Persuasion: The Power Behind Communication Since Time Immemorial - Essay Sample

Introduction

Since time immemorial, people have been communicating in their social, economic and political settings. There are several reasons why people talk. However, persuasion is the dominant force that fosters communication among persons. Persuasion is a significant aspect of discussion since it influences the recipient to buy the idea of the speaker. Through persuasion, the recipient does not need any form of coercion or force to embrace the concept relayed by the persuader. Persuasion has fostered peace in the world whereby individuals, countries, and organizations have come to many consensuses without bruising the egos of other parties. This discourse, therefore, focuses on the exploration of the Elaboration Likelihood Model Theory of persuasion. A persuader can only achieve his or her intention by appealing to the reasoning of the recipients as well as by relying on the external attributes of the relayed message.

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Literature Review

For an individual to persuade another person, they must embrace one of the two limbs of the Elaboration Likelihood Model Theory. The first model is the central route. This model relies on how people reason (Perloff, 2016). Consequently, a persuader must come up with logical explanations that are in sync with the cognitive activities of the recipient. In this case, a persuader can use logic whereby he or she explains their message by use of reasonability. Besides, the messenger can use statistical data to elaborate on the message whereby they can explain various findings of a given report in a bid to substantiate their arguments (Petty & Cacioppo, 2012). Another mode of adding weight to the message is by use of compelling facts that serve as evidence. By so doing, the recipient will not hesitate to buy the idea since reality influences them.

The second limb under the Elaboration Model Likelihood Theory is the peripheral route. Unlike the initial model, the peripheral route focuses on aspects that are independent of the message (Perloff, 2016). In this case, the presentation of the speaker could influence the reception of his or her message. Furthermore, the credibility of the message can get affected by how the speaker presents it. The experience or level of knowledge within the realm of the topic can also influence the reception of the report rendered by the persuader (Petty & Cacioppo, 2012). The circumstances or pressures of the situation can also affect the rate at which the message is received and accepted by people. Therefore, the peripheral route is viable when dealing with persons with little knowledge in the subject, while the central route model is efficient when communicating with people who are knowledgeable in the subject matter.

The Analysis

Based on the findings, the Elaboration Likelihood Model depicts persuasion as something that requires the active involvement of the mental aspect of the recipient. Therefore, the receivers of the message primarily rely on the understanding of the subject matter that is disseminated by the speaker (Perloff, 2016). It is crucial for the speaker to embrace motivation when communicating. He or she must explain some issues to the audience so that it can adopt the points put across. For instance, when trying to ask the audience to purchase a particular item, the vendor must use some hopeful terms that will make the audience develop the desire to buy the item. In this case, the seller can narrate the usefulness of the object in the life of the audience (Chang, Yu, & Lu, 2015).

Alternatively, the seller can explain that the item or service on sale is cheap, but its effectiveness is incredibly massive. The speaker should also embrace reason when elaborating something to convince the listeners. In case of a vendor trying to sell a commodity, he or she should put the listeners in a situation that will see the need to possess the item or services on offer (Chang, Yu, & Lu, 2015). For example, the seller can state that his items or services are essential for anyone who wants to lose weight. He or she should also go to the extent of elaborating how someone can lose weight by using the given commodity or service. This initiative explains the period that the item or service will last to realize the expected outcomes.

The presentation of an individual plays a critical role in persuasion. Envisage a speaker who is talking about the ways of becoming wealthy, yet he is shabbily dressed. Undoubtedly, quite severofal listeners will not subscribe to his message since many know that wealth is associated with neatness and proper presentation (Stiff & Mongeau, 2016). An individual dressed in a suit and a tie will easily convince an audience about a particular issue compared to someone dressed in a short and a T-shirt. When a patient visits a hospital and finds a doctor or physician dressed in a white coat, he or she is likely to take prescriptions seriously when compared to a situation where he or she meets the same doctor dressed unofficially. A speaker who has adequate knowledge in a given field seems to convince his or her listeners when putting across points compared to one that does not know such a sphere of knowledge (Perloff, 2016). Therefore, as a way of preparing to offer a lecture to a particular audience, a speaker must carry their curriculum vitae and share copies with the audience. Such a move enhances the credibility of the speaker, which broadens his chances of persuading the audience in whichever way he or she desires.

There has been a push and pull on the effectiveness of the central route and the peripheral route models. While some scholars argue that the two models are applicable in all circumstances of persuasion, others insist that they work better in their particular situations. By examining the two tenets, there is no doubt that they both work independently in different situations. When a speaker is talking to a given group that has adequate knowledge in a particular subject matter, for example, he or she should apply the central route to accomplish persuasion (Perloff, 2016). The central route model works well when the audience has some knowledge on a particular topic. For instance, when a speaker is lecturing nurses on various ways of suppressing the spread of a contagious disease, they should use the central route model to persuade nurses to buy the idea. The speaker will use facts, statistical data, and reason to pass across the message. Since the nurses are experts in this field, they will be of cognizance to the topic, which makes them get persuaded easily. From the above example, no doubt dealing with the central route model of persuasion is effective among experts speaking to other experts (Stiff & Mongeau, 2016).

On the other hand, the peripheral route model is useful when a speaker is talking to an audience that has no in-depth knowledge on the topic. For example, while a safety engineer is persuading people always to tighten their safety belts when using buses or personal cars, he or she has to use the peripheral route approach. This model does not require the statistical and factual aspects of the topic since the recipients have no much interest in such information. The lack of interest is attributable to their little knowledge on the subject (Kitchen, Kerr, Schultz, Mccoll, & Pals 2014). Consequently, the credibility of the speaker is what carries much weight in their bid to convince the audience on a particular issue. Apart from credibility, the speaker has to be neat. A well-dressed speaker commands respect and attracts the attention of listeners, and this aspect broadens the chances of convincing the audience. The pressure emanating from the situation falls under the peripheral route of persuasion. For instance, people are likely to get convinced to do something in case there is an unavoidable need. Therefore, a speaker merely has to highlight this need, and he or she will expeditiously get positive responses to their persuasion exercise (Stiff & Mongeau, 2016).

Conclusion

Persuasion remains an essential tenet of communication. The Elaboration Likelihood Model Theory tries to explain how an individual can persuade another with the aim of achieving a consensus. This theory has two limbs, which are the central route model and the peripheral route model. The former is effective when persuading experts of a given discipline while the latter one applies to the persuasion of individuals whose knowledge in a particular issue or subject is less. Therefore, the relevance of this discourse is to enlighten speakers to understand the cognitive element of their audience to ascertain the best approach to persuade them expeditiously.

References

Chang, Yu-Ting, et al. "Persuasive Messages, Popularity Cohesion, and Message Diffusion in Social Media Marketing." Journal of Business Research, vol. 68, no. 4, 2015, pp. 777-782., doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2014.11.027.

Kitchen, Philip J., et al. "The Elaboration Likelihood Model: Review, Critique and Research Agenda." European Journal of Marketing, vol. 48, no. 11/12, 2014, pp. 2033-2050., doi:10.1108/ejm-12-2011-0776.

Perloff, R. M. (2016). The Dynamics of Persuasion: Communication and Attitudes in the Twenty-First Century. Oxfordshire, England: Taylor & Francis.

Petty, R. E., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2012). Communication and Persuasion: Central and Peripheral Routes to Attitude Change. Berlin, Germany: Springer Science & Business Media.

Stiff, J. B., & Mongeau, P. A. (2016). Persuasive Communication, Third Edition. New York, NY: Guilford Publications.