Listeners
Beyond acquainting listeners with a problem, persuasive messages aimed at building awareness must demonstrate that the problem is important and show listeners how it affects them directly. Persuasive speakers must raise awareness before moving on to the next stage in the process.
The second phase of the persuasive process understands. Listeners must understand what you are telling them. They must be moved by your ideas and know how to carry out your proposals. To provide understanding, Anna Aley used an “inside-outside” approach. She took listeners inside the housing problem in Manhattan by vividly describing her basement apartment. Then she took listeners outside the problem by showing them the total picture of substandard student housing: the number of students involved and the causes of the problem. Helping listeners understand is important when listeners admit that there is a problem but don’t know what to do about it. Ethical persuasion expands our knowledge of arguments, demonstrates how some arguments are stronger than others, and provides evidence to support a position.
Tags: education