The Theoretical Bases of Persuasion: A Critical Introduction

Abstract

Most business communication textbooks limit their treatments of persuasion to the classical rhetorical model, motive-goal theories, and psychological organizational structures. Suggesting the need to integrate contemporary persuasion theory into the business communication literature, the author synthesizes a wide range of persuasion theories and relevant research using four theoretical approaches: learning theory, consistency theory, perceptual theory, and functional theory. Where appropriate, the author suggests practical implications of these theories to business communication.THE TRADITIONAL TEXTBOOK PRESENTATION of persuasion to business communication students focuses primarily on prescriptive techniques and formats for writing and speaking. Textbook writers who have tried to integrate findings of persuasion theory into their presentation have faced two major problems.The first problem is that the various theories of persuasion which are to be found largely in the social science literature have not been unified into a coherent framework. As the following discussion will suggest, even the most sophisticated of the new approaches do not integrate the diverse empirical findings on the process of human influence.The second problem has been that business communicators have found little in contemporary persuasion theory that is useful and practical since contemporary research in persuasion has resulted largely in hypotheses about the hows and whys of persuasion (assessment) rather than in what persuaders should do to be effective (intervention).' From a pedagogical perspective, these assessment theories do not provide useful conclusions and implications.Despite problems with integration and practicality, researchers in the business communication field cannot afford to ignore developments in persuasion research; rather, they should identify relevant findings and take the initiative in developing an integrated theoretical framework that supports their principles and techniques. As a first step in that process, this paper will identify and briefly describe the theories of persuasion commonly included or implicit in contemporary business communication texts as a base point for updating the persuasion theory useful for business communicators. Next, the paper will provide a review of alternative theoretical models from persuasion research that are relevant to business communication.°

R U Able to Meat Me: The Impact of Students’ Overly Casual Email Messages to Instructors

“…An equally relevant instructor expectation is the perception of source credibility. When individuals are deciding whether they will accept or reject information in a message, their perceived levels of a source's credibility play a powerful role (Dholakia, 1979;McCroskey, 1997;Shelby, 1986). Within the field of communication, three common dimensions of credibility have emerged to reflect Aristotle's original conception of ethos: trustworthiness, competence, and goodwill (McCroskey, 1966(McCroskey, , 1982McCroskey & Teven, 1999).…”

Positive Emphasis and You-Attitude: An Empirical Study

“…Information processing, one of the most influential theoretical approaches to persuasion (Shelby, 1986), focuses on the relationship between stimulus (source or message) and response (receiver beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors). Social-psychologist Carl Hovland and his colleagues developed an early three-step information-processing model 304 of influence: attention, comprehension, and acceptance (1953).…”

Persuasive Strategies for School Administrators: A Key to School Effectiveness

“…Power is that which is given to another or that one agrees to for a time; it is not something one inherently has. The compliance-gaining approach implies that the administrator's power, implemented through words that provide an inducement to action, serves as a motivation for obtaining desired behavior that would not otherwise have occurred (Shelby, 1986).…”

“…His idea was generally neglected until it was revived in the 1980s under the label of compliance gaining. Compliancegaining theory focuses on the behavior of the persuasive target-typically faculty and staff members, or students in this case-and addresses the most effective means of altering behavior to benefit the school (Shelby, 1986). …”