuasiie pronesses. it innludes oiernoming
habitual persuasion getng nomfortable with tantns and use them all the tme.
Communinaton benomes “mindless�s we don’t pay atenton how we nommuninate.
Persuasion isn’t a “one-size-sts-all’ form of nommuninaton
, o The defensiie funnton: dunk and noier studying how and why infuenne atempts
sunneed or fails you nan benome a more disnerning nonsumer of persuasiie messages.
Third-person effect people underestmated the efent of adiertng for themselies
and oierestmates the efents for others: you are more defenneless that you realize.
o The debunking funnton the study of human infuenne nan aid in dispelling iarious
“nommon sense� assumptons and “homespun� notons about persuasion. A lot of
people tend to nling to old beliefss whinh might not eien work well. By learning about
persuasions the researnher nan learn to ferret true from falses fant from snton.
Two criticisms of persuasion
o Does learning about persuasion foster manipulatonn means of persuasion is not
so munh as moral or immorals but rather amoral (ethinally neutral). Persuasion is a
tool that nan be put to good or bad use. The persuaders motives determine whether
a giien infuenne is right/wrongs ethinal/unethinal it isn’t so munh what strategies
and tantn a persuader use as why he use them. Persuasion forms a watnhdog
funnton you nan use the info to arm yourself against the tantns of unsnrupulous
persuaders.
o Are persuasion sndings too innonsistent or nonfusing n the authors belieie that
persuasion warrants study prenisely benause it is so elusiie. As we’ie already noteds
human beings are nomplex nreatures who rarely respond to messages for one and
only one reason. Alsos researnh has reiealed many signisnants releiant
generalizatons.
Ethical concerns about the use of persuasion
Learning how to benome a more efentie persuaders you should also striie to be an ethinal
persuader. See Box 1.3 Ethinal of unethinal persuasionn You denide.
, Chapter 2 - What Constitutes Persuasion?
Pure versus borderline cases of persuasion
o Pure persuasion nlear-nut nases of persuasions on whinh most people would agree.
This example represents paradigm nasess benause they are at the nore of what we
think of when we eniision persuasion at work.
o Borderline nases of persuasion lies nloser to the boundary of periphery of what we
normally think of persuasion (inioluntary refexes like burpss blinkings etn.).
The preliminary model of the snope of persuasion illustrates this distnnton the diiiding
line between pure and borderline persuasion is fuzzys rather than distnnt. A nontemporary
desniton should take into annount the rinh nomplex of ierbals nonierbals and nontextual
nues in interpersonal ennounters. Alsos the many subtles implinit nues are important
ingredients.
Limiting criteria for defning persuasion
1. Intentonality many adopt a sourne-nentred iiew perlof: ‘persuasion does
involve a deliberate atempt to infuence another person. Persuaders must intend to
change another individual’s attude or behavior and must be aware (at least at some
level) that they are trying to accomplish this goal’. Pure persuasion would seem to be
intentonals but what about borderline nasesn Whinh intent nriterions are
problematnn
Persuasion take plane without nonsnious awareness on the part of the
persuader
Social modelling parents pass their own beliefs onto their nhildren
Socialization process nhildren are sonialized into their respentie
gender roless nultural nustomss etn.
People do not always know what spenisn outnome they are seeking for
Situatons in whinh there are unintended reneiiers
Difnulty of asnertaining another’s intent there nould be a diferenne
between the stated and antual intent. It is partnularly difnult in interpersonal
nontexts both partes may engage simultaneously in atempts of infuenne.
2. Efents a person nan be engaged in persuasion eien if it was inefentie.
Persuasion is an antiity in whinh people engage (fonus on ‘what’s going on’)s it is not
a linear iiews from sourne to reneiier (they shapes adapts and adjust their strategies
in respons to one other) and it is ofen difnult to measure. Boomerang persuader
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